http://megalivingg.blogspot.in/2012/01/sai-baba-nine-thursdays-vrat-or-nav.

html
Once Lord Shiva visited the famous city of Amravati. Parvati also accompanied hi
m. On their way, they saw a beautiful Shiva temple and decided to spend some tim
e there. One day, Parvati found Lord Shiva in a playful mood. She said to him, O
h my Lord, let us have a dice game. Lord Shiva obliged her and the game started.
Meanwhile, the priest of the temple had come there. Parvati turned towards him a
nd said Please foretell who will win this game? The Brahman gave no serious thou
ght to her question and abruptly said, Lord Shiva will win the game. Incidentall
y Parvati won the game. She was angry because the Brahman had told a lie. Lord S
hiva tried to pacify her, but she cursed the Brahman that he be a leper. In due
course, the Brahman became a leper and spent a miserable life. After some time a
few fairies descended on the earth and pitied the fate of the priest. On asking
him, the priest narrated the whole episode.
One of the fairies said, You observe Monday fasts for sixteen weeks without brea
k. On the seventeenth Monday, prepare some holy food or Prasaad with flour mixed
with ghee and gur. Distribute this prasaad among the members of your family and
take some yourself. You will be free from this leprosy. The fairies disappeared
and the priest followed the instructions. Soon, he regained his normal health.
Once Lord Shiva and Parvati again visited that temple. Parvati was surprised to
see the priest. He was his normal self. She enquired about this feat and the pri
est narrated the whole story. Parvati was happy, she also decided to observe Mon
day fasts for sixteen weeks. Incidentally, on the seventeenth Monday, when she b
roke her fast, her beloved son Kartikeya, who was displeased with her, appeared
and said, 0 dear mother what is that power with which you have called me? What i
s the mystery? Parvati said, 0 my dear son, all this miracle is due to observing
Monday fasts for sixteen weeks without interruption. Kartikeyas Brahman friend
had been in a foreign land for quite some time. Kartikeya said, I shall observe
Monday fasts for sixteen weeks for happy reunion with my friend. He observed the
16 weeks fasts as per rules and to his great surprise his friend returned hale
and hearty. The friend enquired about the miracle and Kartikeya told him the mod
alities to be observed for Monday fast. The Brahman friend was very curious abou
t his marriage. He decided to observe the Monday fasts for sixteen weeks. On the
seventeenth Monday, the Brahman friend went to a city. The ruler of the city de
cided to marry his daughter to a person on whose neck his well-decorated elephan
t would put the garland. The Brahman joined the show. Incidentally, the elephant
garlanded him. The ruler of the city gave him his daughter and also a lot of mo
ney. The couple departed the next day and were back in their home. On the honeym
oon night, the bride said, 0 my dear, how is it that the elephant ignored all th
e princes and garlanded you? How did you succeed on the auspicious moments? The
bridegroom said, I observed fasts on sixteen Mondays. Monday is Lord Shivas day.
It is due to his blessings that I got a beautiful wife like you. My friend Kart
ikeya revealed this secret to me. The bride too decided to observe fasts on sixt
een Mondays for a beautiful son full of knowledge. Her devotion bore fruit and s
he gave birth to a beautiful son. As the son grew up, he said to his mother, 0 m
y dear mother, what is the mystery behind my birth? Please reveal it to me. The
mother told him how she observed Monday fasts. The son also decided to observe t
he fasts to gain a kingdom for his parents.