For protection, prosperity, the removal of suffering and the spiritual welfare of the family.
The deity Anant is worshipped on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadaw. The site of worship is cleaned, washed, and smeared with cowdung paste. On this, an eight-petalled flower is drawn with paste (Ashtdal Aripan). Vermilion is applied to it. A clean wooden seat is taken, and the design of a lotus is drawn on it. Vermilion is applied to it. After that, a holy water pot is kept. Mango leaves are placed in the holy pot. Vermilion and rice paste are applied to it.
After that, while reciting the names of the particular month, the particular fortnight, the date, the person, and the particular purpose, the vow (Sankalp) is taken by using a type of dry tall grass (Kush), sesame, barley, water, and sanctified dried rice.
In front of the deity, fourteen types (or as many as specified in the vow) of round baskets (Dalee) are kept. Baskets sent by other persons are also kept. On each basket, rice, green peas, makhan, unbroken betel nut, betel leaf with stem, unbroken coconut, five types of dry fruits, and fourteen types of fruits including banana, grapefruit, corn, cucumber, and custard apple are kept. Five types of homemade sweets are kept before the deity.
After the disposal (Visarjan) of the invoked deity, the old worshipped thread is kept on the cot, and water is churned with a new thread. After the worship is completed and the story of the ritual is narrated, fourteen Brahmins are fed.
The person who performs the worship remains a vegetarian on that day. The females wear the worshipped thread of Anant on the left arm, and the males wear it on the right forearm. Whosoever worships the deity Anant, wears the thread, and listens to the story ever remains happy. He becomes wealthy and has many children and grandchildren. He remains free from all sorrows and miseries.
### The Story of Anant
After vanquishing everything in gambling, King Yudhisthir was sitting in a forest and was worrying about his misfortune. Suddenly, finding Shri Krishna in front of him, he implored him to salvage him from the disaster. God Krishna advised him to do Anant Chaturdasi Vrat (the vow of keeping fast on that day). He also narrated to him the details of the procedure of the ritual.
The story is as follows:
In Satyug, there was a Brahmin named Sumanta. That brilliant Brahmin married Bhrigu's daughter, Deeksha. Deeksha was beautiful. She lived happily with her husband. After some time, she gave birth to a daughter who was named Sheela. Unfortunately, after some time, Deeksha expired.
After his wife's death, Sumanta used to remain depressed. His hermitage became disorderly. So, after some time, he married a girl named Karkasha. She came to her husband's place and started living as a housewife, but with Sumanta, the wind started flowing in the reverse direction. As opposed to his first wife, who was very courteous, humble, and wise, Karkasha was discourteous and arrogant.
While obeying all the commands of her stepmother, Sheela started leading a miserable life. Yet she was much devoted about her marriage. One day, suddenly, Sage Kondinya came to God. As she came to age, Sumanta became worried. Being attracted towards Sheela, he had asked Sumanta for her hand. He was honourable and renowned for his wealth. Sumanta happily gave her in farewell.
When Sumanta asked his wife Karkasha to give some household gifts to Sheela and bade them farewell, she expressed her anger and told him that there was nothing in the house. They were given only the travelling expenses.
As the couple was travelling on the chariot, they reached the banks of the river Yamuna. That day was Anant Chaturdasi day of the month of Bhadav. Many women had gathered there for the worship of the deity Janrdan.
Kaundinya got down there for his daily routine ablution, etc. Sheela enquired from the women folk about the purpose of that gathering. Then they explained to her in detail the significance of Chaturdashi Vrat. They also tied the thread of Anant around her arm.
Sheela came to her house. Due to the vow of Anant, her conjugal life became happier and wealthier day by day. Kaundinya spent his days very happily, but he could not understand why his wife had tied the thread around her arm in spite of having so many jewels in the house.
Sheela explained everything to him. Yet he was enraged at her superstition and threw the thread of Anant into the fire. Sheela got very upset at this. She hurriedly took it out of the fire and put it into milk.
Now the tide turned against Kaundinya, and he lost all his wealth. His life became miserable, and people in society turned their faces away from him. Sheela told him that all this was the result of his throwing Anant into the fire and that he must do something to atone for his sin.
This appealed to Kaundinya, and the same day he left for the deep forest to meditate. In the forest, he saw a mango tree laden with fruits. It was full of ants and insects. He became very eager and asked the tree if it had seen the deity Anant anywhere. He did not get any answer.
He proceeded further and met a hunter with a cow. Later, he came across a bull. He asked all of them about the deity Anant. None of them gave him any clue. Kaundinya became desperate.
After some time, he saw two ponds full of lotus flowers and swans floating across. Then he came across an elephant and an ass. But nobody gave him any hint.
At last, he got exhausted. He lay on the ground and thought of finishing his life. He was about to hang himself from the tree when a luminous glow appeared.
The deity Anant himself appeared in the form of an old Brahmin. He took Kaundinya to a cave. Inside the cave, there was a beautiful city full of life. There he saw the deity Anant, the incarnate of Lord Vishnu, in his formal dress of conch, wheel, club, and lotus, sitting on a beautiful throne studded with precious jewels.
The brilliant glow of the Lord dazzled in the eyes of Kaundinya. He started saying his prayers with utmost humility. The Lord was pleased and asked him to beg for a boon.
Kaundinya narrated to him of his ignorance and prayed to him to get him rid of his miseries. The Lord Anant advised him to return to his home and asked him to do the Anant Vrat for fourteen years regularly and to tell others about it.
