Fwd: story of Ekadasi

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Source : www.udhampuriskcon.com

 

On normal ekadashis fast from beans, grains and cereals.

On Nirjala ekadashi: Total fasting including fasting from water.

(Though complete fasting from food and water on every ekadashi is highly

recommended)

 

Ekadashi Morning Meditation on the Lord: Lotus Feet: Om Damodaraya Namah

Thighs: Om Madhavaya Namah

Private Parts: Om Kamapataye Namah

Hips: Om Vamanaya Namah

Navel: Om Padmanabhaya Namah

Stomach: Om Vishvamutaye Namah

Heart: Om Jnanagamyaya Namah

Throat: Om Srikanthaya Namah

Arms: Om Sahasrabahave Namah

Lotus Eyes: Om Paramayogine Namah

Forehead: Om Urugayai Namah

Nose: Om Narakeshvaraya Namah

Hair: Om Sarvakamadaya Namah

Head: Om Sahasrashirshaya Namah

 

At Midday: Bathe in river, lake or pond. Chant, while smearing mud upon body: " O

Asvakrante! O Rathakranthe! O Visnukranthe! O Mrttike! O Mother Earth! Kindly

remove all the sins I have accumulated throughout many past lives so that I may

enter the sacred abode of the Supreme Lord. "

The Story of Ekadashi

(This article was originally written in 1956 by Sri Navincandra Cakravarti, a

disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and in 1979 translated into

English by Vyenkata das brahmachari.)

Many devotees are very inquisitive about the appearance of Sri Ekadashi and

about her special characteristics. Therefore I am presenting this description

from the fourteenth chapter of the Padma Purana, from the section entitled

" Kriya-sagara-sara. "

Once the great sage Jaimini Rsi said to his spiritual master Srila Vyasadeva,

" Oh Gurudeva! Previously, by your mercy, you described to me thehistory of the

glories of the Ganga river, the benefits of worshipping Vishnu, the giving of

grains in charity, the giving of water in charity, and the magnanimity of

drinking the water that has washed the feet of the brahmanas. O best of the

sages, Sri Gurudeva, now, with great enthusiasm, I desire to hear the benefits

of fasting on Ekadashi and the appearance of Ekadashi.

kasmad ekadashi jata tasyah ko va vidhir dvija

kada va kriyate kim va phalam kim va vadasva me

ka va pujyatama tatra devata sad-gunarnava

akurvatah syat ko dosa etan me vaktum arhasi

" Oh Gurudeva! When did Ekadashi take birth and from whom did she appear? What

are the rules of fasting on the Ekadashi? Please describe the benefits of

following this vow and when it should be followed. Who is the utmost

worshippable presiding deity of Sri Ekadashi? What are the faults in not

following Ekadashi properly? Please bestow your mercyupon me and tell about

these subjects, as you are the only personality able to do so. "

Srila Vyasadeva, upon hearing this enquiry of Jaimini Rsi, became situated in

transcendental bliss. " Oh brahmana sage Jaimini! The results of following

Ekadashi can only be perfectly described by the Supreme Lord, Narayana, because

Sri Narayana is the only personality capable of describing them in full. But I

will give a very brief description in answer to your question. "

" At the beginning of the material creation, the Supreme Lord created the moving

and nonmoving living entities within this world made of five gross material

elements. Simultaneously, for the purpose of punishing the humans beings, He

created a personality whose form was the embodiment of sin (Papapurusha). The

different limbs of this personality were constructed of the various sinful

activities. His head head was made of the sin of murdering a brahmana, his two

eyes were the form of the sin of drinking intoxicants, his mouth was made of the

sin of stealing gold, his ears were the form of the sin of having illicit

connection with the spiritual master's wife, his nose of the sin of killing

one's wife, his arms the form of the sin of killing a cow, his neck made of the

sin of stealing accumulated wealth, his chest of the sin of abortion, his lower

chest of the sin of having sex with another's wife, his stomach of the sin of

killing one's relatives, his navel of the sin of killing those who are dependent

on him, his waist of the sin of self appraisal, his thighs of the sin of

offending the guru, his genital of the sin of selling one's daughter, his

buttocks of the sin of telling confidential matters, his feet of the sin of

killing one's father, and his hair the form of lesser, less severe sinful

activities. In this way, a horrible personality embodying all the sinful

activities and vices was created. His bodily colour is black, and his eyes are

yellow. He inflicts extreme misery upon sinful persons. "

" The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, upon seeing this personality

of sin, began to think to Himself as follows: 'I am the creator of the miseries

and happiness for the living entities. I am their master because I have created

this personality of sin, who gives distress to all dishonest, deceitful, and

sinful persons. Now I must create someone who will control this personality.' At

this time Sri Bhagavan created the personality known as Yamaraj and the

different hellishj planetary systems. Those living entities who are very sinful

will be sent after death to Yamaraj, who will in turn, according to their sins,

send them tom a hellish region to suffer.

" After these adjustments had been made, the Supreme Lord, who is the giver of

distress and happiness to the living entities, went to the house of Yamaraj,

with the help of Garuda, theking of birds. When Yamaraj saw that Lord Vishnu had

arrived, he immediately washed His feet and made an offering unto Him. He then

had Him sit upon a golden throne. The Supreme Lord, Vishnu, became seated on the

throne, whereupon He heard very loud crying sounds coming from the southern

direction. He became surprised by this and thus enquired from Yamaraj, 'From

where is this loud crying coming?'

" Yamaraj in reply said, 'Oh Deva! The different living entities of the earthly

planetary systems have fallen into the hellish regions. They are suffering

extremely for their misdeeds. The horrible crying is because of suffering from

the inflictions of their past bad karma (actions).'

" After hearing this the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, went to the hellish region to the

south. When the inhabitants saw who had come they began to cry even louder. The

heart of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, became filled with compassion. Lord Vishnu

thought to Himself, 'I have created all this progeny, and it is because of Me

thatthey are suffering.' "

Srila Vyasadeva continued: " Oh Jaimini, just listen to what the Supreme Lord did

next.

etac canyac ca viprarse

vicintya karunamayah

babhuva sahasa tatra

svayam ekadashi tithih

'After the merciful Supreme Lord thought over what He had previously considered,

He suddenly manifested from His own form the deity of the lunar day Ekadashi.'

Afterwards the different sinful living entities began to follow the vow of

Ekadashi and were then elevated quickly to the abode of Vaikuntha. Oh my child

Jaimini, therefore the lunar day of Ekadashi is the selfsame form of the Supreme

Lord, Vishnu, and the Supersoul within the heart of the living entities. Sri

Ekadashi is the utmost pios activity and is situated as the haed among all vows.

" Following the ascension of Sri Ekadashi, that personality who is the form of

the sinful activity gradually saw the influence she had. He approached Lord

Vishnu with doubts in his heart and began offering many prayers, whereupon Lord

Vishnu became very pleased and said, ' I have become very pleased by your nice

offerings. What boon is it that you want?'

" The Papapurusha replied, 'I am your created progeny, and it is through me that

you wanted distress given to the living entities who are very sinful. But now,

by the influence of Sri Ekadashi, I have become all but destroyed. Oh Prabhu!

After I die all of Your parts andparcels who have accepted material bodies will

become liberated and therefore return to the abode of Vaikuntha. If this

liberation of all living entities takes place, then who will carry on Your

activities? There will be no one to enact the pastimes in the earthly planetary

systems! Oh Keshava! If You want these eternal pastimes to carry on, then You

please save me from the fear of Ekadashi. No type of pious activity can bind me.

But Ekadashi only, being Yourown manifested form, can impede me. Out of fear of

Sri Ekadashi I have fled and taken shelter of men; animals; insects; hills;

trees; moving and nonmoving living entities; rivers; oceans; forests; heavenly,

earthly, and hellish planetary systems; demigods; and the Gandarvas. I cannot

find a place where I can be free from fear of Sri Ekadashi. Oh my Master! I am a

product of Your creation, so therefore very mercifully direct me to a place

where I can reside fearlessly.' "

Srila Vyasadeva then said to Jaimini, " After saying this, the embodiment of all

sinful activities (Papapurusha) fell down at the feet of the Supreme Lord,

Vishnu, who is the destroyer of all miseries and began to cry.

" After this, Lord Vishnu, observing the condition of the Papapurusha with

laughter, began to speak thus: 'Oh Papapurusha! Rise up! Don't lament any

longer. Just listen, and I'll tell you where you can stay on the auspicious

lunar day of Ekadashi. On the day of Ekadashi, which is the benefactor of the

three worlds, you can take shelter of foodstuff in the form of grains. There is

no reason to worry about this any more, because My form as Sri Ekadashi Devi

will no longer impede you.' After giving direction to the Papapurusha, the

Supreme Lord, Vishnu, disappeared and the Papapurusha returned to the

performance of his own activities.

" Therefore those persons who are serious about the ultimate benefit for the soul

will never eat grains on the Ekadashi tithi. According to the instructions of

Lord Vishnu, every kind of sinful activity that can be found in the material

world takes its residence in this place of foodstuff (grain). Whoever follows

Ekadashi is freed from all sins and never enters into hellish regions. If one

doesn't follow Ekadashi because of illusion, he is still considered the utmost

sinner. For every mouthful of grain that is eaten by a resident of the earthly

region, one receives the effect of kiling millions of brahmanas. It is

definately necessary that one give up eating grains on Ekadashi. I very strongly

say again and again, 'On Ekadashi, don't eat grains, don't eat grains, don't eat

grains!' Whether one be a ksatriya, vaisya, shudra, or of any family, he should

follow the lunar day of Ekadashi. From this the perfection of varna and ashram

will be attained. Especially since even if one by trickery follows Ekadashi, all

of his sin become destroyed and he very easily attains the supreme goal, the

abode of Vaikuntha. "

 

--

 

Rules for Ekadashi

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada makes an interesting comment in his

purport to Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya lila. 9-24-342:

" You should recommend the avoidance of mixed Ekadashi and the performance of

pure Ekadashi. You should also describe the fault in not observing this. One

should be very careful as far as these items are concerned. If one is not

careful, one will be negligent in executing devotional service. "

Vratas - what to do / austerities:

From Pancharatra Pradipa - Appendix 3

Notes on Ekadashi�

The Hari-bhakti-vilasa gives many rules for observing Ekadashi�, and these are

discussed at length in Volume II of Pancharata-Pradipa. Here, however, we will

mention only a few points concerning Ekadashi in relation to general standards

of Deity worship in ISKCON:

Offering Grains to the Spiritual Master and Lord Caitanya

In a conversation, Srila Prabhupada said that grains should not be offered to

either the spiritual master or Lord Caitanya and His associates on Ekadashi

Devotee: On Ekadashi, we can offer the Deity grains?

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. But not guru. Ekadashi is observed by jiva-tattva, not by

Vishnu. We are fasting for clearing our material disease, but Radha-Krishna,

Caitanya Mahaprabhu . . . Caitanya Mahaprabhu also may not be offered grains

because He is playing the part of a devotee. Only Radha-Krishna, Jagannatha can

be offered grains. Otherwise, Guru-Gauranga, no. And the prasad should not be

taken by anyone. It should be kept for the next day. [srila Prabhupada Room

Conversation, Tokyo, April 22, 1972]

If there is only one plate for all Deities and the main Deity is Krishna or

Jagannatha, grains should be offered as on normal days. If the main Deities are

Gaura-Nitai, offer only non-grain preparations.* It is best to replace the

normally offered grain preparations with non-grain preparations so that there

are the same number of preparations as on normal days. If, however, grain

preparations are being cooked for Krishna or Jagannatha, it may be difficult to

cook additional non-grain preparations for the spiritual master and Gaura-Nitai.

In that case serve larger quantities of the non-grain preparations to the

spiritual master and Gaura-Nitai, and prepare the offering plate for Krishna or

Jagannatha as on normal days.

* If you are cooking for a restaurant where grains will be served on Ekadashi,

you may offer the grains to Gaura-Nitai with the understanding that They will

offer the bhoga to Krishna.

What Constitutes " Grains " on Ekadashi?

Srila Prabhupada specified foodgrains and beans (pulses) as foods that must be

avoided on Ekadashi. One may use spices for cooking, although mustard seeds

should be avoided.* You should not use powdered asafatoeda (hing), since it

(generally) contains grains. Sesame seeds are also to be avoided, except on

Satila Ekadashi, when they may be offered and eaten.

Do not use any cooking ingredients that might be mixed with grains, such as ghee

that has been used to fry puris, or spices touched by hands dusted with chapati

flour. There is absolutely NO doubt about what is NOT permissible to eat on

Ekadashi. ANNA. However it is how you translate this word that makes the

difference. I once again submit what Pradyumna Prabhu told me Srila Prabhupada

told him many years ago. When asked by Pradyumna what we could eat Srila

Prabhupada said " Fruits, Roots, Nuts, Milk " . If you stick to these types of

foods you should be fine. Of course the sure way is to fast completely. Water of

course can be taken. Except if you wish to do Nirjala.

* Someone who is very strictly observing Ekadashi should avoid all spices except

pepper, rock salt and cumin. He should also eschew certain vegetables, such as

tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, and leafy vegetables. Temple kitchens need not

follow these strictures, since Srila Prabhupada did not establish them.

Individual devotees may observe these rules if they choose, either making their

own arrangements for cooking on Ekadashi, eating uncooked foods such as fruit,

or observing full fasting. These arrangements should not interfere with the

temple cooking schedule.

Mahaprasad on Ekadashi:

On Ekadashi, strict followers of Vaishnava regulations avoid eating any

mahaprasad from an offering that includes grains. The shastra explains that the

papa-purusha (sin personified) takes shelter in grains on Ekadashi, and

therefore we avoid grains at all cost on that day, not even risking taking

non-grain preparations of mahaprasad from an offering plate containing grains.

Ekadashi mahaprasad should be stored until the next day; if that is not possible

it can be distributed to persons not strictly following Vaishnava regulations or

to animals. In fact, mahaprasad maintains its purity on Ekadashi despite the

presence of the papa-purusha, and therefore it will purify anyone who eats it.

Nevertheless, the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being strict followers of

Vaishnava regulations, avoid mahaprasad on that day because their strict sadhana

will be hampered by the presence of the papa-purusha.

Dvadashi (the day after ekadasi - the day of breaking the Ekadashi Fast):

(To observe Ekadashi properly, one should strictly observe the breaking of this

fast.)

One should break the fast after the sunrise of the dvadasi, after the first

quarter of the dvadashi tithi has passed, but before the dvadashi tithi has

ended.

After taking morning bath, one should offer the upavasa to the Lord:

ajnana timirandhasya vratenanena kesava

prasida sumukho natha jnana drsti bhava

" Oh Kesava, be pleased with this vrata performed by one fallen in the modes of

darkness. Oh Lord, bestow your glance of knowledge upon me. "

One should observe similar rules as on dashami. For health and common sense,

what to speak of spiritual development, it is wise to eat only once going into a

fast and coming out of a fast. The meal should also be light.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, especially if one is fasting entirely, or even

just taking water, the malas (stools) absorb the toxins in the body when

fasting. So on the day the fast is broken it is a good idea to take a gentle

laxative consisting of 50-50 warm milk and water, with some rock candy to

sweeten it. Generally 4-5 cups are drunk (up to 7) and within half an hour to an

hour one will expel the malas. After this at lunch time one takes one's meal of

prasadam.

One should not bathe the deity on the dvadashi day, but bathe the Lord in ghee

in the night. But if one does, then it should be performed before sunrise.

Mahadvadasi:

Sometimes, due to the manner in which the ekadashi tithi and the dvadashi tithis

are positioned in relation to the sunrise (there are six different cases), the

vrata is observed on the dvadashi and the fast is broken the next day, the

trayodashi. Such a fast day is called a mahadvadashi, to distinguish it from a

regular dvadashi, which is the day to break the ekadashi fast.

 

 

 

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