Subsequently, Lilavati died of snake-bite and Yama’s messengers came and tried to drag her to Yama’s abode. But while they were doing this, Vishnu’s companions arrived and told Yama’s messengers that they could not take Lilavati to Yama’s abode. Lilavati had observed radhashtami vrata and all her sins had thus been forgiven. Lilavati went straight to Vishnuloka.

Such are the wonderful effects of observing radhashtami vrata.

Lakshmi Vrata

In dvapara vuga, there was a king named Bhadrashrava. He lived in the land of Sourashta. The king was learned in the Vedas. Bhadrashrava’s wife was named Suratichandrika. The king and the queen had seven sons. Later, a daughter named Shyamabala was born to them. Shyambala once went with her friends to play on the shores of the ocean.

While Shyamabala was away, Lakshmi arrived at the palace. (Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity. She is also Vishnu’s consort.)

Lakshmi appeared in the disguise of an old brahmana woman and said to the sentry guarding the door. “I wish to meet Suratichandrika.”

“Why do you wish to meet the queen?” asked the sentry. “Who are you? What is your name? And where do you live?”

“My name is Kamala,” replied Lakshmi. “My husband is called Bhuvanesha. My husband lives in the city known as Dvaravati. I wish to remind the queen for her earlier history.”

(Since Lakshmi was in disguise, she was being indirect. Kamala is one of her names. As kamala is a lotus flower and Lakshmi is known as Kamala because she is seated on a lotus. Bhuvanesha means the lord of the world. And Dvaravati, or Dvaraka, is the city that Krishna built.)

The story that Lakshmi told me sentry is as follows.

In an earlier life, Suratichandrika was born as a vaishya woman. But she was not very happy. She quarrelled with her husband and left her husband’s house. Lakshmi met this unhappy woman and told her to perform a religious rite known as lakshmi vrata. This vrata brought a lot of punya. And thanks to the punya thus obtained, the vaishya woman spent many years in Vishnuloka after her death. For each time that the vaishya woman observed the vrata, she spent one thousand years in Vishnuloka. When the punya was exhausted, the woman was born as Suratichandrika.

“I have come to remind your queen of this,” continued Lakshmi. “She is wealthy now and have become proud and vain. She no longer observes the lakshmi vrata. That is unfortunate indeed.”

“What is this vrata?” asked the sentry. “When should it be performed?”