Ekadasii stories – Apara Ekadasii -20-05-2009 Wednesday

May 19, 2009

Apara Ekadasii

(Jyestha-krishna Ekadasii)

Story Source: Ekadasii mahatmya - Padam Purana

The topics of Apara Ekadasii,

which occurs during the waning moon in the month of May/June, are described in

the Brahmanda Purana in the conversation between Lord Krishna and Maharaja

Yudhisthira.

Once Maharaja Yudisthira asked

of Lord Krishna, " O Lord Krishna, O Janardana, what is the name of the

Ekadasii that occurs during the waning moon in the month of May/june and what

are its glories? Please describe all this to Me "

Lord Krishna replied, " O

Maharaja Yudhisthira, you have asked Me an intelligent question that is

actually beneficial for everyone.

The name of this Ekadasii is

Apara. O king! This Ekadasii awards a tremendous amount of piety to those who

observe it and destroys all their sinful reactions. By observing this Apara

Ekadasii many grave sinful activities are destroyed such as killing a brahmana,

killing a cow, killing an embryo through abortion, criticizing others, illicit

sex life, speaking lies, giving false witness, bragging to others, reciting or

teaching the Vedas for the sake of money, and concocting one's own scripture.

A cheater, a pseudo astrologer,

and a cheating physician are also sinful as those who give false witness. All

these sinful activities are totally eradicated by observing this Apara

Ekadasii. Any ksatriya who gives up his profession and runs away from the

battlefield certainly falls down from his occupational duties and goes to hell.

If such a person observes this Ekadasii with faith he also attains the heavenly

planet.

Lord Krishna continued, O King!

A disciple who after receiving knowledge from his spiritual master engages in

blaspheming his spiritual master certainly accumulates great sins. Such a

condemned sinful person can be relieved from his sinful reactions by following

the Apara Ekadasii and can attain the supreme destination.

O king of Kings! The result one

obtains by taking one accumulates by taking bath at Prayaga in the month of

January when the sun enters Capricorn, the results one obtains by observing the

vow of Sivaratri at Kasi, and by offering oblations at the lotus feet of Visnu

at gaya, and the auspicious results one obtains by taking bath in the river

Gautami when the planet Jupiter enters leo, by visiting Kedarnatha during

Kumba-mela, by visiting and worshipping Badrinatha, by taking bath at

Kuruksetra during a solar eclipse, and by giving elephants, horses, cows, gold

and land in charity are all obtained easily by observing the vow of Apara

Ekadasii.

It is like the sharp axe for

cutting down the tree of sinful activities to ashes. It is like the brilliant

sun for dissipating the darkness born of sinful activities and like the lion to

a deer in the forest of sinful activities. O King! By observing this Apara Ekadasii

and worshipping Lord Visnu in His form as Trivikrama, a person attains the

all-auspicious abode of Lord Vishnu.

Anyone who hears or reads the

glories of this Ekadasii, that I have described to you for the benefit of

everyone, is relieved of all his sinful activities. "

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Apara Ekadasii

or Jyestha-krishna Ekadasii from the Ekadasii mahatmya - Padam Purana of Srila

Krishna Dwaipayana Vedavyasa.

These stories have been

summarised and slightly changed or abbreviated from how they are found in the

celebrated book, " Ekadasi: The Day of Lord Hari " 1986. HH Krishna

Balaram Swami. Bhaktivedanta Institute Press. page 83-85.

-- Take advantage of this rare opportunity of this human form of life. There are 8,400,000 different species of life through which we are rotating lifetime after lifetime. So getting a human body is not an every day affair. This most auspicious opportunity only comes after many millions of lifetimes in the lower species. Anyone who does not utilize their human life for self-realization is making the greatest mistake. When this happens it is the greatest tragedy, and unfortunately today this neglect of the human form has become the standard behavior for the entire human society. What can be done? We must first ourselves become solidly situated in Krishna consciousness and then do the highest welfare activity of spreading to everyone else all over the world.

Chant:Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare