Sayana Ekadasi
Sayan EkAdasii – Deva Sayani EkAdasii – Padma EkAdasii from the
Bhavishya-uttara PurANa.
The saintly king Yudhishthira Maharaj said, “Oh Keshava, what is the name of
that EkAdasii that occurs during the light fortnight of the month of AshADha
(June – July)? Who is the worshippable Deity for the auspicious day, and what is
the process for observing this event?”
Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh caretaker of this Earthly planet, I shall gladly
tell you a wonderful historical event that the deva lord BrahmA once narrated to
his son NArad Muni.
“One day NArad Muni asked his father, ‘What is the name of the EkAdasii that
comes during the light part of the month of AshADha’, much as you did? ‘Kindly
tell me how I should observe this EkAdasii and thus please the Supreme Lord, Sri
Vishnu.’
“Lord BrahmA replied, ‘Oh great saintly orator, O best of all sages, Oh purest
devotee of Lord Vishnu, your question is as usual excellent for all mankind.
There is nothing better than EkAdasii, the day of Lord Sri Hari, in this or any
other world. It nullifies even the worst sins if observed properly. For this
reason I shall tell you about this AshADha-shukla EkAdasii.
“ ‘Fasting on this EkAdasii purifies one of all sins and fulfills all ones
desires. Therefore, whoever neglects to observe this sacred fast day is a good
candidate for entering into hell. AshADha-shukla EkAdasii is also famous as
PadmA EkAdasii. Just to please the Supreme Lord Hrishikesha, the master of the
senses, one should fast on this day. Listen carefully, Oh NArad, as I relate to
you a wonderful historical event that was recorded in the scriptures regarding
this EkAdasii. Just hearing this account destroys all kinds of sins, along with
all obstacles on the path to spiritual perfection.
“ ‘Oh son, there was once a saintly king in the Surya Vamsha (Sun dynasty) whose
name was MAndhAtA. Because he always stood up for the truth, he was appointed
emperor. He took care of his subjects as though they were his very own family
members and children. On account of his piety and great religiosity, there was
no pestilence, drought, or disease of any kind in his entire kingdom. All his
subjects were not only free of all kinds of disturbances but also were very
wealthy. The king’s own treasury was free of any ill-gotten moneys, and thus he
ruled happily for many years.
“ ‘Once, however, because of some sin in his kingdom, there was a drought for
three years. The subjects found themselves beset by famine also. The lack of
food grains made it impossible for them to perform the prescribed Vedik
sacrifices, offer oblations of grita (ghee) to their forefathers and to the
devas, engage in any ritualistic worship, or even study the Vedik literatures.
Finally, they all came before their beloved king in a great assembly and
addressed him thus, ‘Oh king, you always see to our welfare, so we humbly beg
your assistance now. Everyone and everything in this world needs water. Without
water, almost everything is rendered useless or dead. The Vedas call water nAra,
and because the Supreme Personality of Godhead sleeps upon water, His another
name is NArAyana. God makes His own abode on water and takes His rest there.
It is said that three things cannot exist without water; pearls, human beings,
and flour. The essential quality of a pearl is its luster, and that is due to
water. The essence of a man is his semen, whose main constituent is water. And
without water, flour cannot be made into dough and then be cooked into various
forms of bread, offered and eaten. Sometimes water is called jala-nArAyaNa, the
Supreme Lord in the form of this life sustaining substance – water.
In His form as the clouds, the Supreme Lord is present throughout the sky and
pours forth rains, from which grow the grains that maintain every living entity.
“ ‘ “Oh king, the severe drought has caused a great lack of valuable grains;
thus we are all miserable, and the population is decreasing as people die off or
leave your kingdom. Oh best ruler on Earth, please find some solutions to this
problem and bring us to peace and prosperity once again.”
“ ‘The king replied, “You speak the truth, for grains are like Brahman, the
Absolute Truth, who lives within grains and thereby sustains all beings. Indeed,
it is because of grains that the entire world lives. Now, why is there a
terrible drought in our kingdom? The Holy Scriptures discuss this subject very
thoroughly. If a king (or head of the country) is irreligious, both he and his
subjects suffer. I have meditated upon the cause of our problem for a long time,
but after searching my past and present character I can honestly say that I find
no sin. Still, for the good of all your subjects, I shall try to remedy the
situation.”
Thinking in this way, King MAndhAtA assembled his army and entourage. Paid his
obeisances to me, and then entered the forest. He wandered here and there,
seeking great sages in their Ashrams and inquiring about how to resolve the
crisis in his kingdom. At last he came upon the ashram of one of my other sons,
AngirA Muni, whose effulgence lit up all directions. Seated in his hermitage,
AngirA looked like a second BrahmA. King MAndhAtA was very pleased to see that
exalted sages, whose senses were completely under control.
“ ‘The king immediately dismounted his horse and offered his respectful
obeisances at the lotus feet of AngirA Muni. Then the king joined his palms and
prayed for the Muni’s blessings. That saintly person reciprocated by blessing
the king with sacred mantras; then he asked him about the welfare of the seven
limbs of his kingdom. The seven limbs of a king’s domain are the king himself;
the ministers; his treasury; his military forces; his allies; the brahmins; the
sacrificial performances performed in the kingdom and the needs of the subjects
under his care.
“ ‘After telling the sage how the seven limbs of his kingdom were situated, King
MAndhAtA asked the sage about his own situation, and if he was happy. Then
AngirA Muni asked the king why he had undertaken such a difficult journey into
the forest, and the king told him of the affliction his kingdom was suffering.
The king said, “Oh great sage, I am ruling and maintaining my kingdom while
following the Vedik injunctions, and thus I do not know the reason for the
drought. To solve this mystery, I have approached you for help. Please help me
relieve the suffering of my subjects.”
“ ‘ANgira Rishi said tot he king, ‘The present age, Satya yuga, is the best of
all ages, for in this age Dharma stands on all four legs (Truthfulness,
Austerity, Mercy, and Cleanliness). In this age everyone respects Brahmins as
the topmost members of society. Also, everyone fulfills his occupational duties,
and only twice-born Brahmins are allowed to perform Vedik austerities and
penances. Although this is a standard, Oh lion among kings, there is one shudra
(uninitiated, untrained person) who is thus unlawfully performing the rites of
austerity and penance in your kingdom. This is why there is no rain in your
land. You should therefore punish this labourer with death, for by so doing you
will remove the contamination inflicted by his actions and restore peace to your
subjects.”
“ ‘The king then replied, “How can I kill an offenseless performer of austerity
and sacrifice? Please give me some spiritual solution.”
“ ‘The great sage ANgirA Muni then said, “Oh king, you should observe a fast on
the EkAdasii that occurs during the light fortnight of the month of AshADha.
This auspicious day is named PadmA EkAdasii, and by its influence plentiful
rains and thus grains and other foodstuffs will surely return to your kingdom.
This EkAdasii bestows perfection upon its faithful observers, removes all kinds
of bad elements, and destroys all obstacles on the path to perfection. Oh king,
you, your relatives, and your subjects should all observe this sacred EkAdasii
fast. Then everything in your kingdom will undoubtedly return to normal.”
“ ‘Upon hearing these words, the king offered his obeisances and then returned
to his palace. When the PadmA EkAdasii arrived, King MAndhAtA assembled all the
Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and shudras in his kingdom and instructed them to
strictly observe this important fast day. After they had observed it, the rains
fell, just as the sage had predicted, and in due course of time there were
abundant crops and a rich harvest of grain. By the mercy of the Supreme Lord
Hrishikesha, the master of the senses, all the subjects of King MAndhAtA became
extremely happy and prosperous.
“ ‘Therefore, Oh Narada, everyone should observe this EkAdasii fast very
strictly, for it bestows all kinds of happiness, as well as ultimate liberation,
upon the faithful devotee’
Lord Sri Krishna concluded, “My dear Yudhishthira, PadmA Ekadasi is so powerful
that one who simply reads or hears its glories becomes completely sinless. Oh
PANDava, one who wishes to please Me should strictly observe this EkAdasii,
which is also known as Deva-sayani EkAdasii
Deva-sayani, or Vishnu-sayani, indicates the day when Lord Vishnu goes to sleep
with all the devas (demigods). It is said that after this day one should not
perform any new auspicious ceremonies until DevotthAni EkAdasii (Haribodhini (Probodhini)
Devotthaani (Uttana) EkAdasii), which occurs during the month of KArtika
(October – November), because the devas (demigods), being asleep, cannot be
invited to the sacrificial arena and because the Sun is travelling along its
Southern course (Dakshinayanam).
“Lord Sri Krishna continued, “Oh lion among kings, Yudhishthira Maharaj, whoever
wants liberation should regularly observe a fast on this EkAdasi which is also
the day when the Chaturmasya fast begins.”
Thus ends the narration of the glories of the AshADha-shukla EkAdasii –
also known as PadmA EkAdasii or Deva-sayani EkAdasii – from the Bhavishya-uttara
PurANa.
These stories have been summarised and slightly changed or abbreviated from how
they are found in the celebrated book, "EkAdasii: The Day of Lord Hari" 1986. HH
Krishna Balaram Swami. Bhaktivedanta Institute Press, Pages 99-103.
Note: Special thanks to Jaya Tirtha Caran prabhu from NZ for allowing us to use some of the content from his site to compile these pages - http://www.hknet.org.nz
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