Satyanarayan Katha is one of the most popular stories that worship Lord Vishnu. Satya = Truth and Narayan = Vishnu. It is an acknowledgement and a recognition of absolute truth. Read it as a story. Celebrate it as a ceremony.

Chapter 1

First, let’s pray to Lord Ganesha.

Long long ago, Sage Shownakadik, who lived in a forest called Naimisharanya, asked a question to Narada Muni. “Oh, Narada, what kind of pooja (ritual) will allow one or all of his wishes?  Please tell me.”

The same question was asked by Narada Muni to Lord Vishnu.  I will tell you the answer that Lord Vishnu gave to Narada.  Please listen with devotion.

One day, Narada Muni was roaming around the world when he came across people suffering from all sorts of problems.  He was wondering, how they could solve their problems and be happy.  So, he went to Heaven to pray for Lord Vishnu.  “Oh Lord Vishnu, you have the knowledge of everything.  You are all-powerful.  You create life, maintain it and destroy it. You are the origin of everything.  I bow to you.”

Lord Vishnu was pleased with Narada’s prayer.  He asked Narada, “What’s on your mind?  How can I help you?”  Narada asked him, ” There are so many people suffering around the world.  Can you please tell me a pooja that will make people happy and allow them to have their wishes come true?”

Lord Vishnu was very pleased that Narada asked a question about helping everybody and not just himself.  He said, ” I will tell you a pooja that nobody knows.  This is a very powerful pooja and anybody who does this pooja with devotion, frees himself from all the worries and becomes happy”.  Narada asked Lord Vishnu to give him all the details about the pooja, such as how to do this pooja, when to do this, etc.

Lord Vishnu said, “This powerful pooja destroys all worries and sorrows.  It makes one happy and prosperous.  it makes you succeed in all good causes.  it keeps you healthy.  However, you have to do this pooja with devotion to God”.

“You should take one and a quarter measure of milk, sugar, butter, bananas, and cream of wheat to make the Prasad.  The exact details of how you make the prasad or how you make the pooja are unimportant.  What is more important is that you pray from your heart.  After doing the pooja, you offer the Prasad to your friends and family and listen to the Shree Satyanarayana Story (Shree Satya Narayan is the God of truth) with devotion”.

“If you pray to God from your heart and do the Shree Satya Narayan pooja with devotion, your problems will be solved.  This simple pooja will help everybody to end their suffering”.

This ends the First Chapter of the Shree Satya Narayan Story.

Shree Satya Narayan Maharaj Ki Jay (Glory to Lord Shree Satya Narayan).

Chapter 2

Lord Vishnu said to Narada, ” Let me tell you a story about a poor man who used to live in the village called Sunder”.

One day, an old man was wandering around looking for some food.  He was hungry, tired, and thirsty.  Lord Vishnu took pity on him.  He came to earth in a form of an old man and asked the poor man, “Why are you roaming around like this?  What is bothering you?”  The poor man replied, “I am very poor.  I have to roam around begging so that I can get some food.  Can you tell me anything I can do to get out of this misery?”  Lord Vishnu in the form of an old man, told him about the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.  He advised about the powers of this pooja to bring him happiness and urged him to do this pooja.  After that, the old man vanished.

The poor man felt restless.  He could barely sleep that night.  He made up his mind to do the pooja and went about his usual routine to beg for some food.  That day, people gave him a lot of money.  He used that money to do the Shree Satya Narayan pooja along with his family.  Since then, that poor man started earning good money.  he started doing the pooja every month and gained happiness.  He got rid of his past sins and went to Heaven.

Narada said to all sages that anyone who does this pooja with devotion gets happiness.  Moreover, anyone who listens to this pooja done by someone else also gets happiness.  Narada said, ” Let me tell you a story about a woodcutter who listened to this story and became prosperous”.

One day, a woodcutter was walking with his wood on his head.  It was a hot day and he was very thirsty.  he stopped by a house to get a drink and he saw that the people in the house doing the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.  He rested at their house and listened to the pooja with devotion.  He ate the Prasad and went to the village to sell the wood.  That day he was able to sell twice as much wood.  He realized that it was due to him listening to the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.  He bought the articles and groceries for doing the pooja from that money.  He invited his family and friends and did the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.

Since that time, he became a very rich merchant.  All his worries were gone and his wishes were fulfilled.

This ends the second chapter of the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.

Shree Satya Narayan Maharaj Ki Jay (Glory to Lord Shree Satya Narayan).

Chapter 3

Let me tell you another story about a King named Sarvabhauma.  This King was a brilliant man who believed in God.  He always believed in the truth and never lied to anyone.  Every day, he used to go to the temple and donate money to poor people.   His wife, Sundervadana, was extremely beautiful.

One day, the King and the Queen were doing the Shree Satya Narayan pooja on the banks of the river.  A merchant named Sadhu Vani was going in a boat on the river.  He was going on a business trip with a lot of money.  He saw the King and the Queen doing the pooja and brought his boat to the banks of the river to find out what was going on.

Sadhu Vani politely asked the King,” I am impressed by your devotion and I am interested in knowing about this pooja.  Please tell me all about it”.

The King replied.” O’ Brother, I am doing the pooja of the most powerful Lord Vishnu.  His pooja, called Shree Satya Narayan pooja, has the power to fulfill all your dreams”.  Sadhu Vani urged the King to tell him more about the pooja.  Sadhu Vani was childless and he thought that this pooja will make his dream about having a child come true.

After listening to the details, Sadhu Vani canceled his travel plans and returned home.  He told his wife Lilavati, all about the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.  He vowed that he will do the pooja as soon as he is blessed with a child.

Low and behold, Lilavati became pregnant with the blessing of God and delivered a beautiful baby girl.  Sadhu Vani and Lilavati named their daughter Kalavati.  Her name meant that she is growing day by day like a crescent of the Moon.

After things had settled down, Lilavati reminded her husband about his vow to do the Shree Satya Narayan pooja as soon as they have a child.  Sadhu Vani was too busy with his business and promised to do the pooja when they get Kalavati married.

Kalavati grew to become a very pretty charming young woman.  Sadhu Vani started hunting for a suitable groom for his daughter.  He enquires with his relatives and friends about a suitable young man.  Finally, he found a smart and intelligent young man.  Sadhu Vani got his daughter married with a lot of pomp and celebration.  But again, he was too busy to do the pooja he had promised.

Lord Vishnu had waited for several years for Sadhu Vani to do this pooja.  Now he ran out of patience and got angry with Sadhu Vani.  He decided to teach a lesson to Sadhu Vani.

Sadhu Vani and his son-in-law became partners in business.  They decided to travel together for a business to a town called Satnasarpur on the banks of the river Sindhu.  A King named Chandraketu ruled this town.

One day, there was a robbery in the King’s palace.  However, the palace guards found out about it and started chasing the thief.  The thief got scared and dumped the loot where Sadhu Vani was staying.  The palace guards found the loot and thought that Sadhu Vani and his son-in-law are thieves and arrested them.  The palace guards took both of them to the King.  Sadhu Vani pleaded that they were innocent and there was a terrible mistake.  But due to  Shree Satya Narayan curse, the King would not listen to them.  he confiscated all belongings of Sadhu Vani and jailed him and his son-in-law.

Kalavati and Lilavati came upon extreme grief when they heard the plight of their husbands.  Without any income from the business, they became poor and had to rely on begging to get any food.

One day, Kalavati was roaming around in search of food when she came across a family doing the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.  She waited around out of curiosity.  After she listened to pooja, ate the prasad, and headed home.

By the time she reached home, it was dark and her mother was sick with worry.  She immediately asked Kalavati why was she so late coming home.  Kalavati explained to her about the pooja.  Lilavati immediately remembered Sadhu Vani’s promise and decided to do the pooja.  She did the pooja with her meager means, but with complete devotion.  She apologized to God and asked for forgiveness.

Lord Vishnu was pleased with Kalavati’s prayer.  he decided to forgive Sadhu Vani.  King Chandraketu had a dream that night in which Lord Vishnu told Sadhu Vani and his son-in-law were innocent and he should release them.

The next day, King Chandraketu ordered that Sadhu Vani and his son-in-law be released.  He ordered his servants to give them proper bath and clothes.  he also ordered his minister to give Sadhu Vani double the money that was taken away at the time of their jail sentence.

Sadhu Vani and his son-in-law bowed with respect to the King and decided to go back to their home.

This concludes the third chapter of the Shree Satya Narayan Katha.

Shree Satya Narayan Maharaj Ki Jay (Glory to Lord Shree Satya Narayan).

Chapter 4

Sadhu Vani and his son-in-law started their journey back home in a small boat.  God decided to test their sincerity.  The God took a disguise of a poor man and came to Sadhu Vani’s boat.  He asked, “Oh merchant, what do you have in your boat?”  Sadhu Vani was feeling too arrogant since getting all that gold from King Chandraketu.  He did not want to be bothered by this poor man and ridiculed him.  Sadhu Vani replied, “What do you think, we have some gold?  There are only leaves and twigs in this boat”.  The God in the disguise of the poor man said to Sadhu Vani, “Let that be true” and walked away a little distance and sat at the banks of the river.

Sadhu Vani finished his rest and went back to the boat.  He was surprised to see the boat float way up.  He peered into his boat and fainted when he saw his boat filled with leaves and twigs.  As he awoke, he started crying.  His son-in-law consoled him and advised him to apologize to the poor man for ridiculing him.  Sadhu Vani learned his mistake and apologized to the poor man for lying and ridiculing him.

After Sadhu Vani prayed, God was satisfied that Sadhu Vani has learned from his mistakes.  He told Sadhu Vani to go back to his boat.  When Sadhu Vani went back, his boat was filled with gold as before and the poor man was nowhere to be seen.

After the incident, Sadhu Vani and his son-in-law proceeded towards their home.  As they neared their town, he sent a messenger home to inform his wife and daughter that they were on their way.

Sadhu Vani’s wife Lilavati and daughter Kalavati were very happy to hear the good news that they were waiting to hear for so many months. Lilavati told Kalavi to do the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.  But, Lilavati was too excited to wait for the pooja to finish.  She proceeded to the river banks to greet Sadhu Vani.

Kalavati finished the pooja.  But she too did not wait for the prasad as she was anxious to meet her husband.

God was very angry with Lilavati and Kalavati for leaving the pooja halfway through.  He decided to teach them a lesson.  As both women reached the riverbank, the boat carrying Sadhu Vani’s son-in-law sank in the river.  As they witnessed this tragedy, Sadhu Vani, Lilavati and Kalavati were devastated with grief.

Sadhu Vani realized that this tragedy must have happened as a result of God’s anger.  He prayed and promised that he will do the Shree Satya Narayan pooja with complete devotion.  God decided to show mercy on them.  There was a voice in the sky which told everybody.  “Kalavati did not bother to eat her prasad resulting in my anger.  If she goes back and completes the pooja and eats the prasad, everything will be fine”.

Grief-stricken Kalavati went back home and finished the pooja.  She ate the prasad and went back to the river bank.  to everybody’s surprise, the boat carrying her husband was floating again.

Sadhu Vani was convinced of the power of Shree Satya Narayan.  He became a devotee of Shree Satya Narayan and every full moon day, he started doing the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.  He lived happily ever after.

This concludes the fourth chapter of the Shree Satya Narayan Katha.

Shree Satya Narayan Maharaj Ki Jay (Glory to Lord Shree Satya Narayan).

Chapter 5

Long, long ago, there was a King named Angadhwaj.  He took good care of all his citizens.  one day, he had gone to the forest for hunting.  While walking through the forest, he came across some poor shepherds who were doing the Shree Satya Narayan pooja.

The King was proud.  He thought that it was below his dignity to go to these shepherds.  After the pooja, the shepherds brought the prasad to the King.  But he decided not to eat it and went back to his palace.

After this incident, all sorts of bad things started happening in King’s life and he became very unhappy.  He finally realized that this bad spell must be because of his arrogance in not eating the prasad.  He went back to the same place in the forest and did the pooja with devotion.  This removed the bad spell from him and he became a successful king.

All these stores have told you how the Shree Satya Narayan pooja with devotion brings on happiness to the people.

This concludes the fifth and the last chapter of the Shree Satya Narayan Katha.

Shree Satya Narayan Maharaj Ki Jay (Glory to Lord Shree Satya Narayan).