16 Monday Fast Starts || FIRST CHAPTER ||
God Shiva and Parvati returned from that temple to Mount Kailash. After few days later,due to the curse of Parvatiji, the entire body of the priest was filled with leprosy. Many days passed while suffering the priest. One day some apsaras/nymph from heaven came to worship God Shiva in that temple. Seeing the leper priest, they were very kind to him. An Apsara asked the priest, "O Brahmin dev! How did this leprosy happen to you?" Then the priest told her about the curse by Parvati Ji. The Apsara said, "Brahmin dev! You should start sixteen Monday fast regularly. Your leprosy will soon be destroyed by Shivaji's compassion."
When the priest asked the worship method, the apsaras said- 'Wake up before sunrise on Monday, take bath, wear clean clothes, roast half kg of wheat flour, mix ghee and jaggery in it & divide into three parts . Then light a lamp of ghee and offer jaggery, as a naivedya, belpatra, sandalwood, akshat, flowers, poongifal, janeu and worship God Shiva during the Pradosh period.