Utpanna Ekadasi

[Guest guest]

Hare Rama KRishna

Dear All,

If you missed it today maybe this will inspire you to try for the next one.

Best wishes, Lakshmi

 

Today Nov. 12  is Utpanna Ekadasi in the USA ~ Devotees fast from grains and

beans. I personally fast completely until noon and chant extra rounds and

increase spiritual activities like reading and singing. The following is the

history of this Ekadasi: 

 

Utpanna Ekadasi ~

 

Suta Goswami said, " O learned brahmanas, long ago Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, explained the auspicious glories of Sri Ekadasi and the

rules and regulations governing each observance of fasting on that holy day. O

best of the brahmins, whosoever hears about the origins and glories of these

sacred fasts on the Ekadasi days goes directly to the abode of Lord Vishnu after

enjoying many different kinds of happiness in this material world. 

    " Arjuna, the son of Prithaa, asked the Lord, 'O Janardana, what are the

pious benefits of complete fasting, eating only supper, or eating but once at

midday on Ekadasi, and what are the regulations for observing the various

Ekadasi days? Kindly narrate all this to me'. 

    " The Supreme Lord Krishna replied, 'O Arjuna, in the beginning of winter

(northern hemisphere), on the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of

the month of Margasirsha (November-December), a novice should begin his practice

of observing a fast on Ekadasi. On Dasami, the day before Ekadasi, he should

clean his teeth nicely. Then during the eight portion of Dasami, just as the Sun

is about to set, he should eat supper. 

    " 'The next morning the devotee should make a vow, according to the rules

and regulations, to observe fasting. At midday he should bathe properly in a

river, lake or small pond. A bath in a river is most purifying, thsat taken in a

lake is less so, and a bath in a small pond is the least purifying. If neither a

river, lake nor pond is accessible, he may bathe with well-water. 

      " 'The devotee should chant this prayer containing the names of Mother

Earth:  " O Asvakrante! O Rathakrante! O Vishnukrante! O Vasundhare! O Mrttike! O

Mother Earth!  Kindly remove all the sins I have accumulated throughout my many

past lives so that I may enter the sacred abode of the Supreme Lord. "   As the

devotee chants, he should smear mud over his body. 

  " 'During the day of fasting the devotee should not speak to those who are

fallen from their religious duties, to dog-eaters, to thieves, or to

hypocrites.  He should also avoid speaking with slanderers; with those who abuse

the demigods, the Vedic literatures, or brahmanas; or with any other wicked

personalities, such as those who have sex with forbidden women, those who are

known plunderers, or those who rob temples.  If any such person is spoken to or

even seen during Ekadasi, one must purify oneself by looking directly at the

sun. 

  " 'Then the devotee should respectfully worship Lord Govinda with first-class

food, flowers, and so forth.  In his home he should offer the Lord a lamp in

pure devotional consciousness.  he should also avoid sleeping during the daytime

and should completely abstain from sex.  Fasting from all food and water, he

should joyfully sing the Lord's glories and play musical instruments for His

pleasure throughout the night.  After remaining awake all night in pure

consciousness, the worshipper should give charity to qualified brahmanas and

offer his humble obeisances unto them, begging their forgiveness for his

offences. 

  " 'Those who are serious about devotional service should consider the Ekadasis

that occur during dark fortnights to be as good as those that occur during

bright fortnights.  O king, one should never discriminate between these two

kinds of Ekadasi. 

  Please listen as I now describe the results obtained by one who observes

Ekadasi in this way.  Neither the merit one receives by taking a bath in the

sacred place of pilgrimage known as Sankhoddhara, where the Lord killed the

Sankhasura demon, nor the merit one receives upon seeing Lord Gadadhara directly

is equal to one sixteenth of the merit one obtains by fasting on Ekadasi.  It is

said that by giving charity on a Monday when the moon is full, one obtains a

hundred thousand times the results of ordinary charity.  O winner of wealth, one

who gives charity on the day of the sankranti (equinox) attains four hundred

thousand times the ordinary result.  Yet simply by fasting on Ekadasi one

obtains all these pious results, as well as whatever pious results one gets at

Kurukshetra during an eclipse of the sun or moon.  Furthermore, the faithful

soul who observes complete fasting on Ekadasi achieves a hundred times more

merit than one who performs an

Asvamedha-yajna (horse sacrifice).  One who observes  Ekadasi just once earns

ten times more merit than a person who gives a thousand cows in charity to a

brahmana learned in the Vedas. 

  " 'A person who feeds just one brahmacari earns ten times more merit than one

who feeds ten good brahmanas in his own house.  But a thousand times more merit

than is earned by feeding a brahmacari is achieved by donating land to the needy

and respectable brahmana, and a thousand time more than that is earned by giving

away a virgin girl in marriage to a young, well-educated, responsible man.  Ten

times more beneficial than this is educating children properly on the spiritual

path, without expecting any reward in return.  Ten times better than this,

however, is giving food grains to the hungry.  Indeed, giving charity to those

in need is the best of all, and there never has been or ever will be a better

charity than this.   O son of Kunti, all the forefathers and demigods in heaven

become very satisfied when one gives food grains in charity.  But the merit one

obtains by observing a complete fast on Ekadasi cannot be measured.  O Arjuna,

best of

all Kurus, the powerful effect of this merit is inconceivable even to the

demigods, and half this merit is attained by one who eats only supper on

Ekadasi. 

  " 'One should therefore observe fasting on Lord Hari's day either by eating

only once at midday, abstaining from grains and beans; or by fasting

completely.  The processes of staying in places of pilgrimage, giving charity,

and performing fire sacrifices may boast only as long as Ekadasi has not

arrived.  Therefore anyone afraid of the miseries of material existence should

observe Ekadasi.  On Ekadasi one should not drink water from a conch-shell, kill

living entities such as fish or pigs, or eat any grains or beans.  Thus I have

described to you, O Arjuna, the best of all  methods of fasting, as you have

inquired from Me.' 

  " Arjuna then asked, 'O Lord, according to You, a thousand Vedic sacrifices do

not equal even one Ekadasi fast.  How can this be?  How has Ekadasi become the

most meritorious of all days?' 

  " Lord Sri Krishan replied, 'I will tell you why Ekadasi is the most purifying

of all days.  In the Satya-Yuga there once lived an amazingly fearsome demon

called Mura.  Always very angry, he terrified all the demigods, defeating even

Indra, the king of heaven; Vivasvan, the sun-god; the eight Vasus;  Lord Brahma;

Vayu. the wind-god; and Agni, the fire-god.  With his terrible power he brought

them all under his control. 

  " 'Lord Indra then approached Lord Shiva and said, " We have all fallen from our

planets and are now wandering helplessly on the earth.  O lord, how can we find

relief from this affliction?  What will be the fate of us demigods?' 

  " 'Lord Shiva replied, " O best of the demigods, go to that place where Lord

Vishnu, the rider of Garuda, resides.  He is Jagannatha, the master of all the

universes and their shelter as well.  He is devoted to protecting all souls

surrendered to Him.' "  

  " Lord Krishna continued, 'O Arjuna, winner of wealth, after Lord Indra heard

these words of Lord Shiva's, he proceeded with all the demigods to the place

where Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the universe, the protector of all souls, was

resting.  Seeing the Lord sleeping upon the water, the demigods joined their

palms and, led by Indra, recite the following prayers: 

  " ' " O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all obeisances to You.  O Lord of lords,

O You who are praised by the foremost demigods, O enemy of all demons, O

lotus-eyed Lord, O Madhusudana (killer of the Madhu demon), please protect us. 

Afraid of the demon Mura, we demigods have come to take shelter of You.  O

Jagannatha, You are the doer of everything and the creator of everything.  You

are the mother and the father of all universes.  You are the creator, the

maintainer, and the destroyer of all.  You are the supreme helper of all the

demigods, and You alone can bring peace to them.  you alone are the earth, the

sky, and the universal benefactor. 

  " ' " You are Shiva, Brahma, and also Vishnu, the maintainer of the three

worlds.  You are the gods of the sun, moon, and fire.  You are the clarified

butter, the oblation, the sacred fire, the mantras, the rituals, the priests,

and the silent chanting of japa.  You are the sacrifice itself, its sponsor, and

the enjoyer of its results, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Nothing within

these three worlds, whether moveable or immovable, can exist independent of

You.  O Supreme Lord, Lord of lords, You are the protector of those who take

shelter of You.  O supreme mystic, O shelter of the fearful, please rescue and

protect us.  We demigods have been defeated by the demons and have thus fallen

from the heavenly realm.  Deprived of our positions, O Lord of the universe, we

are now wandering about this earthly planet. " ' 

  " Lord Krsna continued, 'Having heard Indra and the other demigods speak these

words, Sri Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, replied, " What demon

possesses such great powers of delusion that he has been able to defeat all the

demigods?  What is his name, and where does he live?  Where does he get his

strength and shelter?  Tell Me everything, O Indra, and do not fear. "  

  " 'Lord Indra replied, " O Supreme Godhead, O Lord of lords, O You who vanquish

the fear in Your pure devotees' hearts, O You who are so kind to your faithful

servants, there was once a powerful demon of the Brahma dynasty whose name was

Nadijangha.  he was extraordinarily fearsome and wholly dedicated to destroying

the demigods, and he begot an infamous son named Mura. 

  " ' " Mura's great capital city is Chandravati.  From that base the terribly evil

and powerful Mura demon has conquered the whole world and brought all the

demigods under his control, driving them out of their heavenly kingdom.  He has

assumed the roles of Indra, the king of heaven; Agni, the fire-god; Yama, the

lord of death; Vayu, the wind-god; Isha, or Lord Shiva; Soma, the moon-god;

Nairrti, the lord of the directions; and Pasi, or Varuna, the water-god.  He has

also begun emanating light in the role of the sun-god and has turned himself

into the clouds as well.  It is impossible for the demigods to defeat him.  O

Lord Vishnu, please kill tis demon and make the demigods victorious. "  

  " 'Hearing these words from Indra, Lord Janardana became very angry and said,

" O powerful demigods, all together you may now advance on Mura's capital city of

Chandravati. "   Encouraged thus, the assembled demigods proceeded to Chandravati

with Lord Hari leading the way. 

  " 'When Mura saw the demigods, that foremost of demons started roaring very

loudly in the company of countless thousands of other demons, who were all

holding brilliantly shining weapons.  The mighty-armed demons struck the

demigods, who began abandoning the battlefield and fleeing in the ten

directions.  Seeing the Supreme Lord Hrsikesha, the master of the senses,

present on the battlefield, the furious demons rushed toward Him with various

weapons in their hands.  As they charged the Lord, who holds a sword, disk, and

club, He immediately pierced all their limbs with His sharp, poisonous arrows. 

thus many hundred of demons died by the Lord's hand. 

  " 'At last the chief demon, Mura, began fighting with the Lord.  Mura used his

mystic power to render useless whatever weapons the Supreme Lord Hrsikesa

unleashed.  Indeed, to the demon the weapons felt just like flowers striking

him.  When the Lord could not defeat the demon even with various kinds of

weapons - whether those that are thrown or those that are held - He began

fighting with His bare hands, which were as strong as iron-studded clubs.  The

Lord wrestled with Mura for one thousand celestial years and then, apparently

fatigued, left for Badarikashrama.  There Lord Yogeshvara, the greatest of all

yogis, the Lord of the universe, entered a very beautiful cave named Himavati to

rest.  O Dhananjaya, winner of wealth, that cave was ninety-six miles in

diameter and had only one entrance.  I went there out of fear, and also to

sleep.  There is no doubt about this, O son of Pandu, for the great fight made

me very tired.  the demon followed

Me into that cave and, seeing Me asleep, started thinking within his heart,

" Today I will kill this slayer of all demons, Hari. "  

  " 'While the wicked-minded Mura was making plans in this way, from My body

there manifested a young girl who had a very bright complexion.  O son of Pandu,

Mura saw that she was equipped with various brilliant weapons and was ready to

fight.  Challenged by that female to do battle, Mura prepared himself and then

fought with her, but he became very astonished when he saw that she fought him

without cessation.  The king of the demons then said, " Who has created this

angry, fearsome girl who is fighting me so powerfully, just like a thunderbolt

falling upon me?'  After saying this, the demon continued to fight with the

girl. 

  " 'Suddenly that effulgent goddess shattered all of Mura's weapons and in a

moment deprived him of his chariot.  He ran toward her to attacker with his bare

hands, but when she saw him coming she angrily cut off his head.  Thus the demon

at once fell to the ground and went to the abode of Yamaraja.  The rest of the

Lord's enemies, out of fear and helplessness, entered the subterranean Patala

region. 

  " 'Then the Supreme Lord woke up and saw the dead demo before Him, as well as

the maiden bowing down to him with joined palms.  His face expressing His

astonishment, the Lord of the universe said, " Who has killed this vicious

demon?  He easily defeated all the demigods, Gandharvas, and even Indra himself,

along with Indra's companions, the Maruts, and he also defeated the Nagas

(snakes), the rulers of the lower planets.  He even defeated Me, making Me hide

in this cave out of fear.  Who is it that has so mercifully protected Me after I

ran from the battlefield and went to sleep in this cave? "  

  " 'The maiden said, " It is I who have killed this demon after appearing from

Your transcendental body.  Indeed, O Lord Hari, when he saw You sleeping he

wanted to kill You.  Understanding the intention of this thorn in the side of

the three worlds, I killed the evil rascal and this freed all the demigods from

fear.  I am Your great maha-sakti, Your internal potency, who strikes fear into

the hearts of all Your enemies.  I have killed this universally terrifying demon

to protect the three worlds.  Please tell me why You are surprised to see that

this demon has been killed, O Lord. "  

  " 'The Supreme Personality of Godhead said, " O sinless one, I am very satisfied

to see that it is you who have killed this king of the demons.  In this way you

have made the demigods happy, prosperous, and full of bliss.  Because you have

given pleasure to all the demigods in the three worlds, I am very pleased with

you.  Ask any boon you may desire, O auspicious one.  I will give it to you

without a doubt, though it be very rare among the demigods. "  

  " " The maiden said, " O Lord, if You are pleased with me and wish to give me a

boon, then give me the power to deliver from the greatest sins that person who

fasts of this day.  I wish that half the pious credit obtained by one who fasts

will accrue to one who eats only in the evening (abstaining from grains and

beans), and that half of this pious credit will be earned by one who eats only

at midday.  Also, may one who strictly observes a complete fast on my appearance

day, with controlled senses, go to the abode of Lord Vishnu for one billion

kalpas  after he has enjoyed all kinds of pleasures in this world.  This is the

boon I desire to attain by Your mercy, my Lord, O Lord Janardana, whether a

person observes complete fasting, eats only in the evening, or eats only at

midday, please grant him a religious attitude, wealth, and at last liberation. "  

  " 'The Supreme Personality of Godhead said, " O most auspicious lady, what you

have requested is granted.  All My devotees in this world will surely fast on

your day, and thus they will become famous throughout the three worlds and

finally come and stay with me in My abode.  Because you, My transcendental

potency, have appeared on the eleventh day of the waning moon, let your name by

Ekadasi.  If a person fasts on Ekadasi, I will burn up all his sins and bestow

upon him My transcendental abode. 

  " ' " These are the days of the waxing and waning moon that are most dear to Me:

Tritiya (the third day), Ashthami (the eighth day), Navami (the ninth day),

Chaturdasi (the fourteenth day), and especially Ekadasi (the eleventh day). 

  " ' " The merit one attains by fasting on Ekadasi is greater than that achieved

by observing any other kind of fast or by going to a place of pilgrimage, and

even greater than that achieved by giving charity to brahmanas.  I tell you most

emphatically that this is true. "  

  " 'Having thus given the maiden His benediction, the Supreme Lord suddenly

disappeared.  From that time onward the Ekadasi day became most meritorious and

famous all over the universe.  O Arjuna, if a person strictly observes Ekadasi,

I kill all his enemies and grant him the highest destination.  Indeed, if a

person observes this great Ekadasi fast in any of the prescribed way,  I remove

all obstacles to his spiritual progress and grant him the perfection of life. 

  " 'Thus, O son of Prtha, I have described to you the origin of Ekadasi.  This

one day removes all sins eternally.  Indeed, it is the most meritorious day for

destroying all kinds of sins, and it has appeared in order to benefit everyone

in the universe by bestowing all varieties of perfection. 

  " 'One should not discriminate between the Ekadasis of the waxing and waning

moons; both must be observed, O Partha, and they should not be differentiated

from Maha-Dvadasi.   Everyone who fasts of Ekadasi should recognise that there

is no difference between these two Ekadasis, for they comprise the same tithi. 

  " 'Whoever completely fasts on Ekadasi, following the rules and regulations,

will achieve the supreme abode of Lord Vishnu, who rides upon Garuda.  They are

glorious who devote themselves to Lord Vishnu and spend all their rime studying

the glories of Ekadasi.  One who vows not to eat anything on Ekadasi but to eat

only on the next day achieves the same merit as one who executes a horse

sacrifice.  Of this there is no doubt. 

  " 'On Dvadasi, the day after Ekadasi, one should pray, " O Pundarikaksha, O

lotus-eyed Lord, now I will eat.  Please shelter me. "   After saying this, the

wise devotee should offer some flowers and water at the Lord's lotus feet and

invite the Lord to eat by chanting the eight-syllable mantra thrice.   If the

devotee wants to gain the fruit of his fast, he should then drink water  taken

form the sanctified vessel in which he offered water at the Lord's lotus feet. 

  " 'On Dvadasi one must avoid sleeping during the day, eating in another's home,

eating more than once, having sex, eating honey, eating from a bell-metal plate,

eating urad-dal, and rubbing oil on one's body.  The devotee must give up these

eight things on Dvadasi.  If he wants to speak to an outcaste on that day, he

must purify himself by eating a Tulasi leaf or an amalaki fruit.  O best of

kings, from noon on Ekadasi until dawn on Dvadasi, one should engage himself in

taking baths, worshipping the Lord, and executing devotional activities,

including the giving of charity and the performance of fire sacrifices.  If one

finds himself in difficult circumstances and cannot break the Ekadasi fast

properly on Dvadasi, one can break it by drinking water, and then one is not at

fault if he eats again after that. 

  " 'A devotee of Lord Vishnu who day and night hears these all-auspicious topics

concerning the Lord from the mouth of another devotee will be elevated to the

Lord's planet and reside there for ten million kalpas.   And one who hears even

one sentence about the glories of Ekadasi is freed from the reactions to such

sins as killing a brahmana.   There is no doubt of this.  For all eternity there

will be no better way of worshiping Lord Vishnu than observing a fast on

Ekadasi.' "

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Margasirsa-krsna Ekadasi, or Utpanna

Ekadasi, from the Bhavisya-uttara Purana.

These stories are to be found in the celebrated book, " Ekadasi: The Day of Lord

Hari " 1986. pages 13 - 22.  HH Krishna Balaram Swami. Bhaktivedanta Institute

Press.