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PANDava NirjalA EkAdasii - Jyeshtha-shukla EkAdasii -
from Brahma-vaivarta
PurANam.

Once Bhimasena, the younger brother of Maharaja
Yudhisthira, asked the
great sage Shrila VyAsadeva, the grandfather of the
PANDavas, if it is
possible to return to the spiritual world without
having observed all the
rules and regulations of the EkAdasii fasts.

Bhimasena then spoke as follows, ?Oh greatly
intelligent and learned
grandfather, my brother Yudhisthira, my dear mother
Kunti, and my beloved
wife Draupadi, as well as Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva,
fast completely on
each EkAdasii and strictly follow all the rules,
guidelines and regulative
injunctions of that sacred day. Bring very religious,
they always tell me
that I should also fast on that day too. But, Oh
learned grandfather, I
tell them that I cannot live without eating, because
as the son of
VAyudeva ? Samanaprana, (the digestive air) hunger is
unbearable to
 me. I
can give widely in charity and worship Lord Keshava
properly with all
 manner
of wonderful upacharas (items), but I cannot be asked
to fast on
 EkAdasii.
Please tell me how I can obtain the same merits result
without
 fasting.?

Hearing these words, the grandsire of Bhima, Srila
VyAsadeva said, ?If you
want to go to the heavenly planets and avoid the
hellish planets, you
should indeed observe a fast on both the light and
dark EkAdasiis.?

Bhima replied, ?Oh great saintly intelligent
grandfather, please listen to
my plea. Oh greatest of munis, since I cannot live if
I eat only once in a
day, how can I possibly live if I fast completely?
Within my stomach burns
a special fire named Vrika, the fire of digestion.
Agni the fire-god,
descends from Lord Vishnu through BrahmA, from BrahmA
to Angirasa, from
Angirasa to Brihaspathi, and from Brihaspathi to
Samyu, who was Agni'?
father. He is the gatekeeper in charge of Nairritti,
the south-eastern
direction. He is one of the eight material elements,
and Parikshit
MahArAja, he is very expert at examining things. He
examined MahArAja Shibi
once by turning into a dove (for further information
on this incident see
Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada?s Srimad
Bhagavatam commentary to
1:12:20. Purport.)

Agni is divided into three categories; DavAgni, the
fire in wood,
JatharAgni, the fire in the digestion in the stomach,
and VadavAgni, the
fire that creates fog when hot and cold streams mix in
for example the
ocean. Another name for the fire of digestion is
Vrika. It is this powerful
fire that resided in Bhima?s stomach.

Only when I eat to my full satisfaction does the fire
in my stomach become
satisfied. Oh great sage, I might possibly be able to
fast only once, so I
beg that you tell me of an EkAdasii that is worthy of
my fasting and that
includes all other EkAdasiis. I shall faithfully
observe that fast and
hopefully still become eligible for liberation?s
release.?

Shrila VyAsadeva replied, Oh king, you have heard from
me about the various
kinds of occupational duties, such as elaborate Vedik
ceremonies and
 pujas.
In the Kali-yuga, however, no one will be able to
observe all these
occupational, functional duties properly. I shall
therefore tell you
 how, at
practically no expense, one can endure some small
austerity and achieve
 the
greatest benefit and resultant happiness. The essence
of what is
 written in
the Vedic literatures known as the PurANas is that one
should not eat
 on
either the dark or light fortnight EkAdasiis.? As
stated in Srimad
Bhagavatam (Mahabhagavat PurANam) 12:13:12 and
15.) the Bhagavat
PurANam is itself the essence or cream of all VedAnta
philosophy (sara-
vedAnta-sAram), and the Srimad Bhagavatam?s
unequivocal message is
 that of
full surrender to Lord Sri Krishna and the rendering
of loving
 devotional
service to Him. Observing EkAdasii strictly is a great
aid in that
 process,
and here Shrila VyAsadeva is simply stressing to Bhima
the importance
 of the
EkAdasii vratam. ??One who fasts on EkAdasiis saved
from going to the
hellish planets.?

Hearing Shrila VyAsadeva?s words, the son of VAyu,
Bhimasena, the strongest
of all warriors, became frightened and began to shake
like a leaf on a
banyan tree in a strong wind. The frightened Bhimasena
then said, ?Oh
grandfather, what should I do? I am completely unable
and ill equipped to
fast twice in a month throughout the year! Please tell
me of the one
fasting day that will bestow the greatest benefit upon
me!?

VyAsadeva replied, ?Without drinking even water, you
should fast on the
EkAdasii that occurs during the light fortnight of the
month of Jyeshtha
(May-June) when the sun travels in the sign of Taurus
(Vrishabh) and Gemini
(Mithun), According to learned personalities, on this
day one may bathe and
perform Achamana for pratiprokshana purification. But
while performing
Achamana one may drink only that amount of water equal
to a drop of gold,
or that amount it takes to immerse a single mustard
seed. Only this amount
of water should be placed in the right palm for
sipping, which one should
form to resemble a cow?s ear. If one drinks more water
than this, he might
as well have drunk wine ? despite the soaring heat of
summer (in the
northern hemisphere and cold in the southern
hemisphere).

?One must certainly not eat anything, for if he does
so he breaks his fast.
This rigid fast is in effect from sunrise on the
EkAdasii day to sunrise on
the DwAdashii day. If a person endeavours to observe
this great fast very
strictly, he easily achieves the result of observing
all twenty-four other
EkAdasii fasts throughout the entire year.

?On DwAdashii the devotee should bathe early in the
morning. Then,
according to the prescribed rules, guidelines and
regulative injunctions,
and of course depending on his ability, he should give
some gold and water
to worthy brAhmaNas. Finally, he should cheerfully
honour prasAdam with a
brAhmaNa.

?Oh Bhimasena, one who can fast on this special
EkAdasii in this manner
reaps the benefit of having fasted on every EkAdasii
during the year. There
is no doubt of this, nor should there be. Oh Bhima,
now hear the specific
merit one gets by fasting on this EkAdasii. The
Supreme Lord Keshava, who
holds a conch, discus, club and lotus, personally told
me, ?Everyone should
take shelter of Me and follow My instructions.? Then
He told me that one
who fasts on this EkAdasii, without taking even
drinking water or eating,
becomes free of all sinful reactions, and that one who
observes the
difficult nirjalA fast on Jyeshtha-shukla EkAdasii
truly reaps the benefit
of all other EkAdasii fasts.

?Oh Bhimasena, in the Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel
and hypocrisy, when all
the principles of the Vedas will have been destroyed
or greatly minimised,
and when there will be no proper charity or observance
of the ancient Vedik
principles and ceremonies, how will there be any means
of purifying the
self? But there is the opportunity to fast on EkAdasii
and become free of
all one?s past sins.

?Oh son of VAyu, what more can I say to you? You
should not eat during the
EkAdasiis that occur during the dark and light
fortnights, and you should
even give up drinking water (nir = no jalaa= water) on
the particularly
auspicious EkAdasii day of Jyeshtha-shukla EkAdasii.
Oh Vrikodara
(veracious eater), whoever fasts on this EkAdasii
receives the merits of
bathing in all the places of pilgrimage, giving all
kinds of charities to
worthy persons, and fasting on all the dark and light
EkAdasiis throughout
the year, in one go. Of this there is no doubt.

Oh tiger among men, whoever fasts on this EkAdasii
truly becomes a great
person and achieves all manner of opulence and wealth,
grains, strength,
and health. And at the fearful moment of death, the
terrible YamadUtas,
whose complexions are yellow and black and who
brandish huge maces and
twirl mystic pAsha ropes in the air for binding their
victims, will refuse
to approach him. Rather, such a faithful soul will at
once be taken to the
supreme abode of Lord Vishnu by the Vishnu-dUtas,
whose transcendentally
beautiful forms are clothed in gorgeous yellowish
garments and who each
hold a disk, club, conch and lotus in their four
hands, resembling Lord
Vishnu. It is to gain all these benefits that one
should certainly fast on
this very auspicious and important EkAdasii, even from
water.?

When the other PANDavas heard about the benefits to be
gained by following
Jyeshtha-shukla EkAdasii, they resolved to observe it
exactly as their
grandfather Srila VyAsadeva had explained it to their
brother, Bhimasena.
All the PANDavas observed it by refraining from eating
or drinking
anything, and thus this day is also known as PANDava
NirjalA DvAdashii
(technically it is a Maha-DvAdashii).

Shrila VyAsadeva continued, Oh Bhimasen, therefore you
should observe this
important fast to remove all your past sinful
reactions. You should pray to
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna
in this way making
your sankalpa declaration, ?Oh Lord of all the devas
(demigods), Oh
 Supreme
Personality of Godhead, today I shall observe EkAdasii
without taking
 any
water. Oh unlimited Anantadev, I shall break fast on
the next day,
DwAdashii.? Thereafter, to remove all his sins, the
devotee should
 honour
this EkAdasii fast with full faith in the Lord and
with full control
 over
his senses. Whether his sins are equal in volume to
Mount Sumeru or to
MandarAchala Hill, if he or she observes this
EkAdasii, the sins that
 have
been accumulated all become nullified and are burned
to ashes. Such is
 the
great power of this EkAdasii.

?Oh best of human beings, although a person should
also give water and cows
in charity during this EkAdasii, if for some reason or
other he cannot,
then he should give a qualified brAhmaNa some cloth or
a pot filled with
water. Indeed, the merit achieved by giving water
alone equals that gained
by giving gold ten million times a day.

?Oh Bhima, Lord Sri Krishna has said that whoever
observes this EkAdasii
should take a Holy bath, give charity to a worthy
person, chant the Lord?s
Holy names on a japa-mAla, and perform some kind of
recommended sacrifice,
for by doing these things on this day one receives
imperishable benefits.
There is no need to perform any other kind of
religious duty. Observance of
this EkAdasii fast alone promotes one to the supreme
abode of Sri Vishnu.
Oh best of the Kurus, if one donates gold, cloth, or
anything else on this
day, the merit one obtains is imperishable.

?Remember, whosoever eats any grains on EkAdasii
becomes contaminated by
sin and verily eats only sin. In effect, he has
already become a dog-eater,
and after death he suffers a hellish existence. But he
who observes this
sacred Jyeshtha-shukla EkAdasii and gives something in
charity certainly
achieves liberation from the cycle of repeated birth
and death and attains
to the supreme abode. Observing this EkAdasii, which
is merged with
DwAdashii, frees one from the horrible sin of killing
a brAhmaNa, drinking
liquor and wine, becoming envious of one?s spiritual
master and ignoring
his instructions, and continually telling lies.

?Furthermore, Oh best of beings (Jivottama), any man
or woman who observes
this fast properly and worships the Supreme Lord
JalshAyi (He who sleeps on
the water), and who on the next day satisfies a
qualified brAhmaNa with
nice sweets and a donation of cows and money ? such a
person certainly
pleases the Supreme Lord Vasudeva, so much so that one
hundred previous
generations in his family undoubtedly go to the
Supreme Lord?s abode, even
though they may have been very sinful, of bad
character, and guilty of
suicide, etc. Indeed, one who observes this amazing
EkAdasii rides on a
glorious celestial airplane (vimAna) to the Lord?s
abode.

?One who on this day gives a brAhmaNa a waterpot, an
umbrella, or shoes
surely goes to the heavenly planets. Indeed, he who
simply hears these
glories also attains to the transcendental abode of
the Supreme Lord, Shri
Vishnu. Whoever performs the Shraddha ceremony to the
forefathers on
 the
dark-moon day called amAvasya, particularly if it
occurs at the time of
 a
solar eclipse undoubtedly achieves great merit, but
this same merit is
achieved by him who simply hears this sacred narration
? so powerful
 and so
dear to the Lord is this EkAdasii.

?One should clean his teeth properly and, without
eating or drinking,
observe this EkAdasii to please the Supreme Lord,
Keshava. On the day after
EkAdasii one should worship the Supreme Personality of
Godhead in His form
as Trivikrama by offering Him water, flowers, incense,
and a brightly
burning lamp. Then the devotee should pray from the
heart, ?Oh God of gods,
Oh deliverer of everyone, Oh Hrishikesha, master of
the senses, kindly
bestow upon me the gift of liberation, though I can
offer you nothing
greater than this humble pot filled with water.? Then
the devotee should
donate the waterpot to a brAhmaNa.

?Oh Bhimasena, after this EkAdasii fast and donating
the recommended items
according to his ability, the devotee should feed
brAhmaNas and thereafter
honour prasAdam silently.?

Shrila VyAsadeva concluded, ?I strongly urge you to
fast on this
auspicious, purifying, sin-devouring DwAdashii in just
the way I have
outlined. Thus you will be completely freed of all
sins and reach the
supreme abode.?

Thus ends the narration of the glories of
Jyeshtha-shukla EkAdasii, or
Bhimaseni-nirjalA EkAdasii,
from the Brahma-vaivarta PurANa.

These stories have been summarised and slightly
changed or abbreviated from
how they are found in the celebrated book, "Ekadasi:
The Day of Lord Hari"
1986. HH Krishna Balaram Swami. Bhaktivedanta
Institute Press. pages 87-91.



       
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