Satyanarayana Katha-A Revelation of the Benedictions of Lord Vishnu!

Satyanarayana --the supreme divine being

Satya means Truth and Narayana is Lord Vishnu. Needless to say that Lord Vishnu is the divine incarnation of Truth and bestows every good thing upon those who worship him through Satyanarayana pooja.

The interesting thing about conducting Satyanarayana pooja is the recital of Katha that centers on the stories of the devotees who benefitted from worshiping Lord Vishnu through Satyanarayana pooja and the ill effects they faced when they forgot their worship.

Read on to know about the five parts of Satyanarayana Katha.

Satyanarayana Katha

Chapter - 1

Satyanarayana Katha is recited in five parts. The first part describes the origin of the pooja as found in Reva kanda, Skanda Purana.It narrates how Naradha on seeing human beings suffer on earth approached Lord Vishnu and pleaded with him to free human kind from misery and suffering. Lord Vishnu explained how Satyanarayana pooja will dispel suffering from humanity.

Chapter - 2

In the second chapter, the story narrates how Vishnu went to a poor Brahmin in disguise and explained the benefits of Satyanarayana pooja.The Brahmin followed his saying, performed prayers regularly and became rich. A wood cutter outside his house noticed his prayers and asked him about the same. He also prayed to Satyanarayana and became rich.

Chapter - 3

Chapter 3 describes the piety of a king (Ulkamuk) who was without a child for a long time. On seeing his bhakti and prayers, a childless merchant prayed to Satyanarayana and got a girl child named Kalawathi. He postponed his vow to fast and observe Satyanarayana pooja to the wedding day of the girl. Even after her marriage, he did not realize his fault and as a result was punished by God for his false promise. His wealth was taken away by the king after his son- in- law and he were arrested for theft of king’s wealth though they were not responsible for it.While the daughter went in streets for begging, she came to know about Satyanarayana prayers and her mother remembered their vow and prepared for the pooja. This brought relief to the whole family and the merchant also realized his fault.

Chapter 4

In chapter 4, the story of the merchant continues with the merchant who, after seeking blessings from God, reached home while his daughter and wife were performing Satyanarayana pooja. In their excitement, they forgot to take prasada due to which they faced the anger of God who drowned their boats. When they took the prasada, God was pleased.

Chapter 5

In chapter 5, we come across a story related to a king who faced sufferings due to disregarding Satyanarayana pooja when some villagers were performing it. When he understood his fault and prayed to God, his afflictions vanished.

So, performing Satyanarayana pooja has its own good effects true to say, still if you forget your worship on due time you may reap the fruits of God’s anger. We all know Vishnu bestows bounties of rewards on those who worship him with piety and sanctity.

Let us be one among those pious devotees who enjoy the bountiful grace of the supreme embodiment of Truth.