Ekadashi upavasa is on Friday April 25th andDwadashi parane is on Saturday April 26th after local sunrise. Significance: Sri Krishna replied, "Oh King, in this world and the next, the most auspicious and magnanimous Ekadashi is VarUthinii Ekadashi, which occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Chaitra. Whoever observes a complete fast on this sacred day has his sins completely removed, obtains continuous happiness, and achieves all good fortune. The main message from this ekadashi is about daana ( charity ) especially daana with no expectations. Fasting on VarUthinii Ekadashi makes even an unfortunate woman fortunate. Upon anyone who observes it, this Ekadashi 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 Ekadashi 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 EkAdashi. 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 Ekadashi with love and devotion to Sri Hari, and certainly attains his goals in this life and the next. In short, this Ekadashi is pure and very enlivening and the destroyer of all sins. Tradition of Charity is very ancient in India, here are statements in Purana. "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 off gold. Still better than giving gold is giving food grains - for all the forefathers, 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." Interesting Note about Charity in Hinduism: ( Please see Sri Krishna's reply below ) Giving grains in charity is very auspicious. Once Yudhisthira asked Sri Krishna, "Dear Krishna, can anyone go to heaven without performing sacrifice or undergoing austerity ?" Sri Krishna replied, annadau jaladash chaiva Aturash cha chikithsakah trvidhaM svargam AyAti vinA yajnena bhAratah "Oh son of BhArata, those who give food grains, drinking water, or medicine to the needy go to heaven without performing any sacrifice or undergoing austerity." (MahAbhArata) Also, Krishna states in Bhagavad GitA (BG 3:14.) annAd bhavanti bhUtAni: "All beings subsist on food grains." Therefore a gift of food grains is said to be the topmost charity. Moreover, if the food is consumed as prasAda, after naivedya to Sri Hari with devotion ( naivedya) , then it awards the recipient liberation from the material world. Practice: From Padma Puran: Dashami + Ekadashi + Dwdashi all three make Harivasara or thithitrya. On all these three days few things are restricted. kamsyaM mAMsaM masArAMshca caNakAn kOdravAMsthatA shAkaM madhu parAnnaMca punrbhOjana maiThunE vaishNavO vrata kartAca dashamyAm dashavarJyayEt || "The following ten things should be given up on the Dashami, (the tenth phase of the Moon), the day before the Ekadashi: eating on bell-metal plates, eating any kind of urid-dahl, eating red-lentils, eating chick-peas, eating kondo (a kind of grainthat 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. dyUtaM krIDAMca nidrAMca tAMbUlaM daMtadhAvanaM parApavAdaM paishunyaM stEyaM hiMsAM tathAratiM khrOdhaM caiva anrataM vAkya mEkAdashyaM vivarjayEt|| "On the Ekadashi day one should give up the following eleven: 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. kAMsyaM mAMsaM surAM kshoudraM tailaM patita bhAshaNaM vyAyAmaMca pravAsaMca punarbhOjana maithunaM vraksha praShTaM masUrAnnaM dvAdashyAM parivarjayEt || "On the DwAdashi the day after Ekadashi (the twelfth phase of the Moon), one should give up the following tweleve: eating on bell-metal plates,eating urid-dahl, red-lentils, or honey, lying, strenuous exercise, travel, 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." Sri Krishna continued, "Whoever observes the VarUthinii Ekadashi in this way becomes free from all sinful reactions and returns to the eternal, spiritual abode. One who worships Lord JanArdana (Krishna) on this Ekadashi 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 Ekadashi by fasting very strictly. "Finally, Oh noble Yudhisthira, he who hears or reads this glorification of the sacred VarUthinii Ekadashi obtains the merit earned by donating one thousand cows in charity, and at last he returns home, to Sri Hari." from Padma Mahapurana part-3 uttarakhanda 49th chapter. MadhvesharapNamastu.
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AuthorKrishna Mutt Kondapur Blog is an attempt to update the mutt bandhus with Madhva events ,programs in Hyderabad Archives
March 2016
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