Papamocani Ekadasi

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The glories of Papamocani Ekadasi is described in Bhavisottara Purana in the

conversation between Lord Krishna and Maharaj Yudhisthira.

 

Once Maharaja Yudhisthira asked Lord Krishna: "My dear Lord Krishna, you

have already explained the glories of Amalaki Ekadasi. Now please describe

the Ekadasi which occurs during the waning moon in the month of March/April.

What is the name of this Ekadasi? Also describe to me the procedure for

observing this Ekadasi and its results". Lord Krishna replied: "O best of

Kings! The name of this Ekadasi is Papamocani. Now please hear its glories

as I describe to you. Long long ago the glories of this Ekadasi was spoken

by the Sage Lomasa to King Mandata. This Papamocani Ekadasi occurs during

the waning moon in the month of March/April. This Ekadasi takes away all

ones sinful reactions, destroys ones ghostly condition of life and awards

one eight kinds of mystic perfections".

Sage Lomasa said: "In the ancient time Kuvera the treasurer of the demigods

had a beautiful forest of flowers called Caitraratha where the weather was

pleasant as a result of ever (spring?) The heavenly dancing girls such as

gandharvas and kinnaras enjoyed various sports there. Demigods headed by

Indra used to come there and enjoyed various exchanges. In that forest a

great sage named Medhavi who was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva was engaged

in performing austerity. The Apsaras or the heavenly dancing girls tried to

disturb the sage in various ways. Among the Apsaras one famous Apsara named

Manju Ghosa devised a means to captivate the mind of the sage. Due to fear

of the sage Manju Ghosa built a cottage a little away from the ashrama of

the sage and began to sing in a sweet voice accompanied with the musical

instrument Bina. On seeing Manju Ghosa who applied sandal wood pulp on her

body wore a fragrant flower garland and was engaged in singing sweetly, even

the cupid who is an enemy of Lord Shiva tried to conquer the sage who was

the devotee of Lord Shiva. Since Lord Shiva burnt the cupid to ashes

therefore remembering his previous enmity the cupid, in order to take

revenge entered in to the body of the sage. At that time sage Medhavi who

wore a white sacred thread on his body and lived in the ashrama of Chyavana

Risi appeared as the second cupid. The lusty Manju Ghosa slowly came before

the sage. The sage Medhavi also became overwhelmed by lust and forgot his

worshipable lord. He gave up the practice of devotional service and became

so much intoxicated in relishing the association of the women that he even

lost the sense of discriminating between day and night. In this way sage

Medhavi spend many years in enjoying lusty activities.

Thereafter when Manju Ghosa saw that the sage has fallen down from his

position she decided to return to the heavenly planet. She said to sage

Medhavi who was engaged in conjugal affair: "O great sage! Now please give

me permission so that I can return home. Then sage Medhavi replied: O

beautiful women! You have come to me only in the evening stay here tonight

and you can return in the morning". On hearing these words of the sage Manju

Ghosa became frightened and continued to live with him for a few more years.

In this way although Manju Ghosa lived with a sage for fifty seven years

nine months and three days yet it appeared to be only half of a night to the

sage. Then Manju Ghosa again asked for the permission from the sage to

return home but the sage said: "O beautiful one! Please hear my words. This

is only morning, please wait till I finish my morning rituals. Then the

apsara smiled and said to the sage with amazement. O great sage! How long it

will take to complete your morning rituals? Has it not finished yet? You

have spent many years in enjoying my association. Therefore please consider

the actual value of the time. On hearing the words of the apsara the sage

came to his senses and after carefully calculating the time he said: "Alas!

O beautiful one! I have simply wasted long fifty-seven years of my valuable

time. You have ruined everything and spoiled all my austerities". The eyes

of the sage filled with tears and his entire body began to tremble. Sage

Medhavi cursed Manju Ghosa in the following words: "You have behaved with me

like a witch, therefore you will immediately become a witch. O sinful

unchaste lady! Shame on you".

After being cursed by the sage in this way Manju Ghosa humbly said to the

sage: "O best of the brahmins! Please withdraw your heavy curse. I have

spent many years in your company. O my lord, for this reason I am a fit

candidate for your forgiveness, please be merciful to me". The sage replied:

"O gentle lady! What will I do now? You have destroyed my entire wealth of

austerity, still I am telling you the procedure from getting freed from this

curse. The Ekadasi which occurs during the waning moon in the month of

March/April which called Papamocani and is capable of destroying all ones

sinful reactions. If you follow this Ekadasi strictly and faithfully then

your ghostly condition of life will be vanquished. After speaking these

words sage Medhavi returned to the ashrama of his father sage Chyavana. As

soon as sage Chyavana saw his fallen son he became extremely unhappy and

said: "Alas! Alas! O my son, what have you done? You have ruined yourself.

You should not have spoiled your entire treasury of austerity simply being

captivated by an ordinary lady". Sage Medhavi replied: "O respected father!

Due to misfortune I have committed great sins in the association of an

apsara. Therefore please instruct me regarding the atonement of my sinful

reactions. On hearing the pathetic words of his repentant son, sage Chyavana

said: "O my son! By observing Papamocani Ekadasi which falls during the

waning moon in the month of March/ April all ones sinful reactions are

completely destroyed. Therefore you should observe this Ekadasi. On hearing

these kind words of his father sage Medhavi exibited special enthusiasam in

observing this Ekadasi. By the influence of this Ekadasi all the sinful

reactions of sage Medhavi were distroyed and he became a very pious.

Meanwhile Manju Ghosa also observed this auspicious papamocani Ekadasi and

became liberated from the ghostly condition of life. She then regained her

divine form and returned to heaven.

After narrating this story to king Mandata, sage Lomosa concluded as

follows. My dear king, just by observing this Papamocani Ekadasi all ones

sinful reaction are automatically destroyed. By hearing or reading the

glories of this Ekadasi one achieves the result of donating one thousand

cows. By observing this Ekadasi all kinds of sinful reactions resulting from

a killing a brahmin, killing an embryo, drinking wine and associating with

ones guru's wife are totally uprooted. The purport is that since this sacred

Ekadasi is all auspicious and destroyer of all sins everyone should strictly

observe this Ekadasi.