Papamochani Ekadasi

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Papamochani Ekadasi

From the Bhavishya-uttara Puranam

Date - Sun, 22nd Mar, 2009

Breakfast: 06:33 AM - 10:36 AM Next day ***

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Sri Yudhisthira MAharAja said, " Oh Supreme Lord, I have heard from You the

explanation of

 

Amalakii EkAdasii which occurs during the light fortnight of the month of

PhAlguna (February-

 

March), and now I wish to hear about the EkAdasii that occurs during the dark

fortnight of the

 

month of Chaitra (March-April). What is its name, Oh Lord, and what results can

one attain by

 

observing it? "

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, replied, " O best of kings,

for the benefit

 

of everyone I shall gladly describe to you the glories of this EkAdasii, which

is known as

 

PApamochanii. The history of this EkAdasii was once narrated to the Emperor

MAndhAta by Lomasa

 

Rishi. King MAndhAta addressed the Rishi, 'Oh great sage, for the benefit of all

people, please

 

tell me the name of the EkAdasii that occurs during the dark fortnight of the

month of Chaitra,

 

and please explain the process for observing it. Also, please describe the

benefits one gains by

 

observing this EkAdasii.'

 

" Lomasa Rishi replied, " The EkAdasii that occurs during the dark part of the

month of Chaitra is

 

named PApamochanii EkAdasii. For the faithful devotee it removes the influences

of ghosts and

 

demons. Oh lion among men, this EkAdasii also awards the eight perfections of

life, fulfils all

 

kinds of desires, purifies one's life of all sinful reactions, and makes a

person perfectly

 

virtuous.

 

" 'Now please listen to a historical account concerning this EkAdasii and

Chitraratha, the chief

 

of the Gandharvas (heavenly musicians). During the spring season, in the company

of heavenly

 

dancing girls, Chitraratha once came upon a beautiful forest bursting forth with

a great variety

 

of flowers. There he and the girls joined the Gandharvas and many Kinnaras,

along with Lord

 

Indra himself, the king of heaven, who was enjoying a visit there. Everyone felt

that there was

 

no better garden than this forest. Many sages were also present, performing

their austerities

 

and penances. The demigods particularly enjoyed visiting this celestial garden

during the months

 

of Chaitra and Vaisakha (April-May).

 

" 'A great sage named MedhAvi resided in that forest, and the very attractive

dancing girls would

 

always attempt to seduce him. One famous girl in particular, MaNjughoshA,

contrived many ways to

 

allure the exalted Muni, but out of great respect for the sage and feat of his

power, which he

 

had attained after years and years of ascetics, she would not come very close to

him. At a spot

 

two miles from the sage, she pitched a tent and began singing very sweetly as

she played a

 

tamboura. Cupid himself became excited when he saw and heard her perform so

nicely and smelled

 

the fragrance of her sandal-paste unguent. He remembered his own unfortunate

experience with

 

Lord Shiva and decided to take revenge by seducing MedhAvi. (see footnote 1)

 

" 'Using the eyebrows of MaNjughoshA as a bow, her glances as a bowstring, her

eyes as arrows,

 

and her breasts as a target, Cupid approached MedhAvi in order to tempt him to

break his trance

 

and his vows. In other words, Cupid engaged MaNjughoshA as his assistant, and

when she looked at

 

that powerful and attractive young sage, she also became agitated by lust.

Seeing that he was

 

highly intelligent and learned, wearing a clean white brahmana's thread draped

across his

 

shoulder, holding a sannyasi's staff, and sitting handsomely in the asrama of

Chyavana Rishi,

 

MaNjughoshA came before him.

 

" 'She began to sing seductively, and the small bells of her belt and around her

ankles, together

 

with the bangles on her wrists, produced a delightful musical symphony. The sage

MedhAvi was

 

enchanted. he understood that this beautiful young woman desired union with him,

and at that

 

instant Cupid increased his attraction for MaNjughoshA by releasing his powerful

weapons of

 

taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. " 'Slowly MaNjughoshA approached MedhAvi,

her bodily

 

movements and sweet glances attracting him. She gracefully put her tamboura down

and embraced

 

the sage with her two arms, just as a creeper winds itself around a strong tree.

Captivated,

 

MedhAvi gave up his meditation and decided to sport with her - and instantly his

purity of heart

 

and mind abandoned him. Forgetting even the difference between night and day, he

went away with

 

her to sport for a long, long time. (see footnote 2)

 

" 'Seeing that the young yogi's sanctity had become seriously eroded, MaNjughoshA

decided to

 

abandon him and return home. She said. " O great one, please permit me to return

home. " " 'MedhAvi

 

replied, " But you have only just arrived, O beautiful one. Please stay with me

at least until

 

tomorrow. " " 'Fearful of the sage's yogic power, MaNjughoshA stayed with MedhAvi

for precisely

 

fifty-seven years, nine months, and three days, but to MedhAvi all this time

seemed like a

 

moment. Again she asked him, " Please permit me to leave. " " 'MedhAvi replied, " O

dear one, listen

 

to me. Stay with me for one more night, and then you may leave tomorrow morning.

Just stay with

 

me until I have performed my morning duties and chanted the sacred GAyatri

mantra. Please wait

 

until then. "

 

" 'MaNjughoshA was still fearful of the sage's great yogic power, but she forced

a smile and

 

said, " How long will it take you to finish your morning hymns and rituals?

Please be merciful

 

and think of all the time you have already spent with me. "

 

" 'The sage reflected on the years he had been with MaNjughoshA and then said

with great

 

astonishment. " Why, I have spent more than fifty-seven years with you! " His eyes

turned red and

 

began to emanate sparks. He now regarded MaNjughoshA as death personified and

the destroyer of

 

his spiritual life. " You rascal woman! You have turned all the hard-earned

results of my

 

austerities to ashes! " Trembling with anger, he cursed MaNjughoshA, " Oh sinful

one, Oh hard-

 

hearted, degraded one! You know only sin! May all terrible fortune by yours! Oh

rascal woman, I

 

curse you to become an evil hobgoblin - pishAcha! "

 

" 'Cursed by the sage MedhAvi, the beautiful MaNjughoshA humbly beseeched him,

" Oh best of the

 

brAhmanas, please be merciful to me and revoke your curse! Oh great one, it is

said that

 

association with pure devotees gives immediate results but their curses take

effect only after

 

seven days. I have been with you for fifty-seven years, Oh master, so please be

kind to me! "

 

" 'MedhAvi Muni replied, " Oh gentle lady what can I possibly do? You have

destroyed all my

 

austerities. But even though you have done this sinful deed, I shall tell you a

way you can be

 

released from my wrath. In the dark fortnight of the month of Chaitra there is

an all-auspicious

 

EkAdasii that removes all one's sins. Its name is PApamochanii, Oh beautiful

one, and whoever

 

fasts on this sacred day becomes completely freed from having to take birth in

any kind of

 

devilish form. "

 

" 'With these words, the sage left at once for his father's Ashram. Seeing him

enter the

 

hermitage, Chyavana Muni said, " Oh son, by acting unlawfully you have squandered

the wealth of

 

your penances and austerities. " " 'Medhavi replied, " Oh Father, kindly reveal

what atonement I

 

must perform to remove the obnoxious sin I have incurred by privately

associating with the

 

dancing girl MaNjughoshA. " " 'Chyavana Muni answered, " Dear son, you must fast on

PApamochanii

 

EkAdasii, which occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Chaitra. It

eradicates all

 

sins, no matter how grievous they may be. " " 'MedhAvi followed his father's

advice and fasted on

 

PApamochanii EkAdasii. Thus all his sins were destroyed and he again became

filled with

 

excellent merit. Similarly. MaNjughoshA observed the same fast and became free

of the hobgoblin

 

curse. Ascending once again to the heavenly spheres, she too returned to her

former position.'

 

" Lomasha Rishi continued, 'Thus, Oh king, the great benefit of fasting on

PApamochanii EkAdasii

 

is that whoever does so with faith and devotion will have all his sins

completely destroyed.'

 

Sri Krishna concluded, " Oh King Yudhishthira, whoever reads or hears about

PApamochanii EkAdasii

 

obtains the very same merit he would get if he donated a thousand cows in

charity, and he also

 

nullifies the sinful reactions he may have incurred by killing a brAhmana,

killing an embryo

 

through abortion, drinking liquor, or having sex with his guru's wife. Such is

the incalculable

 

benefit of properly observing this holy day of PApamochanii EkAdasii, which is

so dear to Me and

 

so meritorious. "

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Chaitra-Krishna EkAdasii, or

PApamochaniii EkAdasii,

 

from the Bhavishya-uttara PurAna.

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*** Date and breakfast timing is mentioned for Bangalore city (India).

Footnotes:

 

1. After Lord Shiva lost his dear wife Sati at the sacrificial arena of

PrajApati Daksha, Shiva

 

destroyed the entire arena. Then he brought his father-in-law Daksha back to

life by giving him

 

the head of a goat, and finally he sat down to meditate for sixty thousand

years. Lord BrahmA,

 

however, arranged for KAmadeva (Cupid) to come and break Shiva's meditation.

Using his arrows of

 

sound, taste, touch, sight, and smell, Cupid attacked Shiva, who at last awoke

from his trance.

 

He was so angry at being disturbed that he instantly burned Cupid to ashes with

a glance from

 

his third eye.

 

2. Female association is so powerful that a man forgets his time, energy,

possessions, and even

 

his own identity. As it is said in the Niti-shAstra, striya charitram purushasya

bhAbyaM daivo

 

vijAnAti kuto manushyAh: " Even the demigods cannot predict the behavior of a

woman. Nor can they

 

understand the fortune of a man or how it will determine his destiny. " According

to Yajnavalkya

 

Muni, " A (celibate) person who desires spiritual life should give up all

association with women,

 

including thinking of them, seeing them, talking with them in a secluded place,

taking service

 

from them, or having sexual intercourse with them. "