Ekadasi Alert: Sat, 12 Dec 2009

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SaphalA

Ekadasi

from

Bhavisya-uttara PuranaDate of fasting: Sat, 12 Dec 2009

Breakfast  :  06:32 AM - 10:19

AM Next day ***

--------- Yudhisthira Maharaj said,

" O my Dear Lord Sri Krishna, what is the name of that Ekadasi that occurs

during the dark fortnight of the month of Pausha (December-January)? How is it

observed, and which Deity is to be worshipped on that sacred day? Please narrate

these details to me fully, so that I may understand Oh Janardana. "  

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna then replied, " O best of

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

the Pausha-krishna 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

Pausha-krishna Ekadasi, which falls on a Dwadasi. 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 Pausha-krishna

Ekadasi.

 

" Pausha-krishna

Ekadasi is also known as Saphalaa Ekadasi. On this sacred day one should worship

Lord Narayana, for He is its ruling Deity. One should do so by follow the

previously described method of fasting. Just as among snakes Shesha-naga is the

best, and among birds Garuda is the best, among sacrifices the Ashvamedha-yajna

is the best, among rivers Mother Ganges is the best, among gods Lord Vishnu is

best, and among two-legged beings the brahmins are the best, so among all

fasting days Ekadasi is by far the best. O foremost of kings who took your birth

in the Bharata dynasty, whoever strictly observes Ekadasi becomes very dear to

Me and indeed worshipable by Me in every way. Now please listen as I describe

the process for observing Saphalaa Ekadasi. 

" On Saphalaa 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 of Godhead. He should offer Me jaambira fruit,

pomegranate, betal nuts and leaves, coconut, guava, varieties of 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 Saphalaa Ekadasi is

especially glorious. The devotee should try to stay awake the Ekadasi 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 singing and chanting the glories of

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

that is equal to or better than the merit one gains by fasting on this Saphalaa

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

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

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

please hear from Me the glorious history that made this Divine Ekadasi famous.

" Once there was a City

called Champaavati, which was ruled by the saintly King Maahishmata. He had four

sons, the eldest of whom, Lumpaka, always engaged in all manner of very sinful

activities – illicit sexual encounters with the wives of others, gambling, and

continual association with known prostitutes. His evil deeds gradually reduced

the wealth of his father, King Maahishmata. Lumpaka also became very critical of

the numerous devas, the empowered universal attendants of the Lord, as well as

toward the brahmins, and every day he would go out of his way to blaspheme the

Vaishnavas. At last King Maahishmata, seeing the unrepentant brazen fallen

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

compassionate relatives didn't come to Lumpaka's defense, so angry was the

king toward his son, and so sinful was this Lumpaka.

" Bewildered in his exile,

the fallen and rejected Lumpaka thought to himself, 'My father has sent me

away, and even my kinsmen do not raise but a finger in objection. What am I to

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 as night returns, so shall I to the city.' 

So thinking, the sinful Lumpaka entered the darkness of the forest. He

killed many animals by day, and by night he stole all manner of valuable items

from the city. The city-dwelling folk apprehended him several times, but out of

fear of the king they left him alone. They thought to themselves that it must

have been the accumulated sins of Lumpaka's previous births that had forced

him to act in such a way that he lost his royal facilities and became to act so

sinfully like a common selfish thief.

" Though a meat-eater,

Lumpaka would also eat fruits every day. He resided under an old banyan tree

that unknown to him happened to be very dear to Lord Vaasudeva. Indeed, many

worshipped as the demi-god (representative departmental head) of all the trees

in the forest. In due course of time, while Lumpaka was doing so many sinful and

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

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

cold that he felt due to his scanty bedclothes (bedding). The cold not only

robbed him of all peace but almost of his very life. By the time the sun rose,

near dead, his teeth chattering and near comatose. In fact all that Ekadasi

morning, he remained in that stupor and could not awaken out of his near

comatose condition.

" When midday of the

Saphalaa Ekadasi arrived, the sinful Lumpaka finally came to and managed to rise

up from his place under that banyan tree. But with every step he took, he

stumbled and fell 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 couldn't even concentrate to nor muster strength

to go and kill even a single animal that whole day. Instead, he was reduced to

collecting whatever fruits had fallen to the ground of their own accord. By the

time he returned to his banyan tree home, the sun had set.

" Placing the fruits on the

ground next to him (at the base of the sacred banyan tree), Lumpaka began to cry

out, 'O, woe is me ! What should I do ? Dear father, what is to become of me?

O Sri Hari, please be merciful to me and accept these fruits as an offering !'  Again he was forced to lie awake the whole night without

sleep, but in the meantime the all merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord

Madhusudana, had become pleased with Lumpaka's humble offering of 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 Maahishmata when but a fragment

of the merit spouted up within his heart.

" As the Sun beautifully

rose in the sky on the day following Ekadasi, a handsome horse approached

Lumpaka as if seeking him out, and stood next to him. At the same time, a voice

suddenly boomed out from the clear blue sky saying, 'This horse is for you,

Lumpaka! Mount it and ride swiftly out of this forest to greet you family! O son

of King Maahishmata, by the mercy of the Supreme lord Vaasudeva and the strength

of the merit you acquired by observing Saphalaa Ekadasi, your kingdom will be

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

gained by fasting on this most auspicious of days. Go now, to you father and

enjoy your rightful place in the dynasty.' 

" Upon hearing these celestial words resounding from above, Lumpaka

mounted the horse and rode back to the city of Champaavati. By the merit he had

accrued by fasting on Saphalaa 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 Maahishmata, his humble obeisances and once more accepted his

princely responsibilities. Seeing his son so decorated with Vaishnava ornaments

and tilak (udhvara pundra) King Maahishmata gave him the kingdom, and Lumpaka

ruled unopposed for many, many years. Whenever the Ekadasi came, he worshipped

the Supreme Lord Narayana with great devotion. And by the mercy of Sri Krishna

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 Maahishmata, had handed

it over to him. Lumpaka then went to the forest to dedicate his concentrate

attention to gratefully serve the Supreme Lord with controlled mind and senses.

Purified of all material desires, he left his old material body and returned

back to home, back to Godhead, attaining a place near the lotus feet of his

worshipful Lord, Sri Krishna.

" O

Yudhisthira, one who approaches Me as Lumpaka did will become completely free of

lamentation and anxiety. Indeed, anyone who properly observes this glorious

Saphalaa Ekadasi – even unknowingly, like Lumpaka – will become famous in

this world. He will become perfectly liberated at death and return to the

spiritual abode of Vaikuntha. Of this there is no doubt. Moreover, one who

simply hears the glories of Saphalaa Ekadasi obtains the same merit derived by

one who performs a Rajasurya-yajna, and at the very least he goes to heaven in

his next birth, so where is the loss? "   

Thus ends the narration of

the glories of Pausha-krishna Ekadasi, or Saphalaa Ekadasi, from the

Bhavishya-uttara Purana.-*** Date and breakfast timing is mentioned for Bangalore city (India). Please visit nearest ISKCON temple for other places.