According to Hindu religious beliefs, each of the seven days of the week is dedicated to different deities. Thursday is dedicated to Dev Guru Brihaspati, who is considered the deity of wisdom and education. Worshipping Brihaspati Dev on Thursdays is believed to bring wealth, knowledge, honor, respect, and many other desired outcomes. As per religious scriptures, observing a fast and worshipping Brihaspati Dev on Thursdays is highly beneficial. Let us explore the mythological story of the Thursday Vrat.
Thursday Vrat Katha
Once upon a time, in an ancient city, there lived a wealthy merchant. He used to send goods to other countries via ships. Despite earning significant wealth, he was equally generous in giving to charity. However, his wife was extremely miserly. One day, when the merchant was away on business, Brihaspati Dev appeared in the guise of a sage and asked his wife for alms. The merchant’s wife, weary of charity, asked the sage for a way to get rid of all her wealth so she could live peacefully without seeing her riches being given away.
Brihaspati Dev advised, “Oh lady, you are indeed strange. Who grieves over wealth and children? If you have more wealth, use it for noble deeds, such as arranging marriages for unmarried girls, building schools and gardens. These virtuous acts can make your life meaningful both in this world and the next.” However, the merchant’s wife was not pleased and insisted that she did not want wealth that had to be given away.
The sage then said, “If that is your wish, follow this plan: For seven Thursdays, smear your house with cow dung, wash your hair with yellow clay, bathe while washing your hair, ask the barber to shave your husband, eat meat and drink alcohol, and wash your clothes at home. Doing this will destroy all your wealth.” Saying this, Brihaspati Dev disappeared.
The merchant’s wife decided to follow the sage’s instructions for seven Thursdays. By the third Thursday, all the merchant’s wealth was gone. When the merchant returned, he found his property devastated. He consoled his wife and moved to another city where he started cutting and selling wood from the forest to earn a living.
One day, his wife expressed a desire to eat curd, but the merchant did not have enough money to buy it. Consoling his wife, he went to the forest to cut wood. Sitting under a tree, he began lamenting his past prosperity. That day was a Thursday. Brihaspati Dev, in the guise of a sage, came to him and asked, “Oh man, why do you sit here in worry?”
The merchant replied, “Oh sage, you know everything.” He narrated his story and broke down in tears. Brihaspati Dev then said, “Listen, your wife disrespected Brihaspati Dev, causing your downfall. But now, do not worry. On Thursdays, read the Brihaspati Dev’s story. Offer chickpeas and jaggery worth two paise in water mixed with sugar, and distribute this nectar and prasad among your family and listeners of the story. You too should consume the prasad and nectar. The Lord will surely bless you.”
The merchant responded, “Sage, I do not even have enough to buy curd for my wife.” The sage assured him, “Sell your wood in the city; you will get four times the usual price, fulfilling all your needs.”
The merchant sold his wood at a good price, bought curd for his wife, and procured chickpeas and jaggery for the Thursday story. They performed the ritual and distributed the prasad. From that day, their troubles began to fade away, but they missed performing the ritual the following Thursday.
The next day, the king organized a grand feast for the entire city. By the king’s orders, everyone attended the feast at the palace, but the merchant and his wife arrived late. The king personally fed them. When they returned home, the queen discovered her necklace missing and suspected the merchant and his wife had stolen it. The king ordered their imprisonment. In jail, they sorrowfully remembered Brihaspati Dev.
Brihaspati Dev appeared before the merchant, making him realize his mistake, and advised, “On Thursday, you will find two paise at the prison door. Use them to buy chickpeas and raisins, and properly worship Brihaspati Dev. All your woes will disappear.”
On Thursday, they found two paise at the prison door. The merchant asked a passing woman to buy chickpeas and raisins. She refused, saying she had no time as she was going to buy jewelry for her daughter-in-law. Another woman agreed to help, despite heading to the market to buy a shroud for her deceased son. She fetched the items and joined the merchant in the worship of Brihaspati Dev.
After the ritual, the woman returned home and placed the prasad and nectar in her dead son’s mouth, reviving him. The first woman’s son, who had earlier disrespected Brihaspati Dev, fell from his horse and died. She begged for forgiveness from Brihaspati Dev.
In jail, the merchant and his wife continued to worship Brihaspati Dev. Soon after, Brihaspati Dev appeared in the king’s dream, revealing the innocence of the merchant and his wife, and the location of the queen’s necklace. Upon discovering the necklace, the king released them, and they continued to observe the Thursday fast, living happily ever after.
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