MokshadA EkAdasii and day of the Bhagavad-gita (fwd)

[Guest guest]

By the way, this story of Mokshadaa Ekaadashii is actually from Padma

Puraana, not Brahmaanda Puraana. The latter does not have any stories at all

about Ekaadashii.

 

-

"M. Tandy" <mpt

<achintya >

Thursday, December 07, 2000 11:47 AM

MokshadA EkAdasii and day of the Bhagavad-gita (fwd)

 

 

>

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------

> Wed, 6 Dec 2000 03:44 +0000

> "Nayana-ranjana (das) (BBT Bombay - IN)" <Nayana-ranjana

> Katha, Deity.Worship, Brahmacarya

> "(Krsna) Katha" <Katha

> MokshadA EkAdasii and day of the Bhagavad-gita

>

> MokshadA EkAdasii

>

> Mokshada Ekadasi is a very special Ekadasi in two regards; today was the

all

> auspicious day on which Lord Shri Krishna spoke the Srimad Bhagavad Gita

to

> Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, at the place now known as

Jyotisha

> tirtha.

>

> Anyone who gifts a Bhagavad Gita away to a deserving person on this day is

> bestowed profuse blessings by the Sri Krishna Bhagavan.

>

> The Ancient History of Mokshada Ekadasi from Brahmanda Purana:

>

> Yudhishthira Maharaj said, "O Vishnu, master of all, O delight of the

three

> worlds, O Lord of the entire Universe, O creator of the world, O oldest

> personality, O best of all beings, I offer my most respectful obeisances

unto

> You.

> "O Lord of lords, for the benefit of all living entities, kindly

answer

> some questions that I have. What is the name of the Ekadasi that occurs

during

> the light fortnight of the month of Margashirsha (November-December) and

> removes all sins? How does one observe it properly, and which Deity is

> worshipped on that holiest of days? O my Lord please explain this to me in

> full."

>

> Lord Sri Krishna replied, "O dear Yudhishthira, your enquiry is very

auspicious

> in itself and will bring you fame. Just as I previously explained to you

about

> the dearest Utpannaa Maha-Dwadasi - which occurs during the dark part of

the

> month of Margashirsha, which is the day when Ekadasi-devi appeared from My

body

> to kill the demon Mura, and which benefits everything animate and

inanimate in

> the three worlds - so I shall now relate to you regarding this Ekadasi

that

> occurs during the light part of the month of Margashirsha. This Ekadasi is

> famous as Mokshadaa because it purifies the faithful devotee of all sinful

> reactions and bestows liberation upon him. The worshippable Deity of this

all

> auspicious day is Lord Damodara. With full attention one should worship

Him

> with incense, a ghee lamp, fragrant flowers, and Tulasi manjaris (buds).

>

> "O best of saintly kings, please listen as I narrate to you the

ancient and

> auspicious history of this wonderful Ekadasi. Simply by hearing this

history

> one can attain the merit earned by performing a horse sacrifice. By the

> influence of this merit, one's forefathers, mothers, sons, and other

relatives

> who have gone to hell can turn around and go to the heavenly kingdom. For

this

> reason alone, O king, you should listen with rapt attention to this

narration.

> "There once was a beautiful city named Champaka-nagar, which was decorated

with

> devoted Vaishnavas. There the best of saintly kings Maharaj Vaikhaanasa,

ruled

> over his subjects as if they were his very own dear sons and daughters.

The

> brahmins in that capital city were all expert in four kinds of Vedik

knowledge.

> The king, while ruling properly, had a dream one night in which his father

was

> seen to be suffering the pangs of hellish torture in one of the hellish

planets

> ruled over by the Yamaraj. The king was overwhelmed with compassion for

his

> father and shed tears. The next morning, Maharaj Vaikhaanasa described

what he

> had seen in his dream to his council of twice born learned brahmins.

>

> " ' O brahmanas,' the king addressed them, 'in a dream last night I

saw my

> father suffering on a hellish planet. He was crying out in anguish, "O

son,

> please deliver me from this torment of this hellish condition !" Now I

have no

> peace in my mind, and even this beautiful kingdom has become unbearable to

me.

> Not even my horses, elephants, and chariots and my vast wealth in my

treasury

> that formerly brought so much pleasure, gives me no pleasure at all.

>

> " 'Everything, O best of the brahmins, even my own wife and sons, have

> become a source of unhappiness since I beheld my father suffering the

tortures

> of that hellish condition so. Where can I go, and what can I do, O

brahmins, to

> alleviate this misery? My body is burning with fear and sorrow ! Please

tell me

> what kind of charity, what mode of fasting, what austerity, or what deep

> meditation, and in service upon which Deity I may have to perform to

deliver my

> father from that agony and bestow upon liberation upon my forefathers. O

best

> among the brahmins, what is the use of one's being a powerful son if one's

> father must suffer on a hellish planet? Truly, such a son's life is

utterly

> useless, to him and to his forefathers.

>

> " The twice born brahmins replied, 'O king, in the mountainous forest

not

> fat from here is the ashram where a great saint Parvata Muni resides.

Please go

> to him, for he is tri-kala-jnan (he knows the past, the present, and the

future

> of everything) and can surely help you in your gaining relief from your

> misery.'

> "Upon hearing this advise, the distressed king immediately set out on

a

> journey to the ashram of the famous sage Parvata Muni. The ashram was

indeed

> very big and housed many learned sages expert in chanting the sacred hymns

of

> the four Vedas (Rg, Yajur, Sama, and Arthava). Approaching the holy

ashram, the

> king beheld Parvata Muni seated among the assembly of sages adorned with

> hundreds of tilaks (from all the authorised sampradayas) like another

Brahmaa

> or Vyaas.

> "Maharaj Vaikhaanasa offered his humble obeisances to the muni, bowing

his

> head and then prostrating his entire body before him. After the king had

seated

> himself among the assembly Parvata Muni asked him about the welfare of the

> seven limbs of his extensive kingdom (his ministers, his treasury, his

military

> forces, his allies, the brahmins, the sacrificial offerings performed, and

the

> needs of his subjects). The muni also asked him if his kingdom was free of

> troubles and whether everyone was peaceful, happy and satisfied. To these

> enquiries the king replied, 'By your mercy O glorious and great sage, all

seven

> limbs of my kingdom are doing very well. Yet there is a problem that has

> recently arisen, and to solve it I have come to you, O brahmana for your

expert

> help and guidance'.

> "Then Parvata Muni, the best of all sages, closed his eyes and

meditated on

> the king's past, present and future. After a few moments he opened his

eyes and

> said, 'Your father is suffering the results of committing a great sin, and

I

> have discovered what it is. In his previous life he quarrelled with his

wife

> and forcibly enjoyed her sexually during her menstrual period. She tried

to

> protest and resist his advances and even yelled out, "Someone please save

me!

> Please, O husband, do not interrupt my monthly period in this way!" Still

he

> did not stop or leave her alone. It is on account of this grievous sin

that

> your father father now has fallen into such a hellish condition of

suffering.'

>

> "King Vaikhaanasa then said, 'O greatest among sages, by what process

of

> fasting or charity may I liberate my dear father from such a condition?

Please

> tell me how I can relieve and remove the burden of his sinful reactions,

which

> are a great obstacle to his progress toward ultimate release (salvation -

> liberation - going back home).'

>

> "Parvata Muni replied, 'During the light fortnight of the month of

> Margashirsha there occurs an Ekadasi called Mokshadaa. If you observe this

> sacred Ekadasi strictly, with a full fast, and give directly to your

suffering

> father the merit you with thus attain/obtain, he will be freed from his

pain

> and instantly liberated'.

>

> "Hearing this, Maharaj Vaikhaanasa profusely thanked the great sage

and

> then returned to his palace to perform his vrata (austere rite). O

> Yudhishthira, when the light part of the month of Margashirsha at last

arrived,

> Maharaj Vaikhaanasa faithfully waited for the Ekadasi tithi to arrive. He

then

> perfectly and with full faith observed the Ekadasi fast with his wife,

> children, and other relatives. He dutifully gave the merit from this fast

to

> his father, and as he made the offering, beautiful flower petals showered

down

> from the devas who peered out from behind the clouds in the sky. The

king's

> father was then praised by the messengers of the demigods (devas) and

escorted

> to the celestial region. As he passed his son, as he traversed the lower

to

> middle to higher planets, the father said to the king, 'My dear son, all

> auspiciousness unto you!'

>

> At last he reached the heavenly realm from where he can again with his

newly

> acquired merit perform devotional service to Krishna or Vishnu and in due

> course return back to home back to Godhead.

>

> "O son of Pandu, who so ever strictly observes the sacred Mokshadaa

Ekadasi,

> following the established rules and regulations, achieves full and perfect

> liberation after death. There is no better fasting day than this Ekadasi

of the

> light fortnight of the month of Margashirsha, O Yudhishthira, for it is a

> crystal-clear and sinless day. Whoever faithfully observes this Ekadasi

fast,

> which is like chintaa-mani (a gem that yields all desires), obtains

special

> merit that is very hard to calculate, for this day can elevate one from

hellish

> life to the heavenly planets, and for one who observes Ekadasi for his own

> spiritual benefit, this elevates one to go back to Godhead, never to

return to

> this material world."

>

> Thus end the narration of the glories of Margashirsha-shukla Ekadasi or

> Mokshada Ekadasi, from the Brahmanda Purana.

>

>

>

>

>

> achintya-

>

>

>

>