EKADASHI VRAT

Falls on: Shravan krishna paksh

Maharaj Yudhisthir inquired
Maharaj Yudhisthir said, �Hai Govind! Hai Vasudev!, I have heard from You the glories of fasting on Dev-sayani Ekadashi, which occurs during sukla of Asadha. Now I would like to hear about the Ekadashi that occurs during krishna paksh of Shravan. Hai Govind, please be merciful to me and explain its glories. Hai Vasudev, I offer my humble obeisances onto You�.

Bhagwan replies
�Rajan, please listen attentively as I describe the auspicious influence of this holy fast day, which removes all sins. Narad Muni once asked Brahmaji about this same topic�. Narad said, �Hai Brahmaji, you sit upon a lotus throne, please tell me the name of the Ekadashi that occurs during krishna paksh of Shravan. Please also tell me which Dev is worshiped on that holy day, the process one must follow to observe it, and the merit it awards�

Brahmaji narrated the story
�My dear son Narad, for the benefit of all humanity I shall happily tell you everything you wish to know, for just hearing the glories of Kamika Ekadashi bestows merit equal to that obtained by one who performs a horse sacrifice. Certainly, great merit is attained by one who worships, and who also meditates on the lotus feet of, Chaturbuj (four-armed) Bhagwan Gadadhar, who holds Shankh (shell), Chakra (disc), Ghadha (club) and Padma (lotus) in His hands and who is also known as Shridhar, Hari, Vishnu, Madhav, and Madhusudan.

And the blessings achieved by a person who worships Bhagwan Vishnu exclusively are far greater than those achieved by one who takes a sacred bath in Gangaji at Kasi [Varanasi], in the forest of Naimisaranya, or at Puskar, where I am worshiped. But one who observes Kamika Ekadashi and also worships Bhagwan Shri Krishna achieves greater merit than one who has darsan of Bhagwan Kedaranath in the Himalayas, or one who bathes at Kuruksetra during a solar eclipse, or one who donates the whole earth in charity, including its forests and oceans, or one who bathes in the Gandaki (Godavari River) on Purnima (full moon day) that falls on a Monday when Singh (Leo) and Braspati (Jupiter) are conjoined.

Observing Kamika Ekadashi bestows the same merit as donating a milkcow and her calf, along with their feed. On this day, whoever worships Bhagwan Shridhar, the Devtas, Gandharvas, Pannagas, and Nagas glorify Bhagwan Vishnu.

Those who are afraid of their past sins and completely immersed in sinful material life should observe this best of Ekadashis according to their ability and thus attain liberation. This Ekadashi is the purest of all days and the most powerful for removing sins. Narad, Bhagwan Shri Hari Himself once said about this Ekadashi, One who fasts on Kamika Ekadashi attains much more merit than one who studies all the spiritual literatures.

Anyone who fasts on this particular day and remains awake through the night will never experience the anger of Yamaraj, death personified. Whoever observes Kamika Ekadashi will not have to suffer future births, and in the past many yogis who fasted on this day went to the spiritual world. One should therefore follow in their auspicious footsteps and strictly observe a fast on this Ekadashi�.

Importance of Tulsi, Brahmaji continued

�Whoever worships Bhagwan Hari with Tulsi leaves is freed from all implication of sin. Indeed, he lives untouched by sin, as the lotus leaf, although in the water, is untouched by it. Whoever offers Shri Hari a single leaf from a Tulsi tree attains as much merit as one who gives away in charity two hundred grams of gold and eight hundred grams of silver. Purna Prushotam Bhagwan Shri Krishna is more pleased by one who offers Him a single Tulsi leaf than by one who worships Him with pearls, rubies, topaz, diamonds, lapis lazuli, sapphires, gomeda stones, cat's eye gems, and coral. One who offers Bhagwan Kesav newly grown manjaris (seeds) from the sacred Tulsi plant gets rid of all the sins he has committed during this or any other lifetime.

Indeed, mere darsana of Tulsi on Kamika Ekadashi removes all sins, and merely touching her and praying to her removes all kinds of disease. One who waters Tulsi seeds, never fear the Yamaraja. One who plants or transplants Tulsi will eventually reside with Bhagwan Shri Krishna in His own abode. One should therefore daily offer one's full obeisances to Tulsimata, who awards liberation in devotional service.

Even Citragupt, Yamaraj's secretary, cannot calculate the merit obtained by one who offers Tulsi-mata a perpetually burning ghee lamp. So dear is this sacred Ekadashi to Purna Prushotam Bhagwan that all the forefathers of one who offers a bright ghee lamp to Bhagwan Shri Krishna on this day ascend to the heavenly planets and drink nectar there. Whoever offers either a ghee- or sesame-oil lamp to Shri Krishna on this day is freed from all his sins and enters the abode of Surya, (the sun), with a body as bright as ten million lamps�.