In Hinduism, the month of Kartik is revered as extremely sacred. There is a religious belief that worshipping the gods Vishnu and Krishna during this month brings special merits. This is why people take baths and offer prayers early in the morning in Kartik. It is also considered blessed during this period to make offerings, light lamps, and worship the Tulsi plant. It is believed that performing these acts attracts the blessings of the gods Vishnu and Krishna. In addition to worship, reading and listening to stories related to this month holds special significance. Among many such legends is one story about Lord Krishna and an elderly woman.
According to an ancient tale, there lived an elderly woman in a village who observed a fast every year in the month of Kartik and went to the Ganges for a bath. The joy from her devotion prompted Lord Krishna to visit her home daily and leave a bowl of porridge, which allowed her to complete her fast. In the same village, near this woman's house, lived another neighbor who was envious of her. She mentally thought that this old woman had no support, yet she still received food in the form of porridge every day.
One day, the elderly woman went to the Ganges for her Kartik bath, as usual. After she left, Lord Krishna came to her and left a bowl of porridge, as always. At that moment, the neighbor noticed the bowl. Seeing that no one was home, she picked up the porridge and threw it behind the house. When the elderly woman returned from her bath, she discovered that the porridge was gone. She became very upset and constantly asked, 'Where did my porridge go and who took my bowl?'
In the spot where the neighbor threw the porridge, a sprout grew after some time, on which two beautiful flowers bloomed. One day, a king passed by, and his attention was drawn to these flowers. He plucked both flowers and took them to the palace, giving them to the queen. When the queen smelled these flowers, she soon became pregnant. After the due term, she gave birth to two sons. Both princes grew up gradually, but what was surprising was that they did not speak to anyone else.
However, whenever the two princes went hunting, they saw that same elderly woman on the way. She still remembered her lost porridge, saying, 'Where did my porridge go and where did my bowl disappear to?' Hearing the woman's words, both princes replied to her, 'We are your porridge, and we are your vessel.'
The King Discovers the Secret of the Princes' Birth
One day, the king saw both princes talking to the elderly woman. He was very surprised because his sons did not communicate with anyone in the palace, but they started speaking to this woman. The king immediately summoned the woman to the palace and asked the reason for this. The elderly woman told the king that she fasted every year in the month of Kartik. Lord Krishna, moved by her devotion, sent her porridge daily. But one day, when she returned from the Ganges, the bowl of porridge was missing. She searched for it for a long time, continuously asking, 'Where did my porridge and my bowl go?'
Then the two princes explained to her that her neighbor had thrown the porridge behind the house. Two flowers bloomed in that spot, which the king brought to his palace. The queen smelled these flowers, and from them, both princes were born. They informed him that God had sent them specifically for this elderly woman. Learning the whole story, the king was very happy. He provided the elderly woman with a place to live in his palace and ordered that she be properly cared for.
