Need information

[Guest guest]

Ekadashi

 

The ancient Indian calendar is a lunar calendar with twelve months.

per year and usually 30 days per month. The dates of the month

go from one to fifteen for waxing (growing) moon, and again from

one to fifteen for the waning monn. Thus each month has two days

with the same numerical date. In the word "Ekadashi", "Ek" means

one and "dash" means ten. The word "Ekadashi" or "Agiyarash"

refers to the two days of the month numerically dated the eleventh.

 

Many people in and some people of Indian origin outside India follow

a religious observence of Ekadashi. On this day, they do what is

known as Upavas, a word that is generally interpreted to mean fasting.

This so called fasting varies greatly in application - some people

do not eat anything at all, some eat a restricted diet, simple diet

consisting of item such as milk and fruits that do not involve

cooking, while some others eat elaborately cooked meals that are

prepared out of selected restricted ingredients. Each of this

persons believes that his own versionof fasting contributes to his/her

spiritual developement.

 

The number of people observing Ekadashi in this manner has been

decreasing because the younger people, as well as intelligent ones,

who would rather understand the significance and benefit of following

a custom instead of observing it blindly., are unable to see any

philosophical significance and only marginal physiological value of

such fasting. Thus, Ekadashi has lost its meaning.

 

It is obvious to the thinking individual that as is the case with a

number of religious institutions, symbols, festivals and observences,

the real meaning of Ekadashi ha s been forgotten and its being

followed mechanically and blindly. Just as it is not prudent to

discard a car when a part of it needs repair, it is not prudent to

ignore Ekadashi just because we fail to grasp its significance.

We need to remove the layer of dust covering its important observence.

 

Dada has explained that there is, in fact, a lot more to Ekadashi

than mere fasting. He explains this in three parts. First, what is

so special about the eleventh day of the lunar cycle? Why wasn't

ninth day or first day chosen? The number eleven is sumof our five

sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tounge and skin), our five motor

organs (hands, feet, mouth, reproductive and excretory organs), and

the mind. These are elements with which we function. Ekadashi serves

to remind us that the mind is the key element. The mind makes

decisions, directs the motor organs to perform certain deeds and

utilizes the sense organs to enjoy the fruits of the deeds. The

focus of Ekadashi is this crucial elenevth element - the mind.

Our conscince, not our desires, should control our mind. Ekadashi

is one day of each fortnight (two weeks) that is reserved for

focusing on the mind to make it pure ans pious. The decisions made

by a pure mind are not governed by "needs" of the senses, but by

divinity. A pure and pious mind leads the senses in right

direction.

 

We must worship God this day. Devotion is a way to make the mind

pure and pious. Dada explains that the sanskrit word Upavas

actually means , "to be near, to make closer". Thus the association

of Upavas with Ekadashi is that this is the day each individual

spends in purifying his mind as a means of bringing himself closer

to God. The concept of fasting does have a relationship in this

regard. In order to bring ourselves closer to God and spend more

more time with Him and His work, we should spend less time in

sensual pleasures. In this respect fasting gives us chance to

reduce our desires for foof. We make our minds stronger by

imposing this self-discipline. Unfortunately, over a number of

generations, the real meaning of Upavas got lost. and its loose

association with fasting remained as the only living remnant of

Ekadashi.

 

Dada explains yet one another, even more logical meaning of Ekadashi.

This is the day we offer our energy, wealth and time in the service

of God. God loves and protects us 24 hours a day, so we have more than

enough reasons to be greatful to him. Threrfore we must express

our gratitude to Him, and thank Him for His bounty at least once

every firtnight. Ekadashi is the designated day to do this. Besides

offering Him our mind, we should engage ourselves in the task of

spreading His wisdom from door to door. Every man and woman must

be acquainted with the teachings of God. We should attempt to

build a realtionshio with as many of His children as we can do on

this day.

 

In order to be able to dedicate the entire day to God, we must stay

away from our routine jobs and household work. The practice of

no cooking on Ekadashi and only eating fruits came about so that

instead of staying home and cooking, women could go out and do God's

work also. We eat simple food on Ekadashi so that we have more time

to show our gratitude to God on that day. When we understand the

philosophical significance in logical manner, we appreciate the

sognificance of fasting associated with it.

 

Dada, with eternally appreciative nature, reminds us to be thankful

to those who maintained even the remanants of Ekadashi through

generations. He says that because they maintained the aspects of

Ekadashi that they understood, we are now able to appreciate

Ekadashi as originally conceived. The observence of Ekadashi as

originally was multipurpose. Individual spiritual development

was of course an objective. When large number of people utilized

the day to spread the wisdom of God door to door for a long period

of time, they contributed to instilling the vedic thoughts in to

the masses of India. Thus Ekadashi contributed to individual

spiritual development as well as to the upliftment of the masses.

 

Having understood the concept of Ekadashi, we too would like

to observe it in its true sense. However, in today's society,

it may not be possible to take a day off of work or school every

eleventh day of the lunar month. The essense of Ekadashi still

can be maintained by observing it on saturday or sunday or

by observing one weekend per month to perform God's work. If

its not possible to do this, a person can still maintain the

spirit of Ekadashi by taking 24 days off at one time each year

and going out of town or out of country to do God's work

and to uplift himself as well as others.

 

Dada has inspired thousands of people to go to various Indian

villages and cities inn this manner and engage themselves in

God's work for 24 days every year. On these days, they live

with the villagers, acquaint these people with teachings of

God, and go on religious pilgrimages with them. Observence

of Ekadashi in this manner regularly and consistently for

almost 25 years has contributed greatly to the blooming of

swadhyay parivar (family) all over the world.

 

There is one additional way of observing Ekadashi. If it is

not possible for a person to take any time off from daily

routine, he can offer his Ekadashi day's earnings in God's

service. Ekadashi does not only mean fasting once every two

weeks. Ekadashi means controlling one's senses and mind through

self-descipline. Ekadashi gives us that opportunity to thank

God for all that He does that by offering one day out of

fifteen for His work. When we understand this meaning of

Ekadashi, our respect for our ancient Indian Vedic culture

increases. When we decide to put this observence of Ekadashi

in regular practice ourselves, we greatly enhance our spiritual

development.