In plain words
Sumati, Who Stopped the Sunrise
Sumati too was a great pativratā. She was a woman of pure and selfless heart. One day a ṛṣi laid a curse that her husband would die the very moment the sun rose the next day. It is prayer alone that removes every curse and every sin! With pure feeling she prayed to God. “Surely my husband’s life will go only if the sun rises tomorrow. If my resolve is true, then tomorrow the sun must not rise at all,” she said. As she had resolved, the sun did not rise at all the next day. As a result the whole world sank into darkness and was thrown into turmoil. Then the gods and the ṛṣis came to Sumati and said, “Mother! For your husband’s sake, is it right for you to plunge the whole world into darkness?” “Without my husband, what need have I of this world?” Sumati answered. Only after the gods gave their word, “We will keep your husband safe,” did she resolve that the sun should rise. In this way, from ancient times, the pativratā mothers of Bhārata have shown forth mighty powers and held up ideals. Not in ancient times alone; even in this Kali age women have such strength and power.
As the Housewife, So the House
It is Varalakṣmī who grants women the blessed state of a sumaṅgalī, good fortune, wealth and riches, and the eight kinds of wealth. Varalakṣmī got that name precisely because she bestows the boons people ask for. Virtuous women such as Sāvitrī, Candramati and Damayantī were able to gain such strength and power only through the gracious favour of Varalakṣmī. When women keep the vow of Varalakṣmī, wealth and riches increase and joy comes. But in this modern age the observance of such sacred vratas has dwindled. That is why purity has gone from the homes. They said: look at the house and see the housewife. If the house is clean, it means the heart of the housewife is clean too. In ancient times homes were very clean. For the hearts of the women of those days were just as pure. But today, wherever you look, there is filth, filth! The water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe have all become polluted. Everything has become impure precisely because the mind of man too has become impure.