The Ekadashi of Pausha maas in Krishna paksh is called as Saphala Ekadashi.
In Bhavisya Uttar Puraan, this description can be found that Once, Yudhishtir Maharaj went to Lord Krishna and asked
“Krishna, please! Tell me the name of Ekadashi, which comes in Pausha maas in Krishna paksha?
How to obey it?
Who is the adorable Dev of this Ekadashi?
O! Janaardan, please! Tell me about this, So that I may understand all about these questions!”
Then Lord Krishna said -“O! Best among Kings as because you want to hear all about this, that’s why I’m telling you descriptively. I don’t get happy by any donation and tenacity but the person who obeys the Ekadashi, I completely get happy by him as because Ekadashi is very dear to me and Ekadashi is my day. This Ekadashi is conferring happiness to the world. So now, listen to me attentively.”
WHAT IS EKADASHI?
Ekadashi means that “Fasting for body and feasting for the soul.”
The meaning of upvaas (fast/vrat) is upa means near and vaas means to live.
So, upvaas means to go nearer to Krishna, which means:
- Less eating
- Less sleeping
And we should do
- More chanting
- More reading
- More hearing Krishna Katha
ABIDING METHOD OF SAPHALA EKADASHI
Now Krishna describing to Yudhisthir that “how to obey the Saphala Ekadashi”?
Krishna said-“On this day Lord Narayana to be worshiped. As among all the snakes, Sheshnaag is the best, among all the birds, Garur is the best, among all the Yagya, Ashvamegh yagya is the best, among all the rivers, Ganga is the best, among all the Dev, Vishnu is the best, like that among all the fast, the Ekadashi fast is great. Anyone who obeys it, he is dear to me. The devotee who obeys the Ekadashi, he become worship able by me. Now listen to me carefully, I’m going to tell you how to obey Saphala Ekadashi!”
1. “On this day, devotees should worship Lord Krishna.
2. They should offer Fruits to Krishna.
3. They should worship by Dhoop and Deep.
4. By awaking the whole night, they should do the kirtan of Holy name.
5. They should meditate on Lord Krishna.”
Also Read: What is Moksha and how to attain it?
TALE OF SAPHALA EKADASHI
Now Krishna said
“O! King, I’m going to tell you a Tale related to the Saphala Ekadashi. So, listen to me carefully.”
“Once, there was a great kingdom Champavati whose King was Mahishmita. He had four sons. Among them, the elder one was Lumpaka. He was a sinner. He was having illicit relationships with other’s wives. He used to gamble and eat meat. He used to associate with prostitutes. He was of so wicked wisdom that his father’s money was ending by him. He was envious, and he used to condemn the demigods, those demigods I deploy to operate this world. He also used to condemn Brahmins and find the chance to condemn Vaishnavas. When King saw the behavior of Lumpaka, he understood that this behavior is not for forgiveness. He kicked his son out of home and sent him to the forest. King got so angry as the relatives for whom Lumpaka was dear even though they didn’t stop the King. By this, Lumpaka was very sad and confused that what to do now? As he was of a wicked mind, so he thought that in the day he would remain in the forest and at night he would rob the people. Then he started to rob people in the night, and the day he used to remain in forest & he used to hunt the animal and eat the flesh of them. In many instances, people caught him but left him by knowing that he was the son of King, and King would get very angry when they got that we had punished him. With it, people used to think that despite the great facilities in the kingdom, he is wondering here and there. This all is because of his past Karmas.
Then Lumpaka lived under a Banyan tree, increasing his sinful life. His day was starting with sins and ending with sins.
One day, when it was the day of Saphala Ekadashi, on the last night, he didn’t sleep because of cold, and he was shivering the whole night. In the morning of Saphala Ekadashi, his health was as worse as not having much energy to wake up and stand. When the sun is seen in the noontime, he gets some warmness. He did not have enough strength to go and hunt animals in the forest then eat their flesh of them. Then he collected the fruits fallen from nearby trees and came back under the Banyan tree. When he reached his tree, then it was night. Then he kept the fruits under the tree, and he got very sad, and he began to pray to Hari that O! Hari please! Do mercy on me and kindly accept these fruits. After offering the fruits to Krishna on that night, he also didn’t sleep because of coldness.
He obeyed the Ekadashi unknowingly and offered the fruits to Krishna, so Hari got very happy from his service and gave him a boon.
So the next day, a white horse came and got stand up near the Lumpaka . Then he got surprised by watching that, and an Akashvani happened that “by the mercy of Vasudev and the abide of Saphala Ekadashi, your sorrow has ended up. Your kingdom is returned to you. Sit on this horse and go & handle the kingdom of your father.”
Then Lumpaka sat on that horse and handled his father’s kingdom, and with that, he became a very good devotee of Krishna. He began to operate the kingdom very nicely.
Then he started to obey all the Ekadashi and chant the holy name of Krishna. When he got old, he gave his kingdom to his children and meditated his senses on Krishna it means he offered the whole life to Krishna. By getting purified from his materialistic desires and giving up his worldly body, he went to Golok.”
Now Krishna is saying, “the one who hears this tale, only by hearing he would get the result of Rajsu Yagya and the one who do the kirtan of my holy name by awaking whole night on Saphala Ekadashi, he gets the result of the tenacity of 5000 years of earth.
Also Read: Chant Krishna mantra to have a peaceful life
CONCLUSION
So, by that tale, we can understand that by unknowingly obeying Saphala Ekadashi, Loombak obtained Golok. So, the devotees who carefully obey the Ekadashi by chanting the holy name of Krishna, hearing the Hari Katha, doing Hari kirtan, and doing Ratri Jagran can obtain the love of Godhead. We can achieve the Krishna prem.
So Chant and be Happy!
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Saphala Ekadashi Ki Jai
Sri Sri Rukmani Dwarkadhish KI Jai
