Crowned elaborately and surrounded by a golden prabhavali lies the statue of Goddess Santoshi, worshipped as the mother of satisfaction. To show their devotion to the goddess, women hold vratas (fast) for sixteen successive Fridays, eating very little and offering prayers to her, hoping that she would grant them blessings. When their wishes are fulfilled, they hold a ceremony that marks the conclusion of their satisfactory fasts where they feed meals to eight boys. The devout women wake up and listen to the elderly women in their house as they narrate the tales of Santoshi Mata.
Once, an old woman with seven sons wanted to teach a lesson to the youngest son, so she served him his brother’s leftovers. His wife overheard this and told her husband, who subsequently left the family and went looking for prospects that would provide him with opulence. However, once he became rich he forgot about his wife and she was distraught. Then, she fasted for Santoshi Mata and as a boon, received the news that her husband was coming back to buy her a new home. When the in-laws found out, they served the boys sour food during the udyapan ceremony, invoking the wrath of Santoshi Mata. The wife prayed again and Santoshi Mata appeared to the whole family in a frightening form. The wife bowed in devotion while the in-laws begged for her forgiveness and then they remained peacefully with each other.
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