Ekadashi - all the names and the benefits
In the Caitanya Caritamrita (Adi-lila 15.9-10) “ One day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Lord Krishna) fell down at the feet of His mother and requested her to give Him one thing in charity. His mother replied, ‘ My dear son, I will give You whatever You ask. ‘ Then the Lord replied, “ My dear mother, please do not eat grains on the Ekadashi day”. From the very beginning of His childhood life Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced the system of observing a fast on the Ekadashi day. In the Skanda Purana states that “ a person who eats grains on Ekadashi becomes a murderer of his mother, father, brother, and spiritual master, and even if he elevated to a Vaikuntha planet, he falls down.”
Suta Goswami said: - There are twelve months in a year, and two Ekadashis in each month. Thus there are twenty-four Ekadashis in one full year, and in a leap year (like this year) there are two extra Ekadashis. O great sages, please listen attentively as I declare to you the names of these auspicious Ekadashis.
Occurs in (Western month)Utpan-naa November-December
Moksha-daa November-December
Saphalaa December-January
Putra-daa December-January
Shat-tilaa January-February
Jayaa January-February
Vijayaa February-March
Aamalakee February-March
Paapamo-chanee March-April
Kaamadaa March-April
Varoothinee April-May
Mohinee April-May
Aparaa May-June
Nirjalaa May-June
Yoginee June-July
Padmaa June-July
Kaamikaa July-August
Putradaa July-August
Ajaa August-September
Parivartinee August-September
Indiraa September-October
Paapaankushaa September-October
Ramaa October-November
Haribodhinee October-November
One who is physically unable to fast on Ekadashi may read the glories of each Ekadashi when it occurs and recite all the names of the Ekadashis; thus he will achieve the same goal as the person who observes the full Ekadashi vow.”
The two extra Ekadashis, which occur during leap year, are called,
Padminee
Paramaa
***Please note the n is pronounced as follows, place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth and say n.
“O sages, one who hears about these Ekadashis will learn how to observe them properly. Each Ekadashi bestows particular benefits on the faithful observer. One who is physically unable to fast on Ekadashi may read the glories of each Ekadashi when it occurs and recite all the names of the Ekadashis; thus he will achieve the same goal as the person who observes the full Ekadashi vow.”
The Ekadashi fast prevents and cures many illness and diseases. Neither the merit one receives by taking a bath in the sacred place of pilgrimage known as Shankhod-dhara, where the Lord killed the Shankhasura demon, nor the merit one receives upon seeing Lord Gadadhara directly is equal to one sixteenth of the merit one obtains by fasting on Ekadashi. 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 Sankranti attains four hundred thousand times the ordinary result. YET simply fasting on Ekadashi one obtains all these pious results, as well as whatever pious results one gets at Kurukshetra during an eclipse of the sun and moon.
Furthermore, the faithful soul who observes complete fasting on Ekadashi achieves a hundred times more merit than one who performs an Ashvamedha Yajna. One who observes just a single Ekadashi fast perfectly earns the same merit as one who feeds a hundred thousand mendicants every day for 60,000 years. A person who properly observes Ekadashi just once earns 10 times more 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 then 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 a needy and respectable brahmana, and a thousand times 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 of ever will be a better charity than this. All the forefathers and the devis and devas in heaven become very satisfied when one gives food grains in charity. BUT THE MERIT one obtains by observing a complete fast on EKADASHI CANNOT BE MEASURED. THE POWERFUL EFFECT OF THIS MERIT IS INCONCEIVABLE EVEN TO THE DEVIS AND DEVAS.
The processes of staying in places of pilgrimages, giving charity, and performing fire sacrifices may only boast only as long as Ekadashi has not arrived. Therefore anyone afraid of the miseries of material existence should observe Ekadashi. A thousand Vedic sacrifices do not even equal to one Ekadashi fast. The merit one attains by fasting on Ekadashi is greater than that achieved by observing any other kind of fast or by going to a place of pilgrimages, and even greater than that achieved by giving charity to brahmanas.
Lord Krsna says: “ If a person strictly observes Ekadashi, I will kill all his enemies and grant him the highest destination. Indeed, is a person observes this great Ekadashi fast in any of the prescribed ways; I will remove all obstacles to his spiritual progress and grant him the perfection of life. This one-day removes all sins eternally. 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 who hears even one sentence about the glories of Ekadashi 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 worshipping Lord Vishnu than observing a fast on Ekadashi.
Compiled (for the upliftment of Sanatan Dharma- the Eternal
Religion)
Narottam Das 031 4020 449 or 082 714 1504
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