Devashayani Ekadashi Vrat Katha

– Four Months of Dedicated Devotional Practices whilst the Divine ‘Rests’

⚪ ShriHari Mandir (Porbandar) is celebrating Devaśayanī Ekādaśī fast on Tuesday, 20th July, 2021.

⚪ This fast is observed on the eleventh day of the first fortnight (Śukla pakṣa) of the month of ‘Āṣāḍha’.

⚪ Śrī Krṣṇa explains the unique significance of each Ekādaśī Kathā to Dharmarāja Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira Māhārāja, in the ‘Uttara Khaṇḍa’ of the Padma Purāṇa. 

⚪ This Ekādaśī is called ‘(Hari/Deva) Śayanī Ekādaśī’—where ’śayana’ means to rest; thus, the day of (the Supreme Divine) taking rest. 

⚪ It marks the beginning of the holy Caturmāsa (the sacred four-month rainy-season period, dedicated to asceticism and pious activities whilst Lord Viṣṇu rests.)

⚪ Śrī Krṣṇa tells Yudhiṣṭhira Māhārāja, ‘During Devaśayanī Ekādaśī, one of my forms resides at King Balī’s place, and the other resides atop the serpent (Śeśa Nāga) upon the milky ocean.’

            ○ The Lord rests there until Kārtika Śukla Pakṣa Ekādaśī (Devaprabodhinī Ekādaśī), marking the end of the Caturmāsa and the awakening of the Lord. 

⚪ This Ekādaśī is:
    – Extremely meritorious;
    – Represents the most superior fast💨

⚪ One should stay awake at night and devotedly engage in the ritual worship of Lord Viṣṇu. Even the four-faced Lord Brahmā is incapable to describe the qualities of such a devotee!

⚪ What is the fruit reaped from observing this Ekādaśī fast?

    – One who diligently observes this auspicious, most-excellent fast:
        – Attains the Supreme Abode;
        – Is rid of all their sins;
        – Will always remain a lover of Lord Viṣṇu, irrespective of one’s caste.

    – One who engages in the ritual worship of the Lotus-eyed Viṣṇu through the offering of a lotus-flower, and observes this fast, is considered to have: 
            – Worshipped all three worlds
            – Reaped the fruit of worshipping the three Sanātana Deities—Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśa.

    – ‘One who offers ghee lamps (dīpa dāna), feeds on palaśa leaves, and fasts during the Caturmāsa, is dear to me,’ says Lord Viṣṇu.

⚪ What are the regulated practices (nīyamas) of the Caturmāsa?

    – One must:
        – Sleep on ground during the four months of Lord Viṣṇu’s resting period.
        – Give up these four things in the four respective months of Caturamāsa:
          – In the month of:
                – Śrāvaṇa—vegetables
                – Bhadra—yoghurt
                – Aśvína—milk
                – Kārtika—lentils
    – One who practices celibacy during this time attains the Supreme Abode.

⚪ It is only through the Ekādaśī fast, that man is able to be freed of all his sins and also remains healthy, as per the scientific recommendations of the Rṣīs for a diet best suited to one’s metabolism in the monsoon season. 

❖ A householder must certainly observe the Ekādaśī fasts which fall also in the waning period of the lunar month (the Krṣṇa pakṣa) during the period between Devaśayanī Ekādaśī and Devaprabodhinī Ekādaśī (during the period of Caturmāsa). 

⚪️ Whilst a gṛhastha may be exempted from the Krṣṇa pakṣa Ekādaśī fasts for the remaining eight months of the year, he/she must certainly continue to observe all the fasts which fall in the bright waxing period of the lunar month (Śukla pakṣa Ekādaśī fasts). 

⚪️ Note: Whilst there is leeway given to those householders (who are engaged in earning through the year) as far as possible, it should nevertheless be our devoted effort to observe all 24 fasts throughout the year, along with their respective regulated practices.  

🌐 Stay tuned to know more about the respective significance of, rituals involved in, and fruits reaped from, each Ekādaśī Kathā!

🔆 #Did-You-Know—
❖ The path of Devotion manifests the eternal Supreme Being into a divinely conscious form to accept personal sentiments and worship. Just as a human being needs rest for one third of their day (8/24 hours); devotees request their Beloved Lord to ‘rest’ for one third of the human year (which is a single day for the Devtas). This four out of twelve months is called the sacred period (‘Caturamāsa’) in which devotees pledge themselves to greater discipline and devotion so that the Lord may rest.

❖ The Lord exists within the body as the gastric fire known as ‘Vaiśvārana Agni’, and all pure articles offered to it make eating to sustain the body a form of Yagya. 

❖ During the four months of the rainy season, a devotee who practices self-restraint such as fasts and dedicates his/herself to devotional practices lets the Lord within the body and in the world ‘rest’, by fasting and upholding Dharma. 

❖ Rṣīs are spiritual scientists who have shared a scientific pathway to healthy living and a unified consciousness through Dharmic practices that keep the microcosm (individual) in sync with the macrocosm (universe) through Dharma, based upon the solar-lunar calendar. These are the two sources of vital energy that govern all of existence.

To know more, click here

#PuraanPrasaad by Rishi Dhavalbhai Joshi

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