Ekadasi Alert : Sat 16th Dec 2006

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Saphala Ekadasi - Sat 16th Dec 2006,

Breakfast - 06:35 - 10:22 AM next day

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Yudhisthira Maharaja said, " O Sri Krsna, what is the name of the Ekadasi

that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Pausa

[December-January]? How is it observed, and which Deity is to be

worshiped on that day? Please narrate this to me fully, 0 Janardana. "

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied, " O best of kings, because

you desire to hear, I shall fully describe to you the glories of

Pausa-krsna Ekadasi

 

I do not become as pleased by sacrifice or charity as I do by My

devotee's observance of a full fast on Ekadasi. To the best of one's

ability, therefore, one should fast on Ekadasi the day of Lord Hari.

 

O Yudhisthira, I urge you to hear with undivided intelligence the

glories of Pausa-Krsna Ekadasi. As I explained previously, one should

not differentiate among the many Ekadasis. O king, to benefit humanity

at large I shall now describe to you the process of observing

Pausa-Krsna Ekadasi.

 

Pausa-krsna Ekadasi is also known as Saphala Ekadasi. On this sacred day

one should worship Lord Narayana, for He is its ruling Deity. One should

follow the previously described method of fasting. Just as among snakes

Sesa-naga is the best, among birds Garuda is the best, among sacrifices

the Asvamedha-yajna is the best, among rivers Mother Ganga is the best,

among gods Lord Visnu is best, and among two-legged beings the brahmanas

are the best, so among all fasting days Ekadasi is the best. O foremost

of kings born in the Bharata dynasty, whoever strictly observes Ekadasi

becomes very dear to Me and indeed worshipable by Me in every way. Now

listen as I describe the process for observing Saphala Ekadasi.

 

On Saphala Ekadasi. My devotee should worship Me by offering Me fresh

fruits according to time, place, and circumstance, and by meditating on

Me as the all-auspicious Supreme Personality. He should offer Me jambira

fruit, pomegranate, betel, coconut, guava, nuts, cloves, mangoes, and

different kinds of aromatic spices. He should also offer Me incense and

bright ghee lamps, for such an offering of lamps on Saphala Ekadasi is

especially glorious. The devotee should try to stay awake all night.

 

Now please hear with undivided attention as I tell you how much merit

one gets if he fasts and remains awake throughout the entire night. O

best of kings, there is no sacrifice or pilgrimage that yields merit

equal to or better than the merit one gains by fasting on Saphala

Ekadasi. Such fasting particularly if one can remain awake and alert all

night long bestows the same merit upon the faithful devotee as the

performance of austerity for five thousand years. O lion among kings,

please hear the glorious history of this Ekadasi.

 

Once there was a city called Campavati, which was ruled by the saintly

King Mahismata. He had four sons, the eldest of whom, Lumpaka, always

engaged in very sinful activities - illicit sex with the wives of

others, gambling, and continual association with known prostitutes. His

evil deeds gradually reduced the wealth of his father, King Mahismata.

Lumpaka also became very critical of the demigods and brahmanas, and

every day he would blaspheme Vaisnavas. At last King Mahismata, seeing

the condition of his son, exiled him to the forest. Out of fear of the

king, even compassionate relatives did not come to Lumpaka's defense, so

angry was the king and so sinful was Lumpaka.

 

Bewildered in his exile, Lumpaka thought to himself, 'My father has sent

me away, and even my kinsmen do not raise any objection. What should I

do now?' He schemed sinfully and thought, I shall sneak back to the city

under cover of darkness and plunder its wealth. During the day I shall

stay in the forest, and at night I'll return to city.' So thinking,

Lumpaka entered the dark forest. He killed many animals by day, and by

night he stole valuable items from the city. The city-dwellers

apprehended him several times, but out of fear of the king they left him

alone. They thought that it must have been the sins of his previous

births that had made him lose his royal facilities and act so sinfully.

 

Though a meat-eater, Lumpaka would also eat fruits every day. He resided

under an old banyan tree that happened to be very dear to Lord Vasudeva.

Indeed, many worshiped it as the god of all the trees in the forest. In

due course of time, while Lumpaka was doing so many sinful and

condemnable activities, Saphala Ekadasi arrived. On the eve of Ekadasi,

Lumpaka had to pass the entire night without sleep because of the severe

cold and his scanty bedclothes. The cold not only robbed him of all

peace but almost killed him. By the time the sun rose, his teeth were

chattering and he was almost comatose, and all during the morning of

that day, Ekadasi, he could not awaken from his stupor.

 

When midday of Saphala Ekadasi, arrived, the sinful Lumpaka finally came

to and managed to rise up from his place under the banyan tree. But with

every step he stumbled to the ground. Like a lame man, he walked slowly

and hesitantly, suffering greatly from hunger and thirst in the midst of

the jungle. So weak was Lumpaka that he could not kill a single animal

that day. Instead, he was reduced to collecting whatever fruits had

fallen to the ground. By the time he returned to the banyan tree, the

sun had set.

 

Placing the fruits on the ground next to him, Lumpaka began to cry,

'What should I do? Dear father, what is to become of me? O Sri Hari,

please be merciful to me and accept these fruits!' Again he was forced

to lie awake the whole night without sleep, but in the meantime the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusudana, had become pleased with

Lumpaka's offering of the forest fruits, and He accepted them. Lumpaka

had unwittingly observed a full Ekadasi, fast, and by the merit he

reaped on that day he regained his kingdom with no further obstacles.

 

Listen, O Yudhisthira, to what happened to the son of King Mahismata

when but a fragment of merit sprouted up within his heart.

 

As the sun rose beautifully on the day following Ekadasi, a handsome

horse approached Lumpaka and stood next to him. At the same time, a

voice suddenly spoke from out of the clear blue sky: 'This horse is for

you, Lumpaka! Mount it and swiftly ride out to greet your family! O son

of King Mahismata, by the mercy of Lord Vasudeva and the strength of the

merit you acquired by observing Saphala Ekadasi, your kingdom will be

returned to you without any further hindrances. Such is the benefit you

have gained by fasting on this auspicious day. Go now to your father and

enjoy your rightful place in the dynasty.'

 

Upon hearing these celestial words, Lumpaka mounted the horse and rode

back to the city of Campavati. By the merit he had accrued by fasting on

Saphala Ekadasi, he had become a handsome prince once more and was able

to absorb his mind in the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Hari. In other words, he had become My pure devotee.

 

Lumpaka offered his father, King Mahismata, his humble obeisances and

once more accepted his princely responsibilities. Seeing his son

decorated with Vaisnava ornaments and tilaka, King Mahismata gave him

the kingdom, and Lumpaka ruled unopposed for many, many years. Whenever

Ekadasi came, he worshiped the Supreme Lord with great devotion. And by

the mercy of Sri Krsna he obtained a beautiful wife and a fine son. In

old age Lumpaka handed his kingdom over to his son just as his own

father, King Mahismata, had handed it over to him and then went into the

forest to serve the Supreme Lord with controlled mind and senses.

Purified of all material desire, he left his body and returned home,

back to Godhead, attaining a place near the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna.

 

O Yudhisthira, one who approaches Me as Lumpaka did will become

completely free of lamentation and anxiety. Indeed, anyone who properly

observes this glorious Saphala Ekadasi - even if unknowingly, like

Lumpaka - will become famous in this world. He will become perfectly

liberated at death and return to Vaikuntha. Of this there is no doubt.

Moreover, one who simply hears the glories of Saphala Ekadasi, obtains

the same merit derived by one who performs a Rajasuya-yajna and at the

very least he goes to heaven in his next birth.