Chapter 1 · The Miserly Merchant's Wife Is Tested
There lived a merchant in some village, whose house lacked nothing in grain, cloth, or wealth, but whose wife was very miserly. She gave nothing to any beggar, and stayed occupied all day with the housework. Once, a sadhu-mahatma came to her door on a Thursday and begged for alms. The woman, at that moment, was plastering the courtyard, so she said to the holy man, 'Sir, right now I am plastering the house, I cannot give you anything, come again at some other time when I have leisure.' The sadhu went away empty-handed. After a few days, that same sadhu came again and asked for alms in the same way. The merchant's wife was at that moment feeding her son, and said, 'Sir, what can I do, I have no leisure, so I cannot give you alms.' When the holy man came a third time, she wished to put him off in the same way, but the holy man said, 'If you had complete leisure, would you give to me?' The merchant's wife said, 'Yes, sir, if that were to happen, it would be a great kindness of yours.'
The sadhu-mahatma said, 'Very well, I shall tell you a method. Rise on Thursday once the day has risen, and sweep the whole house, gathering the rubbish into one corner and leaving it there. Attend to the hearth and such things in the house. Then, after bathing, tell the people of the house that they must all get a haircut that day without fail. Cook the food and keep it behind the hearth, never in front of it. In the evening, once it has grown dark, light the lamp, and on Thursday do not wear yellow clothes, nor eat anything yellow in colour. If you do this, you will have no housework left to do.' The merchant's wife did exactly this. On Thursday she rose once the day had risen, swept and gathered the rubbish into one corner of the house, the men had their hair cut, and she cooked food and kept it behind the hearth. She went on doing just this every Thursday. Then, after some time, there came to be no grain left to eat in her house.
Chapter 2 · The True Method and Brihaspati Dev's Grace
After a few days the holy man came again and asked for alms, but the merchant's wife said, 'Sir, there is no grain to eat in my house, what can I give you.' Then the holy man said, 'When you had everything in your house, even then you gave nothing, now you have complete leisure and still you give nothing, tell me what it is you want.' Then the merchant's wife folded her hands and said, 'Sir, now tell me some method by which I may have wealth and grain as before, now I vow that I shall surely do just as you say.'
Then the holy man said, 'On Thursday, rise at dawn, finish your bathing, and plaster the house with cow-dung, and the men of the house should not get a haircut, keep giving food and water to the hungry, light the lamp exactly at dusk. If you do this, all your wishes shall be fulfilled by the grace of Lord Brihaspati.' The merchant's wife did exactly this, and wealth and grain returned to her house just as it had been before. In this way, by the grace of Lord Brihaspati, she enjoyed happiness of many kinds and lived long.
How to Read Shri Brihaspativar Vrat Katha
On this day, Brihaspateshwar Mahadev is worshipped. Eat only once during the day, wear yellow clothes, and let the meal be of chana dal, without salt. Worship should be done with yellow fruit, chana dal, yellow cloth, and yellow sandalwood, and the story should be heard after the worship. A banana plant is also worshipped as part of this vow. Observing this vow greatly pleases Brihaspati, and brings the benefit of wealth and learning.
About Shri Brihaspativar Vrat Katha
The Brihaspativar Vrat Katha is the story of a miserly merchant's wife, told across two chapters. In the first chapter, a sadhu-mahatma comes to beg alms three times, and each time the merchant's wife puts him off, after which the holy man deliberately gives her a method that is actually the opposite of the true Thursday observance, and following it brings want into her home. In the second chapter, once she has truly become poor and asks forgiveness with a sincere heart, the holy man gives her the true method of worshipping Brihaspati Dev, and following it, wealth and grain return once more to her house.
This vow is observed especially on Thursdays, seeking wealth, learning, and prosperity. This page presents the full text of both chapters in plain Hindi, with adjustable text size and print support.
The Brihaspativar Vrat Katha has no named author. It is a folk story that circulates both orally and in print alongside the Thursday vow, part of the tradition of weekday vrat kathas. The text presented here is a faithful transcription of the Brihaspativar Vrat Katha as printed in a published Hindi vrat-katha collection booklet, with only clear printing errors corrected and no change made to the story itself. Since this story has no single ancient original text, other printed editions may use different wording.
Frequently asked questions
How many chapters does the Brihaspativar Vrat Katha have?
It has two chapters in total, traditionally read or heard together as one complete text.
When is the Brihaspativar Vrat observed?
This vow is observed on every Thursday (Brihaspativar).
Why are yellow clothes worn during the Brihaspativar Vrat?
Yellow is considered Brihaspati Dev's favoured colour, so there is a tradition of worshipping with yellow clothes, yellow fruit, and chana dal on this day, as described in the puja vidhi.
Why did the holy man first give the merchant's wife the wrong method?
As the story's first chapter shows, the holy man deliberately gave her a method that was the opposite of the true Thursday rules, to test her miserliness, she suffered want as a result, until she sincerely asked for the correct method.
Does the Brihaspativar Vrat need any special puja items?
As described in the puja vidhi, this vow is observed with yellow fruit, chana dal, yellow cloth, yellow sandalwood, and worship of a banana plant.