1=26, 14th June 2008 Nirjala Pandava Ekadashi

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Om Datta Guru

 

Pandava Nirjala

Ekadasii

From brahma-vaivarta purana

 

14th June 2008

 

During the hottest season (northern hemisphere), if one can

perform upavasa without water one is performing a great feat. One may take only

caranamrta and acamana water. Bhima requested one vrata day by which he could

obtain the fruits of all the other days of vrata that he was incapable of

observing. Vyasadeva advised him to follow this difficult vrata.

 

One should worship the lord in the evening by bathing him

in milk. On the dvadasi one should give full pots of water to brahmanas and

feed them before breaking one's fast.

 

Samvatsarasya ya madhye ekadasyo bhavanti hi tasam phalam

avapnoti putra me na atra samsayah iti mam kesavah praha sankha cakra

gadadharah

 

(hari bhakti vilasa 15/25 from padma purana vyasadeva

speaks to bhimasena)

Oh son, lord keshava, who holds the club, disk, conch and

lotus flower in his hand, personally told me that all of the merit achieved by

fasting on whatever ekadasis fall in one year can be attained by fasting on

this one ekadasii (nirjala ekadasii). Of this, there is no doubt.

Atmadrohah krtastes tu yair esa na hy uposita papatmano

duracara dustas te na atra samsayah

 

(hari bhakti vilasa 15/33 from padma purana vyasadeva

speaks to bhimasena)

 

Anyone who does not fast on this particular ekadasii

(nirjala ekadasii), they should be understood to be sinful, corrupted and

suicidal person without a doubt.

 

The story of pandava nirjala ekadasii: pandava nirjala

ekadasii - jyeshtha-shukla ekadasii - from brahma-vaivarta purana.

 

Once bhimasena, the younger brother of maharaja yudhisthira,

asked the great sage shrila vyasadeva, the grandfather of the pandavas, if it

is possible to return to the spiritual world without having observed all the

rules and regulations of the ekadasii fasts.

 

Bhimasena then spoke as follows, " oh greatly intelligent

and learned grandfather, my brother yudhisthira, my dear mother kunti, and my

beloved wife draupadi, as well as arjuna, nakula and sahadeva, fast completely

on each ekadasii and strictly follow all the rules, guidelines and regulative

injunctions of that sacred day. Being very religious, they always tell me that

i should also fast on that day too. But, oh learned grandfather, i tell them

that i cannot live without eating, because as the son of vayudeva -

samanaprana, (the digestive air) hunger is unbearable to me. I can give widely

in charity and worship lord keshava properly with all manner of wonderful

upacharas (items), but i cannot be asked to fast on ekadasii. Please tell me

how i can obtain the same merits result without fasting. "

 

Hearing these words, the grandsire of bhima, srila

vyasadeva said, " if you want to go to the heavenly planets and avoid the

hellish planets, you should indeed observe a fast on both the light and dark

ekadasiis. "

 

Bhima replied, " oh great saintly intelligent

grandfather, please listen to my plea. Oh greatest of munis, since i cannot

live if i eat only once in a day, how can i possibly live if i fast completely?

Within my stomach burns a special fire named vrika, the fire of digestion. Agni

the fire-god, descends from lord vishnu through brahma, from brahma to

angirasa, from angirasa to brihaspathi, and from brihaspathi to samyu, who was

agni'' father. He is the gatekeeper in charge of nairritti, the south-eastern

direction. He is one of the eight material elements, and parikshit maharaja, he

is very expert at examining things. He examined maharaja shibi once by turning

into a dove

Agni is divided into three categories; davagni, the fire in

wood, jatharagni, the fire in the digestion in the stomach, and vadavagni, the

fire that creates fog when hot and cold streams mix in for example the ocean.

Another name for the fire of digestion is vrika. It is this powerful fire that

resided in bhima's stomach.

 

Only when i eat to my full satisfaction does the fire in my

stomach become satisfied. Oh great sage, i might possibly be able to fast only

once, so i beg that you tell me of an ekadasii that is worthy of my fasting and

that includes all other ekadasiis. I shall faithfully observe that fast and

hopefully still become eligible for liberation's release. "

 

Shrila vyasadeva replied, oh king, you have heard from me

about the various kinds of occupational duties, such as elaborate vedic

ceremonies and pujas. In the kali-yuga, however, no one will be able to observe

all these occupational & functional duties properly. I shall therefore tell

you how, at practically no expense, one can endure some small austerity and

achieve the greatest benefit and resultant happiness. The essence of what is

written in the vedic literatures known as the puranas is that one should not

eat on either the dark or light fortnight ekadasiis. " as stated in srimad

bhagavatam (mahabhagavat puranam) 12:13:12 and 15.) The bhagavat puranam is

itself the essence or cream of all vedanta philosophy (sara-vedanta-saram), and

the srimad bhagavatam's unequivocal message is that of full surrender to lord

sri krishna and the rendering of loving devotional service to him. Observing

ekadasii strictly is a great aid in that process, and here shrila vyasadeva is

simply stressing to bhima the importance of the ekadasii vratam. " ione who

fasts on ekadasiis saved from going to the hellish planets. "

 

Hearing shrila vyasadeva's words, the son of vayu,

bhimasena, the strongest of all warriors, became frightened and began to shake

like a leaf on a banyan tree in a strong wind. The frightened bhimasena then

said,

" oh grandfather, what should i do? I am completely unable and ill equipped

to fast twice in a month throughout the year! Please tell me of the one fasting

day that will bestow the greatest benefit upon me! "

 

Vyasadeva replied, " without drinking even water, you

should fast on the ekadasii that occurs during the light fortnight of the month

of jyeshtha (may-june) when the sun travels in the sign of taurus (vrishabh)

and gemini (mithun), according to learned personalities, on this day one may

bathe and perform achamana for pratiprokshana purification. But while

performing achamana one may drink only that amount of water equal to a drop of

gold, or that amount it takes to immerse a single mustard seed. Only this

amount of water should be placed in the right palm for sipping, which one

should form to resemble a cow's ear. If one drinks more water than this, he

might as well have drunk wine - despite the soaring heat of summer (in the

northern hemisphere and cold in the southern hemisphere).

 

" one must certainly not eat anything, for if he does

so he breaks his fast. This rigid fast is in effect from sunrise on the

ekadasii day to sunrise on the dwadashii day. If a person endeavours to observe

this great fast very strictly, he easily achieves the result of observing all

twenty-four other ekadasii fasts throughout the entire year.

 

" on dwadashii the devotee should bathe early in the

morning. Then, according to the prescribed rules, guidelines and regulative

injunctions, and of course depending on his ability, he should give some gold

and water to worthy brahmanas. Finally, he should cheerfully honour prasadam

with a brahmana.

 

" oh bhimasena, one who can fast on this special

ekadasii in this manner reaps the benefit of having fasted on every ekadasii

during the year. There is no doubt of this, nor should there be. Oh bhima, now

hear the specific merit one gets by fasting on this ekadasii. The supreme lord

keshava, who holds a conch, discus, club and lotus, personally told me,

`everyone should take shelter of me and follow my instructions.' then he told

me that one who fasts on this ekadasii, without taking even drinking water or

eating, becomes free of all sinful reactions, and that one who observes the

difficult nirjala fast on jyeshtha-shukla ekadasii truly reaps the benefit of

all other ekadasii fasts.

 

" oh bhimasena, in the kali-yuga, the age of quarrel

and hypocrisy, when all the principles of the vedas will have been destroyed or

greatly minimised, and when there will be no proper charity or observance of

the ancient vedik principles and ceremonies, how will there be any means of

purifying

the self? But there is the opportunity to fast on ekadasii and become free of

all one's past sins.

 

" oh son of vayu, what more can i say to you? You

should not eat during the ekadasiis that occur during the dark and light

fortnights, and you should even give up drinking water (nir = no jalaa= water)

on the particularly auspicious ekadasii day of jyeshtha-shukla ekadasii. Oh

vrikodara (veracious eater), whoever fasts on this ekadasii receives the merits

of bathing in all the places of pilgrimage, giving all kinds of charities to

worthy persons, and fasting on all the dark and light ekadasiis throughout the

year, in one go. Of this there is no doubt.

 

Oh tiger among men, whoever fasts on this ekadasii truly

becomes a great person and achieves all manner of opulence and wealth, grains,

strength, and health. And at the fearful moment of death, the terrible

yamadutas, whose complexions are yellow and black and who brandish huge maces

and twirl mystic pasha ropes in the air for binding their victims, will refuse

to approach him. Rather, such a faithful soul will at once be taken to the

supreme abode of lord vishnu by the vishnu-dutas, whose transcendentally

beautiful forms are clothed in gorgeous yellowish garments and who each hold a

disk, club, conch and lotus in their four hands, resembling lord vishnu. It is

to gain all these benefits that one should certainly fast on this very

auspicious and important ekadasii, even from water. "

 

When the other pandavas heard about the benefits to be

gained by following jyeshtha-shukla ekadasii, they resolved to observe it

exactly as their grandfather srila vyasadeva had explained it to their brother,

bhimasena. All the pandavas observed it by refraining from eating or drinking

anything, and thus this day is also known as pandava nirjala dvadashii

(technically it is a maha-dvadashii).

 

Shrila vyasadeva continued, oh bhimasen, therefore you

should observe this important fast to remove all your past sinful reactions.

You should pray to the supreme personality of godhead, lord sri krishna in this

way making your sankalpa declaration, `oh lord of all the devas (demigods), oh

supreme personality of godhead, today i shall observe ekadasii without taking

any water. Oh unlimited anantadev, i shall break fast on the next day,

dwadashii.' thereafter, to remove all his sins, the devotee should honour this

ekadasii fast with full faith in the lord and with full control over his

senses. Whether his sins are equal in volume to mount sumeru or to mandarachala

hill, if he or she observes this ekadasii, the sins that have been accumulated

all become nullified and are burned to ashes. Such is the great power of this

ekadasii.

 

" oh best of human beings, although a person should

also give water and cows in charity during this ekadasii, if for some reason or

other he cannot, then he should give a qualified brahmana some cloth or a pot

filled with water. Indeed, the merit achieved by giving water alone equals that

gained by giving gold ten million times a day.

 

" oh bhima, lord sri krishna has said that whoever

observes this ekadasii should take a holy bath, give charity to a worthy

person, chant the lord's holy names on a japa-mala, and perform some kind of

recommended sacrifice, for by doing these things on this day one receives

imperishable

benefits. There is no need to perform any other kind of religious duty.

Observance of this ekadasii fast alone promotes one to the supreme abode of sri

vishnu. Oh best of the kurus, if one donates gold, cloth, or anything else on

this day, the merit one obtains is imperishable.

 

" remember, whosoever eats any grains on ekadasii

becomes contaminated by sin and verily eats only sin. In effect, he has already

become a dog-eater, and after death he suffers a hellish existence. But he who

observes this sacred jyeshtha-shukla ekadasii and gives something in charity

certainly achieves liberation from the cycle of repeated birth and death and

attains to the supreme abode. Observing this ekadasii, which is merged with

dwadashii, frees one from the horrible sin of killing a brahmana, drinking

liquor and wine, becoming envious of one's spiritual master and ignoring his

instructions, and continually telling lies.

 

" furthermore, oh best of beings (jivottama), any man

or woman who observes this fast properly and worships the supreme lord jalshayi

(he who sleeps on the water), and who on the next day satisfies a qualified

brahmana with nice sweets and a donation of cows and money - such a person

certainly pleases the supreme lord vasudeva, so much so that one hundred

previous generations in his family undoubtedly go to the supreme lord's abode,

even though they may have been very sinful, of bad character, and guilty of

suicide, etc. Indeed, one who observes this amazing ekadasii rides on a

glorious celestial airplane (vimana) to the lord's abode.

 

" one who on this day gives a brahmana a waterpot, an

umbrella, or shoes surely goes to the heavenly planets. Indeed, he who simply

hears these glories also attains to the transcendental abode of the supreme

lord, shri vishnu. Whoever performs the shraddha ceremony to the forefathers on

the dark-moon day called amavasya, particularly if it occurs at the time of a

solar eclipse undoubtedly achieves great merit. But this same merit is achieved

by him who simply hears this sacred narration - so powerful and so dear to the

lord is this ekadasii.

 

" one should clean his teeth properly and, without

eating or drinking, observe this ekadasii to please the supreme lord, keshava.

On the day after ekadasii one should worship the supreme personality of godhead

in his form as trivikrama by offering him water, flowers, incense, and a

brightly burning lamp. Then the devotee should pray from the heart, `oh god of

gods, oh deliverer of everyone, oh hrishikesha, master of the senses, kindly

bestow upon me the gift of liberation, though i can offer you nothing greater

than this humble pot filled with water.' then the devotee should donate the

waterpot to a brahmana.

 

" oh bhimasena, after this ekadasii fast and donating

the recommended items according to his ability, the devotee should feed

brahmanas and thereafter honour prasadam silently. "

 

Shrila vyasadeva concluded, " i strongly urge you to

fast on this auspicious, purifying, sin-devouring dwadashii in just the way i

have outlined. Thus you will be completely freed of all sins and reach the

supreme abode. "

 

Thus ends the narration of the glories of jyeshtha-shukla

ekadasii, or bhimaseni-nirjala ekadasii, from the brahma-vaivarta purana.

 

==================

 

Sometimes if you cannot fast due to circumstances then you

can chant the names of all the Ekadashi and read the above true story and you

will receive the same benefits. (but still one should not take grains)

 

Suta Goswami said: -

There are twelve months in a year, and two Ekadashis in each month. Thus there

are twenty-four Ekadashis in one full year, and in a leap year (like this year)

there are two extra Ekadashis. O great sages, please listen attentively as I

declare to you the names of these auspicious Ekadashis.

 

 

 

 

 

Occurs in

(Western month)

 

Utpan-naa November-December

 

Moksha-daa November-December

 

Saphalaa December-January

 

Putra-daa December-January

 

Shat-tilaa January-February

 

Jayaa January-February

 

Vijayaa February-March

 

Aamalakee February-March

 

Paapamo-chanee March-April

 

Kaamadaa March-April

 

Varoothinee April-May

 

Mohinee April-May

 

Aparaa May-June

 

Nirjalaa May-June

 

Yoginee June-July

 

Padmaa June-July

 

Kaamikaa July-August

 

Putradaa July-August

 

Ajaa August-September

 

Parivartinee August-September

 

Indiraa September-October

 

Paapaankushaa September-October

 

Ramaa October-November

 

Haribodhinee October-November

 

 

 

The two extra Ekadashis, which occur during leap year, are

called,

 

Padminee

 

Paramaa

 

 

 

***Please note the t is pronounced as follows, place the tip of your tongue on

the roof of

your mouth and say t.

 

***Please note the n is pronounced as follows, place the

tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth and say n.

 

Ref: http://www.salagram.net/ekadasi-cannotfast4sum-reason.html