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Maharishi Sootha continued: "Once, there was a king named Tungadhwaja who faced great suffering after refusing the Satyanarayana prasad." One day, after a hunting expedition, the king was resting under the shade of a tree. Nearby, a group of cowherds were joyfully performing the Satyanarayana puja. In his arrogance, the king refused to accept the prasad they offered him. Upon returning to his palace, he was devastated to find that his kingdom, his hundred sons, his wealth, and everything he cherished had been destroyed. Realizing that this might be the consequence of angering Lord Satyanarayana, he immediately went back to the cowherds, fell prostrate before the Lord, and with deep devotion, performed the puja. Pleased with his repentance, Lord Satyanarayana showered His blessings upon the king, and he regained everything he had lost. The king then lived a life of happiness and, upon his death, attained the eternal realm of Vaikuntha.

 

Maharishi Sootha continued: "O holy sages, I have narrated to you the Satyanarayana Katha, which was originally shared by Lord Vishnu with Narada Muni. By observing this Vrata, one can attain salvation. In this Kaliyuga, practicing this Vrata leads to the fulfillment of desires and liberation." He then went on to describe the rebirths of those who had faithfully observed the Satyanarayana fast:

 

• The Brahmin who observed the fast was reborn as Sudama. Throughout his life, he served Lord Krishna and ultimately attained moksha.

• The woodcutter was reborn as Guharaja, who served Lord Rama and achieved moksha.King Ulkamukha was reborn as King Dashrath, the father of Lord Rama, and attained eternity through his devotion.

• The merchant was reborn as King Moradhwaja, who, in a great act of devotion, offered his son to the Lord and, through this sacrifice, achieved moksha.

• King Tungadhwaja was reborn as Swayambhoo Manu, who served his people with great devotion and attained moksha.

 

Maharishi Sootha concluded his narration, and the sages, including Shounak and others, returned to their respective places.

 

All the gathered rishis chanted in unison: "Sri Satyanarayana Dev ki Jai!"

 

Note: This puja consists of two distinct parts. In the first part, pujas are performed to Lord Ganesha, the Navagraha (nine planets), the Ashtadikpalakas (eight directional deities), the Panchalokapalakas (guardians of the five elements), and Lord Satyanarayana. The second part consists of the recital of these stories by the devotees, followed by the distribution of prasad.