Home | Shani Dev | Index to Shani

Back to Extra | Previous | Next

Ravi (Soorya or Sunday) Vow

This story is connected with Sunday fast. Long time ago there lived an old woman. She used to observe Sunday vow through which she became very prosperous. She used to smear her house daily with fresh cow dung, cook food, offer it to Bhagavaan Soorya Dev and then ate it herself. She brought this cow dung daily from her neighbor's house. Seeing her so rich, her neighbor got very envious. She thought that her prosperity was due to using her cow's dung, so she tied her cow inside her house so that the old woman could not take her cow's dung. Next Sunday when the old woman could not collect any cow dung, she could not worship Soorya Dev properly, because she could not plaster her floor with fresh cow dung, she could not cook fresh food, thus could not offer anything to Soorya Dev. And when she did not offer anything to Devtaa, she herself also could not eat anything the whole day. That night she went to bed stricken by hunger and thirst and sick with worry.

In the dream she saw Bhagavaan Soorya Dev asking her the cause of her misery. She said "I am sorry for this interruption of the worship. I could not get fresh cow dung, so I could not cook food, so I could not offer you food, and me too, I am also hungry." Hearing this Soorya Dev gave her a cow. He said that he was very happy with her devotion and the way she was observing the vow and promised her that her descendants will always be rich and never feel the shortage of money. Next morning when she arose she found a cow tied in her courtyard and recalled the dream. She fulfilled all her needs. When the neighbor saw the cow outside her house, she was very surprised to see the cow in that old woman's courtyard and she was struck dumb when she saw the cow lifting her tail and giving gold from her bowels instead of cow dung. So the neighbor exchanged her own cow dung with the old woman's gold and the old woman could not even know about it.

When Soorya Dev saw that old woman was still poor, he thought "What is this? How it can be that my cow is not giving her gold?" and he understood the situation. He created a terrible wind storm that fell old trees on the ground. Seeing this the old woman took her cow inside and tied her there, and next morning the cow presented some gold with the cow dung. Seeing this the woman got very happy and she kept the cow inside all the time.

Now the neighbor could not steel the golden dung because of the old woman's carefulness, her greed compelled her to take it by hook or crook. So she went to the King and said to him - "O King, My old neighbor has a gold-shitting cow. If Your Majesty can take it for himself, it will be useful for all the people of the country." The King also got greedy so he ordered his soldiers to bring that cow to him. They brought the cow to the King, and the King gave it a cowherd and warned not to remove her dung.

That night the King could not sleep well. Next day when he went to the cow to collect gold, he found nothing other than the normal cow dung. Seeing this the King filled with rage and he sent for the old woman. He asked her - "Doesn't your cow give golden dung? That is why I got her here, then why she is not giving that?" The old woman told him the whole story. He got convinced and said - "Forgive me, O Mother. I stole the cow out of ignorance. Your neighbor is guilty, she will be punished." Then he ordered the whole country to perform the Sunday vow and as a result of that he conquered his enemies in all directions.