Vijaya Ekadasi

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Vijaya Ekadasi

 

Yudhisthira Maharaj said, " Oh Lord Sri Krishna, O glorious son of

Vasudeva,

please be merciful to me and describe the EkAdasii that occurs

during the

dark fortnight of the month of PhAlguna (February-March). "

 

Lord Sri Krishna replied, " Oh Yudhisthira, Oh king of kings, gladly

I shall

tell you about this great fast, known as VijayA EkAdasii. Whoever

observes

it certainly achieves success in this life and the next. All the

sins of one

who fasts on this EkAdasii and hears its sublime glories are

eradicated.

 

" NArada Muni once asked lord BrahmA, who sits on a lotus flower

about the

VijayA EkAdasii. Sri NArada said, `Oh best of all the demigods,

kindly tell

me the merit one can achieve by faithfully observing VijayA

EkAdasii.'

" NArada's great father then replied, `My dear son, this oldest of

fasting

days is pure, and it nullifies all sins. I have never revealed this

to

anyone until today, but you can understand beyond any doubt that this

EkAdasii bestows the result indicated by its namei (VijayA meaning

Victory).

 

" When Lord Rama was exiled to the forest for fourteen years, He, the

goddess

SitA, and His divine brother Lakshmana stayed at Panchavati as

mendicants.

Mother SitA was then kidnapped by the demon RAvana, and Lord Rama

seemingly

became bewildered like an ordinary man by distress. While searching

for His

beloved consort, the Lord came upon the dying JatAyu and thereafter

killed

His enemy Kabandha.. The great devotee-vulture JatAyu returned to

Vaikuntha

after telling Rama how His dear SitA had been abducted by Ravana.

 

" `Later, Lord Rama and Sugriva, the king of the monkeys, became

friends.

Together they amassed a grand army of monkeys and bears and sent

HanumAnji

his minister to Sri LankA, where he was able to see Janaki (Srimati

SitA

devi) in an Ashoka grove garden. He delivered Lord Rama's message

and showed

the ring proving his authenticity for rendering such great service

to the

Supreme Lord Sri Rama.

" `With the help of Sugriva, Lord Rama proceeded toward Sri LankA.

Upon

arriving at the shore of the ocean with the army of monkeys, He could

understand that the water was uncommonly deep and hostile. Thus He

said to

Lakshmana, " Oh son of SumitrA, how can We earn enough merit to be

able to

cross this vast ocean, the unfathomable abode of Varuna deva? I can

see no

easy way to cross it, teeming as it is with sharks and other

ferocious

aquatics. "

 

" `Lakshmana replied, " Oh best of all beings, Oh origin of all the

devas,

Oh primal personality, the great sage BakadAlbhya lives on an island

just

four miles from here. Oh Raghava, he has seen many BrahmAs come and

go, so

aged and wise is he. Let us go to him, take his darshan (audience)

and ask

him how We can safely reach Our goal. "

 

" `So Rama and Lakshmana proceeded to the humble Ashrama of the

incomparable BakadAlbhya Muni. Approaching him, the two Lords paid

Their

respectful obeisances to him as if he were a second Vishnu.

BakadAlbhya

could immediately understand, however, that Sri Rama was actually the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, who for His own reasons had appeared

on the

Earth and was enacting just like a human being.

" ` " Rama, " said BakadAlbhya, " Oh best of the human beings, why

have You

come to my lowly abode? "

" `The Lord replied, " Oh great, twice born brahmin, I have come

here to the

ocean shore with My phalanx of monkey and bear warriors in order to

cross

the sea and conquer LankA and its demon horde headed by Ravana. Oh

greatest

of sages, please be merciful unto Me and please tell Me how I can

cross this

vast ocean. That is why I have come to your Ashrama today. "

" `The sage said, " Oh Lord Sri Rama, I shall tell you of the most

exalted

of all fasts, observing which You will surely conquer Ravana and be

eternally glorified. Kindly now listen with full attention.

 

" ` " On the day before EkAdasii, fashion a water pot of gold or

silver, or

even copper. Even clay will do if these metals are unavailable.

Fill the

pot with pure water and then decorate it nicely with mango leaves.

Cover it

and place it near a holy altar upon a mound of seven grains (the

seven

grains are barley, wheat, rice, corn, chickpeas, kukani, and dahl or

peas).

Now take Your morning bath, decorate the water pot with flower

garlands and

sandalwood paste, and inn the concave lid atop the pot place there

the

barley, pomegranate, and coconut. Now with great love and devotion

worship

the water pot Deity form and offer Him incense, sandalwood paste,

flowers, a

ghee lamp, and a plate of sumptuous foods. Remain there awake that

night

beside this sacred pot. On top of the lid filled with barley, etc.,

place a

golden mUrthy of Lord Sri NArAyana.

" ` " When EkAdasii dawns, take Your morning bath and then decorate

the

water pot with fine sandalwood paste and garlands. Then worship the

pot

again with first class incense, lamps, sandalwood paste and flowers

dipped

in sandalwood paste, and then devoutly/devotedly place many kinds of

cooked

food, pomegranate, and coconut before the water pot. Then remain

awake over

night.

 

" ` " When the DwAdasi dawns, take the water pot to the bank of a

holy river,

or even to the shore of a small pond. After worshipping it again

properly,

Oh King of kings, offer it with all the aforementioned ingredients

to a pure

hearted brahmin, expert in the Vedic sciences. If You and Your

military

commanders observe the VijayA EkAdasii in this way, You will surely

be

victorious in every way. "

 

" " `Lord Sri RAmachandra Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, did

just as BakadAlbhya Muni instructed, and thus He conquered all

demoniac

forces. Similarly, anyone who observes the VijayA EkAdasii in this

way will

always be victorious in this mortal world, and after leaving this

world

he/she will reside forever in the anxiety free realm of the Kingdom

of God

known as the Vaikunthas. "

 

" `Oh NArada, my son, from this history you can understand why one

should

observe this EkAdasii fast properly, strictly following the rules and

regulations. This fast is powerful enough to eradicate all one's

sinful

reactions, even the most abominable ones. "

 

Lord Sri Krishna concluded, " Oh Yudhisthira, anyone who reads or

hears this

history will attain the same great merit as that which is earned by

performing a horse sacrifice on days of yore. "