Rishi Panchami Fast Story

In the land of Vidarbha, there lived a virtuous Brahmin named Uttak. He had a devoted wife, Sushila, and they had a son, Suvibhushan, who studied the Vedas thoroughly, and a daughter, who was married into a respectable family. Sadly, her husband passed away, leaving her widowed. She returned to her father’s house and lived a life of virtue and devotion. One day, after serving her parents, the daughter rested on a rock. By morning, her body was covered with worms. Some disciples noticed her condition and informed Sushila. Seeing her daughter’s plight, Sushila began to lament and brought her to Uttak. Surprised and distressed by his daughter’s condition, Uttak meditated deeply to uncover the cause. He realized that in her previous birth, his daughter had been a Brahmin woman. She had touched utensils and food while impure and had disrespected the Rishi Panchami Vrat. According to scriptures, a woman in her menstrual period is considered impure: equal to a Chandala (outcast) on the first day, a Brahmaghaini (one who has committed a grave sin) on the second day, and a washerwoman on the third. Disrespecting the vrat caused her suffering and her body to be infested with worms, despite her current birth in a Brahmin family. Sushila then requested Uttak to describe the vrat so others could benefit from it. Uttak explained that the Rishi Panchami Vrat is observed on the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada. One should bathe in a holy river, observe fasting, and worship the Saptarishis (seven sages) in the evening. The worship involves preparing a clean area with cow dung and drawing eight lotus designs for the installation of golden idols of the Saptarishis. The sages to worship are Kashyap, Atri, Bharadwaj, Vishwamitra, Gautam, Jamadagni, and Vashishtha. Devotees should offer prayers, sandalwood paste, flowers, incense, lamps, and food to them, seeking the success of the vrat. On the fourth day, one should eat only once, and on the fifth day, the vrat begins. Devotees should bathe, establish a kalash (holy pot), tie a new cloth to the kalash, and perform detailed rituals involving the Saptarishis. Listening to Purana stories at night and feeding Brahmins the next day marks the completion. The successful observance of the vrat grants women beauty, good fortune, satisfaction with wealth and children, and the attainment of ultimate happiness.