ashvin mas ke krishn paksh ki ashtami tithi ko putra ke ayushya, arogya labh tatha sarvavidh kalyanarth jivatputrika (jitiya) ya jimutvahan vrat ka vidhan hai. prayah striyan is vrat ko karti hain. yah vrat pradosh vyapini ashtami tithi ko kiya jata hai. vidvat janon ne jimutvahan ke pujan ka vidhan pradosh kal men nirdharit kiya hai. pradosh samye stribhiah pujyo jimut vahnah. pratah kal snanadi krityon se nivritt hokar vrati jivatputrika vrat ka sankalp le aur nirahar rahte hue pradoshkal men kare. ek chota sa talab bhi jamin khodakar bana le. aur uske nikat ek pakar ki dal lakar khari kar de. shalivahan raja ke putra dharmatma jimutvahan ki kushnirmit murti jal ya mitti ke patra men sthapit kar pili aur lal rui se use alankrit kare tatha shodshopchar (dhup-dip akshata-ful mala evan vividh prakar ke naivedyon) se pujan kare. mitti tatha gay ke gobar se chilli ya chilhorin (mada chil) aur siyarin ki murti banakar unke mastakon ko lal sindur se bhushit kare. apne vansh ki vriddhi aur pragti ke lie bans ke patron se pujan karna chahie.
tadnantar vrat mahatmya ki katha ka shravan karna chahie. apne putra-pautron ki dirghayu evan sundar svasthya ki kamna se mahilaon ko, visheshakar sadhva ko, is vrat ka anushthan avashya hi karna chahie. vrat mahatmya katha: prastut katha ke vakta vaishampayan rishi hain. bahut pahle ramniya kailash parvat ke manoram shikhar par bhagvan bholenath aur mata parvati prasann mudra men sinhasnarurh the. divya sukhasan par virajman param dayalu jagat janni mata parvati ne bhagvan shankar se pucha ‘prabho ! kis vrat evan pujan se saubhagyashalini nariyon ke putra jivit evan chiranjivi bane rahte hain? kripya uske bare men aur uski katha ke vishay men batane ka kasht karen.’ anand nidhan purneshvar jagat niyanta trikalagya bhagvan shankar ne jivatmyaputrika vrat ke vidhan, mahatva tatha mahatmya ki katha batate hue kaha- dakshinapath men samudra ke nikat narmada ke pavan tat par kanchnavti nam ki ek sundar nagri thi. vahan ke raja malyketu the. unke pas chaturangini sena thi. unki nagri dhan-dhanya se paripurn thi. narmada ke pashchimi tat par bahutta namak ek marusthal tha. vahan ghaghu nam vala pakar ka ek per tha. uski jar men ek bara sa kotar tha.
usmen chipakar ek siyarin rahti thi. us per ki dal par ghonsla banakar ek chilhorin bhi rahti thi. rahte-rahte donon men maitri ho gai. sanyogavash usi nadi ke kinare us nagar ki sadhva striyan apne putron ke ayushya aur kalyan ki kamna se jimutvahan ka vrat evan pujan kar rahi thin. unse sab kuch janakar chilhorin aur siyarin ne bhi vrat karne ka sankalp kar liya. vrat karne ke karan bhukh lagni svabhavik thi. chilhorin ne bhukh sahanakar rat bita li parantu siyarin bhukh se chatptane lagi. vah nadi ke kinare jakar ek adhjle murde ka mans bharpet khakar aur parna ke lie mans ke kuch tukre lekar fir kotar men a gai. dal ke upar se chilhorin sab kuch dekh rahi thi. chilhorin ne nagar ki sadhva aurton se ankurit kelay (matr) lekar parna thik se kar li. siyarin bahut dhurt thi aur chilhorin adhik satvik vichar vali thi. kuch samay ke bad donon ne prayag akar tirthasevan shuru kiya. vahin par chilhorin ne ‘main maharaj ke mahamantri buddhisen ki patni banungi’ is sankalp evan manorath ke sath apne pranon ka utsarg kar diya. udhar siyarin ne bhi ‘main maharaj malay ketu ki rani banungi’ is manorath aur sankalp ke sath apne pranon ka tyag kiya.
donon ka janm bhaskar namak vedagya brahman ke ghar men hua. donon kanyaon men nagakanya aur devakanya ke asadharan gun lakshit ho rahe the. chilhorin ka nam jahan shilvti rakha gaya vahin siyarin ka nam karpuravti. shilvti ka vivah mantri (buddhisen) se hua aur karpuravti ka vivah raja malyketu ke sath. raja aur mantri donon dharmatma evan nyayvadi the. praja ko raja apne putra ke saman manta tha aur praja bhi unhen khub chahti thi. samay ke anusar shilvti aur karpuravti ko sat-sat putra hue. shilvti ke saton putra jivit the par karpuravti ke saton putra ek-ek karke kal ke gal men samate gae. karpuravti bahut dukhi rahti thi. udhar shilvti ke sabhi putra hamesha raja ki seva men hajir rahte the. ve sab bare vinyi aur raja ke agyakari the. rani unhen dekhakar jalti rahti thi. use ishrya hoti thi ki shilvti ke sabhi putra jivit hain. ek din rani ruthakar khana-pina aur bolna bhi band kar raja se dur kisi ekant kothri men chali gai. raja ko jab yah malum hua to vah use manane gae. par usne unki ek bhi nahin suni.
akhir pareshan raja ne kaha ki ‘tum jo bhi kahogi, main vahi karunga. tum utho aur khana khao.’ yah sunakar usne kaha ki ‘yadi yah satya hai to amuk darvaje ke pas ek chakra rakha hua hai. ap shilvti ke sabhi putron ka sir katakar la dijie.’ aisa nahin chahte hue bhi raja ne akhir vahi kiya jo rani chahti thi. rani ne bans ke bane sat dalon ya bartnon men ek-ek sir rakhakar aur use kapre se dhakakar shilvti ke pas bheja. idhar jimutvahan ne unki gardan ko mitti se jorakar evan amrit chirakakar unhen jivit kar diya. saugat ke rup men bheje gae sabhi sir tal ke fal ban gae. yah janakar rani to aur agbbula ho gai. vah krodh ke mare atyant kupit ho gai aur danda lekar shilvti ko marne pahunch gai, lekin bhagvan ki daya se shilvti ko dekhte hi uska krodh shant ho gaya. shilvti use lekar narmada ke tat par chali gai. donon ne snan kiya.
bad men shilvti ne purvajanm ki yad dilate hue use bataya ki tumne siyarin ke rup men vrat ko bhang kar murda kha liya tha. use sab kuch yad a gaya. glani aur santap se uske pran nikal gae. raja ko jab yah malum hua to usne apna rajya mantri ko saunp diya aur svayan tap karne chala gaya. shilvti apne pati aur putron ke sath prasannatapurvak rahne lagi. jitiya vrat ke prabhav se uske sabhi manorath purn ho gae. is prakar mahatmya ki katha batane ke anantar bhagvan shankar ne kaha ki jo saubhagyavti stri jimutvahan ko prasann karne ke lie vrat evan pujan karti hai aur katha sunakar brahman ko dakshina deti hai, vah apne putron ke sath sukhpurvak samay bitakar ant men vishnulok prasthan karti hai. ante ch bhajte devi vishnulokan sanatanam.