importance of fasting on ekadasi and Bhima ekadasi

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PANDava NirjalA EkAdasii - Jyeshtha-shukla EkAdasii -

from Brahma-vaivarta

PurANam.

 

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. Bring 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 (for further information

on this incident see

Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s Srimad

Bhagavatam commentary to

1:12:20. Purport.)

 

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 Vedik

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. “?One 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.

 

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. pages 87-91.

 

 

 

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