Parama Ekadashi - August 11, 2004

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Parama Ekadashi - August 11, 2004

 

 

Sri Yudhishthira MahArAja said, "Oh Supreme Lord, what

is the name and

character of that EkAdasii that occurs during the dark

fortnight

(krishna

paksha) of the extra, leap year month of Purushottama.

Also, Oh master

of

all the universes, what is the process for observing

it properly?

Kindly

narrate all of this to me?"

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna,

replied, "Oh

Yudhishthira, this meritorious day is called ParamA

EkAdasii. It

bestows the

great benediction of an enjoyable life and ultimate

liberation, release

from

birth and death. The process for observing it is

similar to that for

observing the EkAdasii that occurs during the light

part of this month

of

Kartika. That is to say, on this EkAdasii one should

worship Me, the

best of

all living beings, with full love and devotion. In

this connection I

will

now tell you a wonderful history, just as I heard it

from the great

sage in

the city of KAmpilya.

 

"Once a very pious brahmin named SumedhA resided in

KAmpilya with his

wife,

PavitrA, who was extremely chaste and devoted to her

husband. On

account of

having committed some sin in his previous life,

SumedhA was without any

money or food grains, and even though he begged many

people for food,

he

could not obtain any substantial amount. He hardly had

adequate food,

clothing, or shelter for himself and his beautiful

young wife, who was

of

such excellent character that she continued to serve

SumedhA faithfully

despite their poverty. When guests would come to their

home, PavitrA

mataji

would give them her own food, and although she often

went hungry, her

beautiful, lotuslike face never faded. This fasting

made her weak, but

her

affection for SumedhA remained unbreakable.

 

"Seeing all this, and lamenting his bad luck, SumedhA

one day said to

PavitrA, 'My dear wife, Oh most beautiful one, I beg

alms from the rich

but

receive scarcely a scrap. What am I to do? What

possible relief is

there for

our plight? Where should I go for relief? Oh most

obedient and loving

wife,

without enough wealth, household affairs are never

successful. - na

vandhu

madhye dhanahina jivanam. Therefore please permit me

to go abroad and

attain

some wealth. If I make such an effort, I shall

certainly obtain

whatever

fortune I am destined to enjoy. Without making some

endeavour a person

cannot satisfy his desires or meet his needs. Thus

wise men have said

that

enthusiastic endeavour is always auspicious.' The

revealed scriptures

declare, udyoginah siNgham upaiti laxmi daivena deyati

kA purushAh

vadantii:

"One who endeavours enthusiastically will certainly

attain success, but

one

who merely says, 'I accept my lot in life' is a lazy

man".

 

"Upon hearing this from her husband as he spoke these

words, PavitrA

joined

her palms and, her eyes brimming with tears, spoke to

him with great

respect

and affection: 'I think there is no one greater or

more learned than

you, my

dear. One who, though in misery, is interested in the

welfare of others

speaks just as you have. However, the scriptures state

that whatever

wealth

a person attains in his life is due to his having

given charity in

previous

lives, and that if one has not given charity in

previous lives, then

even

though he may sit atop a mound of gold as big as Mount

Sumeru, he will

still

remain poor.

 

purva-janmArjitaM vidyA purva-janmArjitaM dhanam

purva-janmArjitaM

kanyA

agre dhAvati dhAvatiH "Transcendental knowledge,

spiritual education,

satisfying wealth, and pleasing family members are

acquired by a person

who

has given profuse charity. Whatever good a person does

returns to him

many

fold." In Manu-nitii, Manu MahArAja says, bhAgyaM

phalanti sarvatra na

cha

vidyA na cha paurusham: "Whatever is predestined by

ViddhAtA, the

fortune-maker, will surely happen. One's so called

good education,

skill,

and enthusiasm will not necessarily guarantee to bring

one success."

Whatever charity a person gives in the form of

education, money,

fertile

land, and the like is returned to him in a future

lifetime. We gain

what we

have given, when given with a good heart. Indeed,

whatever the Lord of

destiny, the creator, has written as one's fortune

will certainly come

to

pass. No one attains any wealth without having given

in charity in his

previous life. Oh best of the brahmins, since we are

now poor, in our

previous lives neither you nor I must have given

any/sufficient charity

to

worthy persons. Therefore, Oh gracious husband, you

should remain here

with

me. Without you I cannot live even a moment.

 

"'Bereft of her husband, a woman is not welcomed by

her father, mother,

brother, father-in-law, or any other family members.

Everyone will say,

"You

have lost your husband; you are bad luck/fortune

personified!" In this

way I

shall be criticised severely!

 

The Nitii-shastras says, vinaAshraye na tishthanti

paNDitAH vanitA

latAH:

"Without proper shelter and support, the following

three things cannot

survive; a learned man/brahmin, a woman, and a

creeper." Therefore the

modern women's liberation movement is a total failure.

Furthermore, the

GaruDa PurANa states, pati dharma pati sargaH pati hi

paramaM tapaH

patiri

pritim Apanne priiyante sarva devatA "A chaste woman

always thinks that

pleasing her spiritually situated husband is her

heavenly pleasure,

utmost

duty, and greatest austerity. If her husband is

pleased (as Kulottama,

Vishnu personified), she thinks the Supreme lord and

all the demigods

are

pleased. The Supreme Lord includes all the devatas

(demigods)." PavitrA

continued, 'Please, therefore, stay with me and be

satisfied with

whatever

wealth we get. Whatever is destined, we shall obtain

in due course of

time

and enjoy here in perfect happiness.'

 

"Hearing these plaintive words from his wife, SumedhA

decided to remain

in

their native village. One day the great sage KauNDinya

arrived at their

place, and upon seeing him the brahmin SumedhA and his

wife stood up

before

him and then offered him their respectful obeisances.

With his head

bowed,

SumedhA welcomed him: 'We are very fortunate to behold

you here today,

Oh

wisest of sages. My life has become successful, and I

am much obliged

to

you.'

 

"SumedhA offered KauNDinya Muni a comfortable seat and

highly praised

his

austerities and learning. ''Just by having your

darshan today,' said

SumedhA, 'I have become very fortunate.' The poor

brahmin couple fed

the

sage as sumptuously as they could afford to according

to their means,

and

afterwards PavitrA asked the mendicant, 'Oh most

learned one, what

process

can we follow to be relieved of our poverty? How can a

person who has

not

given anything in charity in his previous life get a

good family, much

wealth, and a fine education in this life? My husband

wants to leave me

here

and go abroad to beg alms, but I have earnestly prayed

to him to stay

here

with me. I humbly told him that if one lacks wealth in

the present

life, it

is because of not having given sufficient charity in

previous

lifetimes. And

so he has consented to remain here. It is only due to

my great fortune

that

you have so mercifully come here today. Now we are

certain to see the

end of

our poverty very soon.

 

"Oh best of the brahmanas, please tell us how we can

be free of this

perpetual misery brought on by poverty. Oh merciful

one, kindly

describe

some means - a place of pilgrimage we may visit, a day

of fasting we

may

observe, or an austerity we may perform - by which our

ill fortune will

end

forever.'

 

"Hearing this sincere supplication from the patient

lady, the great

sage

KauNDinya reflected silently for a moment and then

said, 'There is a

fast

day very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Lord Hari. Fasting

on

this day nullifies all kinds of sins and removes all

miseries caused by

poverty. This fast day, which occurs during the dark

part (krishna

paksha)

of the extra, leap-year month, is known as ParamA

EkAdasii. It is the

topmost day of Lord Vishnu, hence the name ParamA.

This extra month

(Purushottam Mase), dark fortnight EkAdasii bestows

all the necessities

of

life, such as money and food grains, and at last gives

 

liberation/release.

When the evening of this day comes, one should begin

singing the

glories of

the Lord and dancing in ecstasy, and one should

continue through the

entire

night.

 

"This holy fast was once observed faithfully by Lord

Kuvera (the

treasurer

of the devas). When Lord Shiva saw how strictly he had

fasted, Shiva

became

very pleased and made Kuvera the treasurer of heaven.

Also, king

Harishchandra fasted on this EkAdasii after his dear

wife and son had

been

sold, and the king was able to get them back.

Thereafter he ruled his

kingdom with no further impediments. Therefore, Oh

broad-eyed lady, you

also

should observe the sacred fast of ParamA EkAdasii,

following all the

appropriate rules and regulations and remaining awake

all night.'"

 

Lord Sri Krishna continued, "Oh Yudhishthira, son of

PANDu, in this way

KauNDinya Muni mercifully and affectionately

instructed PavitrA about

the

ParamA EkAdasii fast. Then he said to SumedhA, 'On the

DvAdasii, the

day

after EkAdasii, you should vow to observe

PaNcharAtriki fasting

according to

all the rules and regulations. After taking a bath

early in the

morning, you

and your good wife, along with both your parents and

hers, should fast

for

five days according to your ability. Then you will all

become eligible

to

return home, to the abode of Lord Vishnu.

 

"'A person who simply makes use of only one seat

during these five days

goes

to the heavenly planets. Whoever feeds qualified

brahmins nicely on

these

five days has in effect fed all the demigods, all

human beings, and

even all

the demons. Whoever donates a pot of drinking water to

a twice born

brahmin

during this five-day period will gain merit equal to

that gained by

donating

the entire planet in charity. Anyone who gives a

learned person a pot

filled

with sesame seeds resides in heaven for as many years

as there are

seeds in

the pot. One who donates a pot filled with golden ghee

will surely go

to the

abode of the sun god after fully enjoying the

pleasures of this earthly

planet. Whoever remains celibate during these

five-days will attain

celestial happiness and enjoy with the maidens of

Indraloka. Therefore

both

of you - SumedhA and PavitrA - should fast during

these five days of

PaNcharAtrika in order to be rewarded with ample

grains and wealth for

the

rest of your lives on this planet. The spiritual world

will be your

abode

thereafter.'

 

"Hearing this sublime advice, the brahmin couple,

SumedhA and PavitrA,

properly observed the ParamA EkAdasii and the fast of

PaNcharAtrika,

and

very soon thereafter they beheld a handsome prince

approaching them

from the

royal palace. On the orders of Lord BrahmA, the prince

gave them a

beautiful, exquisitely furnished house and invited

them to live in it.

Praising their austerity and patience, he also gave

them an entire

village

for their livelihood. Then he returned to the palace.

Thus SumedhA and

his

wife enjoyed all kinds of facilities in this world and

at last went to

the

abode of Lord Vishnu.

 

"Anyone who observes a fast on ParamA EkAdasii and

also the fast of

PaNcharAtrika is freed from all his sins, and after

enjoying life he

returns

to Vishnuloka, as did the brahmin SumedhA and his

faithful wife,

PavitrA. It

is impossible, Oh Yudhishthira, to calculate the

extent of the merit

one

obtains by fasting on ParamA EkAdasii, for such an

observance is equal

to

bathing in places of pilgrimage such as Pushkara Lake

and the Ganges

river,

giving cows in charity, and performing all sorts of

other religious

activities. One who fasts on this day has also

completed the offerings

of

oblations to his forefathers in GayA. He has, in

effect, fasted on all

other

auspicious days.

 

"As in the social order the brahmin are considered the

best, as amongst

four-legged creatures the cow is best, and as among

demigods Lord

Indradev

is the best, so among all months the extra month of

leap-year is the

best.

The PaNcharAtrika fast - the fast of five days (panch

= five, ratri =

nights) in the extra, leap year month - is said to

remove all kinds of

abominable sins. But the PaNcharAtriki fast, together

with the fasts of

ParamA and Paramai EkAdasii, destroys all a person's

sins. If a person

is

unable to fast on these days, he should observe the

fasts during the

extra

month according to his ability. A person who, having

received a human

birth,

does not take a proper bath during this extra month

and then observes

these

EkAdasiis, which are very dear to Lord Hari, commits

suicide and

suffers in

the cycle of 8,400,000 species. The rare human birth

is meant for

accumulating merit and at last achieving liberating

release from this

material world. Therefore one should by all means

observe fasting on

this

auspicious ParamA EkAdasii."

 

Lord Sri Krishna concluded, "Oh sinless Yudhishthira,

as you have

requested,

I have described to you the wonderful merit one can

attain by fasting

on the

EkAdasii named ParamA, which occurs during the dark

part of the extra,

leap-year month. You should observe this fast if at

all possible."

 

King Yudhishthira did exactly as Lord Krishna had

instructed, and so

did all

his brothers and their wife, Draupadi. After enjoying

pleasures rarely

achieved in the material world, they returned home,

back to Godhead.

Whoever, after taking a proper bath, observes a fast

on these two

extra-month EkAdasiis will go to heaven and finally

attain to the abode

of

Sri Vishnu, and as he travels there he will be praised

and prayed to by

all

the demigods.

 

Thus ends the narration of the glories of ParamA

EkAdasii, the EkAdasii that

occurs during the dark fortnight of the extra,

leap-year month, from the Skanda PurANa.

 

Hare Krishna