Varuthini Ekadasi
Sri Yudhisthira Maharaj said, “Oh Vasudeva, I offer my most humble obeisances
unto You. Please now describe to me the EkAdasii of the dark fortnight (krsna
paksha) of the month of VaisAkha (April-May), including its specific merits and
influence.”
Lord Sri Krishna replied, “Oh King, in this world and the next, the most
auspicious and magnanimous EkAdasii is VarUthinii EkAdasii, which occurs during
the dark fortnight of the month of VaisAkha.
Whosoever observes a complete fast on this sacred day has his sins completely
removed, obtains continuous happiness, and achieves all good fortune.
Fasting on VarUthinii EkAdasii makes even an unfortunate woman fortunate. Upon
anyone who observes it, this EkAdasii bestows material enjoyment in this life
and liberation after the death of this present body. It destroys the sins of all
and saves people from the miseries of repeated rebirth.
“By observing this EkAdasii properly, King MAndhAtA was liberated. Many other
kings also benefited from observing it – kings such as MahArAja DhundhumAra, in
the IkshvAku dynasty, who became free from leprosy resulting from the curse that
Lord Shiva had imposed upon him as a punishment.
Whatever merit one obtains by performing austerities and penances for ten
thousand years is achieved by a person who observes VarUthinii EkAdasii.
The merit one achieves by donating a great amount of gold during a solar eclipse
at Kurukshetra is gained by one who observes this one EkAdasii with love and
devotion, and certainly attains his goals in this life and the next. In short,
this EkAdasii is pure and very enlivening and the destroyer of all sins.
“Better than giving horses in charity is giving elephants, and better than
giving elephants is giving land. But better still than giving land is the giving
of sesame seeds, and better than that is giving of gold. Still better than
giving gold is giving food grains - for all the forefathers, demigods (devas),
and human beings become satisfied by eating grains. Thus there is no better gift
of charity than this in the past, present or future.”
“Yet learned scholars have declared that giving away a young maiden in marriage
to a worthy person is equal to giving away food grains in charity. Moreover,
Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has said that giving cows
in charity is equal to giving food grains. Still better than all these charities
is teaching spiritual knowledge to the ignorant. Yet all the merits one can
attain by performing all these acts of charity are attained by one who fasts on
the VarUthinii EkAdasii.”
“One who lives off the wealth of his daughters suffers a hellish condition until
the inundation of the entire universe, Oh BhArata. Therefore one should be
especially careful not to use the wealth of his daughter. Oh best of kings, any
householder who takes his daughter’s wealth out of greed, who tries to sell his
daughter, or who takes money from the man to whom he has given his daughter in
marriage – such a householder becomes a lowly cat in his next life. Therefore it
is said that whoever, as a sacred act of charity, gives away in marriage a
maiden decorated with various ornaments, and who also gives a dowry with her,
obtains merit that cannot be described even by Chitragupta, the chief secretary
of YamarAja in the heavenly planets. That very same merit, however, can be
easily achieved by one who fasts on the VarUthinii EkAdasii.
“The following things should be given up on the Dashami, (the tenth phase of the
Moon), the day before the EkAdasii: eating on bell-metal plates, eating any kind
of urid-dahl, eating red-lentils, eating chick-peas, eating kondo (a grain that
is primarily eaten by poor people and that resembles poppy seeds or agarpanthas
seeds), eating spinach, eating honey, eating in another person’s house/home,
eating more than once, and participating in sex of any kind.
“On the EkAdasii itself one should give up the following: gambling, sports,
sleeping during the daytime, betal nuts and its leaf, brushing one’s teeth,
spreading rumours, faultfinding, talking to the spiritually fallen, anger, and
lying.
“On the DwAdasii the day after EkAdasii (the twelfth phase of the Moon), one
should give up the following: eating on bell-metal plates, eating urid-dahl,
red-lentils, or honey, lying, strenuous exercise or labour, eating more than
once, any sexual activity, shaving the body, face or head, smearing oils on
one’s body, and eating in another’s home.”
Lord Sri Krishna continued, “Whoever observes the VarUthinii EkAdasii in this
way becomes free from all sinful reactions and returns to the eternal, spiritual
abode. One who worships Lord JanArdana (Krishna) on this EkAdasii by staying
awake throughout the entire night, also becomes free from all his previous sins
and attains to the spiritual abode. Therefore, Oh king, he who is frightened of
his accumulated sins and their attendant reactions, and thus of death itself,
must observe VarUthinii EkAdasii by fasting very strictly.
“Finally, Oh noble Yudhisthira, he who hears or reads this glorification of the
sacred VarUthinii EkAdasii obtains the merit earned by donating one thousand
cows in charity, and at last he returns home, to the Supreme abode of Lord
Vishnu in the Vaikunthas.”
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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