There was a king named Pratibahu, the son of Vajra, who resided at Mathura, the abode of Lord Krsna. His wife was named Malini. He performed some difficult vows in the hopes of receiving a son. And yet, in spite of all his endeavours, the king did not receive a son and so he became quite morose. No one could him because it was his belief that the life of a man without a son is completely useless.
One day, after the king had become old and grey, the sage, Sandilya, came to him. Seeing how the king appeared morose, the sage inquired about his welfare. In reply, King Pratibahu revealed to him is misfortune of having no son. The sage then spoke to the king for his welfare.
Sandilya Muni said, "O King, after trying so many means for fulfilling your desire, without success, you should now listen to the Garga Samhita, along with your wife. In his Kali-yuga, Lord Visnu bestows riches and sons upon those who relish this divine literature. And at the end of life, such persons proceed to the abode of the Lord, Goloka. There are no hard and fast rules for listening to the Garga Samhita- it can be heard at all times and at all places. However, those who are not devoted to their spiritual master, who have no faith in the existence of God, who are sinful, and who do not follow the life of a Vaisnava, will achieve no good result while listening to the Garga Samhita."
"The speaker of the Garga Samhita should be selected with great care. He should not be an envious person who continually criticizes others. He should be devoted to Lord Krsna and well-versed in the devotional literature. After the recitation of the Garga Samhita, there should be the performance of hari-name-sankirtana. The bona-fide speaker of the Garga Samhita should be treated with all due respect and he should be awarded gifts in charity in consideration of his highly meritorious service rendered."
King Pratibahu became very pleased while listening to the words of the sage, Sandilya. He said, "O sage, I take shelter of you. Please recite the Garga Samhita to me and in this way, bestow upon me a son."
Thereafter, a nice pandal was erected by the side of the Yamuna and all the people of Mathura came to listen. After the conclusion of the recitation, the sage, Sandilya, was given a great deal of wealth in charity by the king. Then, by the mercy of the great sage, Radha and Krsna appeared before the king. Everyone stood up and then bowed down to offer obeisances to the Supreme Lord and His consort. The king and his queen offered prayers, as did the sage, Sandilya, and the citizens appealed to the Lord to forgive their sins, benedict the king with a son, and award them all devotion at His lotus feet.
Lord Krsna then said, "Whatever ever has been spoken by all of you will certainly come to pass. The Samhita composed by sage Garga fulfills all aspiration of those who respectfully hear it."
After saying this, Radha and Krsna disappeared from the vision of the onlookers. Thereafter, whatever the sage, Sandilya, had received as remuneration for his recitation of the Garga Samhita, he distributed to the brahmanas of Mathura. He then departed, after giving the king all assurances. In due course of time, a son was born to the virtuous king and queen. The son was named Subahu.
After hearing this story, Parvati requested her husband to recite the entire Garga Samhita, and Lord Siva compiled.
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