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Mohini Ekadasi
Sri Yudhisthira Maharaja said, "Oh Janardana, what is the name of the Ekadasi
that occurs during the light fortnight (sukla paksha) of the month of Vaisakha (April-May) ?
What is the process
for observing it properly?
Kindly narrate all of these details to me.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna replied, "Oh blessed son of Dharma, what
Vasishtha Muni once told to Lord Ramachandra I shall now describe to you.
Please hear Me attentively.
"Lord Ramachandra asked Vasishtha Muni, 'Oh great sage, I would
like to hear about the best of all fasting days that day which destroys all kinds of sins and sorrows.
I have suffered
long enough in separation from My dear Sita, and so I wish to hear from you about how My suffering can be ended.'
"The sage Vasishtha replied, 'Oh Lord Rama, Oh You whose intelligence
is so keen, simply by remembering Your name one can cross the ocean of the material world.
You have questioned
me in order to benefit all of humanity and fulfill everyone's desires.
I shall now describe that day of fasting
which purifies the whole world.
'Oh Rama, that
day is known as Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, which falls on Dvadasi.
It removes all sins and is famous as Mohini Ekadasi.
Truly,
Oh dear Rama, the merit of this Ekadasi frees the fortunate soul who observes it from the network of illusion.
Therefore, if
You want to relieve Your suffering(s), observe this auspicious Ekadasi perfectly, for it removes all obstacles from ones path
and relieves the greatest miseries.
Kindly listen as I describe its glories, because for one who even just hears
about this auspicious Ekadasi, the greatest sins are nullified.
'On the banks of the Sarasvati River there was once a beautiful city named Bhadravati, which was ruled
by King Dyutiman.
Oh Rama, that steadfast, truthful, and highly intelligent king was born in the dynasty of the
Moon (Chandra-vamsa).
In his kingdom was a merchant named Dhanapala, who possessed a great deal of wealth of food grains
and money.
He was also very pious.
Dhanapala arranged for lakes to be dug, sacrificial arenas to be
erected, and beautiful gardens to be cultivated for the benefit of all the citizens of Bhadravati.
He was an excellent
devotee of Lord Vishnu and had five sons:
Sumana, Dyutiman,
Medhavi, Sukriti, and Dhrishthabuddhi.
'Unfortunately,
his son Dhrishthabuddhi always engaged in greatly sinful activities, such as sleeping with prostitutes and associating with
similar degraded persons.
He enjoyed illicit sex, gambling, and many other varieties of acts aimed at gratifying
the senses.
He disrespected the demigods (devas), the brahmins, the forefathers and other elders of the community,
as well as his family's guests.
The evil-hearted Dhrishthabuddhi spent up his father's wealth indiscriminately, always
feasting on untouchable foods and drinking alcohol to excess.
'One
day Dhanapala kicked Dhrishthabuddhi out of the house after he saw him walking along the road arm-in-arm with a known prostitute.
From
then on all Dhrishthabuddhi's relatives were highly critical of him and distanced themselves from him also.
After he had
sold all of his inherited ornaments and become destitute, the prostitute also abandoned him and insulted him because of his
poverty.
'Dhrishthabuddhi was now full of anxiety,
and also hungry.
He thought, "What should I do ? Where should I go ? How can I maintain myself ?
He then began
to steal.
The king's constables arrested him, but when they learned who it was, and that his father was the famous
Dhanapala, they released him.
He was caught and released in this way many times.
But at last,
sick of his arrogance and total disrespect for others, and their property, the ill-mannered Dhrishthabuddhi was apprehended,
handcuffed, and then beaten.
After whipping him, the king's marshals warned him, "Oh evil minded one, there is
no place for you in this kingdom.
'However, Dhrishthabuddhi
was freed from his tribulation by his father and immediately thereafter entered the dense forest.
He wandered here
and there, hungry and thirsty and suffering greatly.
Eventually he began killing the jungle animals, the lions, deer,
boars, and even wolves for food.
Always ready in his hand was his bow, always on his shoulder was his quiver full
of arrows.
He also killed many birds, such as chakoras, peacocks, kankas, doves and pigeons.
He unhesitatingly
slaughtered many species of birds and animals to maintain his sinful way of life, the sinful results accumulating more and
more each day.
On account of his previous sins, he was now immersed in an ocean of great sin that was so relentless
that it appeared that he could not get out.
'Dhrishthabuddhi
was always miserable and anxious, but one day, during the month of Vaisakha, by the force of some of his past merit he chanced
upon the sacred Ashrama of Kaundinya Muni.
The great sage had just finished bathing in the Ganges River, and
water was dripping from him still.
Dhrishthabuddhi had the great good fortune to touch some of those droplets
of water that were falling from the great sage's wet clothing.
Instantly Dhrishthabuddhi was freed of his ignorance, and his sinful
reactions were reduced.
Offering his humble obeisances to Kaundinya Muni, Dhrishthabuddhi prayed to him with
joined palms:
"Oh great brahmana, please describe to me some
of the atonement I may perform without too much endeavour.
I have committed so many sins in my life, and these have now made
me very poor.
'The great rishi replied, "Oh
son, listen with great attention, for by hearing me your life will change, and you will become free of all your remaining
sins.
In the light fortnight of this very month, Vaisakha (April-May) there occurs the sacred Mohinii Ekadasi,
which has the power to nullify sins as vast and weighty as Mount Sumeru.
If you follow my advice and faithfully
observe a fast on this Ekadasi, which is so dear to Lord Hari, you will be freed from all the sinful reactions of many, many
births.
'Hearing these words with great joy,
Dhrishthabuddhi promised to observe a fast on Mohini Ekadasi according to the sage's instructions and direction.
Oh
best of kings, Oh Ramachandra Bhagavan, by fasting completely on Mohini Ekadasi, the once sinful Dhrishthabuddhi, the prodigal
son of the merchant Dhanapala, became sinless.
Afterwards he achieved a beautiful transcendental form and, free
at last of all obstacles, rode upon the carrier of Lord Vishnu, Garuda, to the Supreme abode of the Lord.
'Oh Ramachandra, the fast day of Mohini Ekadasi removes the darkest illusory
attachments to material existence.
There is thus no better fast day in all the three worlds than this.'
Lord Sri Krishna concluded, "and so, Oh Yudhishthira, there is no
place of pilgrimage, no sacrifice, and no charity that can bestow merit equal to even one sixteenth of the merit a faithful
devotee of Mine obtains by observing the Mohini Ekadasi.
And He who hears and studies the glories of Mohini Ekadasi achieves
the merit of giving away one thousand cows in charity.
Thus
ends the narration of the glories of Vaisakha-sukla Ekadasi, or Mohini Ekadasi, from the Kurma Purana.
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NOTE: If
the holy fast falls on Dvadasi, it is still called Ekadasi in the Vedic literature.
Furthermore, in Garuda Purana
(1:125.6), Lord Brahma states to Narada Muni:
"Oh brahmana,
this fast should be observed when there is a full Ekadasi, a mixture of Ekadasi and Dwadasi, or a mixture of three (Ekadasi,
Dwadasi, and Trayodasi) but never on the day when there is a mixture of Dashami and Ekadasi.
This is also
upheld in the Hari Bhakti Vilas, Vaishnava smriti shastra, and upheld by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupad
in his Navadwip Panjika introduction.
Hare Krishna ...
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