Mar 06 2005, Sunday Vijaya Ekadasi

[Guest guest]

VijayA EkAdasi

 

Yudhisthira Maharaj said, "Oh Lord Sri Krishna, O

glorious son of Vasudeva,

please be merciful to me and describe the EkAdasii

that occurs during the

dark fortnight of the month of PhAlguna

(February-March)."

 

Lord Sri Krishna replied, "Oh Yudhisthira, Oh king of

kings, gladly I shall

tell you about this great fast, known as VijayA

EkAdasii. Whoever observes

it certainly achieves success in this life and the

next. All the sins of one

who fasts on this EkAdasii and hears its sublime

glories are eradicated.

 

"NArada Muni once asked lord BrahmA, who sits on a

lotus flower about the

VijayA EkAdasii. Sri NArada said, `Oh best of all the

demigods, kindly tell

me the merit one can achieve by faithfully observing

VijayA EkAdasii.'

"NArada's great father then replied, `My dear son,

this oldest of fasting

days is pure, and it nullifies all sins. I have never

revealed this to

anyone until today, but you can understand beyond any

doubt that this

EkAdasii bestows the result indicated by its nameI

(VijayA meaning Victory).

 

"When Lord Rama was exiled to the forest for fourteen

years, He, the goddess

SitA, and His divine brother Lakshmana stayed at

Panchavati as mendicants.

Mother SitA was then kidnapped by the demon RAvana,

and Lord Rama seemingly

became bewildered like an ordinary man by distress.

While searching for His

beloved consort, the Lord came upon the dying JatAyu

and thereafter killed

His enemy Kabandha.. The great devotee-vulture JatAyu

returned to Vaikuntha

after telling Rama how His dear SitA had been abducted

by Ravana.

 

" `Later, Lord Rama and Sugriva, the king of the

monkeys, became friends.

Together they amassed a grand army of monkeys and

bears and sent HanumAnji

his minister to Sri LankA, where he was able to see

Janaki (Srimati SitA

devi) in an Ashoka grove garden. He delivered Lord

Rama's message and showed

the ring proving his authenticity for rendering such

great service to the

Supreme Lord Sri Rama.

" `With the help of Sugriva, Lord Rama proceeded

toward Sri LankA. Upon

arriving at the shore of the ocean with the army of

monkeys, He could

understand that the water was uncommonly deep and

hostile. Thus He said to

Lakshmana, "Oh son of SumitrA, how can We earn enough

merit to be able to

cross this vast ocean, the unfathomable abode of

Varuna deva? I can see no

easy way to cross it, teeming as it is with sharks and

other ferocious

aquatics."

 

" `Lakshmana replied, "Oh best of all beings, Oh

origin of all the devas,

Oh primal personality, the great sage BakadAlbhya

lives on an island just

four miles from here. Oh Raghava, he has seen many

BrahmAs come and go, so

aged and wise is he. Let us go to him, take his

darshan (audience) and ask

him how We can safely reach Our goal."

 

" `So Rama and Lakshmana proceeded to the humble

Ashrama of the

incomparable BakadAlbhya Muni. Approaching him, the

two Lords paid Their

respectful obeisances to him as if he were a second

Vishnu. BakadAlbhya

could immediately understand, however, that Sri Rama

was actually the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, who for His own

reasons had appeared on the

Earth and was enacting just like a human being.

" ` "Rama, " said BakadAlbhya, "Oh best of the human

beings, why have You

come to my lowly abode?"

" `The Lord replied, "Oh great, twice born brahmin, I

have come here to the

ocean shore with My phalanx of monkey and bear

warriors in order to cross

the sea and conquer LankA and its demon horde headed

by Ravana. Oh greatest

of sages, please be merciful unto Me and please tell

Me how I can cross this

vast ocean. That is why I have come to your Ashrama

today."

" `The sage said, "Oh Lord Sri Rama, I shall tell you

of the most exalted

of all fasts, observing which You will surely conquer

Ravana and be

eternally glorified. Kindly now listen with full

attention.

 

" ` "On the day before EkAdasii, fashion a water pot

of gold or silver, or

even copper. Even clay will do if these metals are

unavailable. Fill the

pot with pure water and then decorate it nicely with

mango leaves. Cover it

and place it near a holy altar upon a mound of seven

grains (the seven

grains are barley, wheat, rice, corn, chickpeas,

kukani, and dahl or peas).

Now take Your morning bath, decorate the water pot

with flower garlands and

sandalwood paste, and inn the concave lid atop the pot

place there the

barley, pomegranate, and coconut. Now with great love

and devotion worship

the water pot Deity form and offer Him incense,

sandalwood paste, flowers, a

ghee lamp, and a plate of sumptuous foods. Remain

there awake that night

beside this sacred pot. On top of the lid filled with

barley, etc., place a

golden mUrthy of Lord Sri NArAyana.

" ` "When EkAdasii dawns, take Your morning bath and

then decorate the

water pot with fine sandalwood paste and garlands.

Then worship the pot

again with first class incense, lamps, sandalwood

paste and flowers dipped

in sandalwood paste, and then devoutly/devotedly place

many kinds of cooked

food, pomegranate, and coconut before the water pot.

Then remain awake over

night.

 

" ` "When the DwAdasi dawns, take the water pot to the

bank of a holy river,

or even to the shore of a small pond. After

worshipping it again properly,

Oh King of kings, offer it with all the aforementioned

ingredients to a pure

hearted brahmin, expert in the Vedic sciences. If You

and Your military

commanders observe the VijayA EkAdasii in this way,

You will surely be

victorious in every way."

 

"" `Lord Sri RAmachandra Bhagavan, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, did

just as BakadAlbhya Muni instructed, and thus He

conquered all demoniac

forces. Similarly, anyone who observes the VijayA

EkAdasii in this way will

always be victorious in this mortal world, and after

leaving this world

he/she will reside forever in the anxiety free realm

of the Kingdom of God

known as the Vaikunthas."

 

" `Oh NArada, my son, from this history you can

understand why one should

observe this EkAdasii fast properly, strictly

following the rules and

regulations. This fast is powerful enough to eradicate

all one's sinful

reactions, even the most abominable ones."

 

Lord Sri Krishna concluded, "Oh Yudhisthira, anyone

who reads or hears this

history will attain the same great merit as that which

is earned by

performing a horse sacrifice on days of yore."

 

Thus ends the narration of the glories of

PhAlguna-krsna EkAdasii or VijayA

EkAdasii, from the Skanda PurAna

 

 

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.