Prabodhani Ekadashi is the one who removes sins, increases virtues, and gives salvation to the wise. Bhagirathi Ganga roars on the earth only until Prabodhan Ekadashi comes in Kartik which destroys sins. Pilgrims, seas, and lakes roar only until the Prabodhini Ekadashi of Kartik comes.
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| Prabodhini Ekadashi (Karthik Shukla) Vrat Katha |
What is the name of Ekadashi of Kartik Shuklapaksha?
The name of Ekadashi of Kartik Shukla paksha is: Prabodhno Ekadashi.
How perfect is Ekadashi fasting considered?
Man gets the result of a thousand Ashwamedha and a hundred Rajasuya Yagya by fasting of Prabodhini. The sins of one birth at once, the sins of two births are destroyed by eating in the evening, and the sins of seven births by fasting. This Ekadashi also burns the sins like Sumeru and Mandarachal mountain. Prabodhani Ekadashi burns like a pile of cotton by awakening the misdeeds committed for thousands of previous births.
The one who fasts on Prabodhani Ekadashi methodically by nature is said to have the same result. That is what is received. The one who spoils the fast, the one who marries a woman on a bad Brahmin, do not have children. The one who shows arrogance to the Guru and Brahmins, his virtue is soon destroyed and wealth is not born. Those mean people who take pleasure in insulting saints and who do not stop those who insult them, see the destruction of their family.
That's why no such bad deed should be done which is condemned in the world. Good deeds should be done so that the religion is not destroyed. Those who think in their mind that they will fast for enlightenment, then only by thinking like this, the sins of their hundred births are destroyed. Whoever awakens on the night of enlightenment, takes ten thousand families of the past, present, and future to Vishnu Lok.
Bathing in all Tithis and donating cows and golden earth does not yield results, which is achieved by waking up on Ekadashi. Just as the death of humans is certain, similarly the destruction of wealth is also certain, understanding this one should fast on Ekadashi. Whoever fasts on Prabodhani Ekadashi methodically, all the pilgrimages of Triloki come to his house and he is a wise, yogi, ascetic, and Jitendray, he gets enjoyment and salvation.
This Ekadashi is dear to Vishnu and gives the essence of Dharma. One becomes a part of salvation only by observing this fast once. Those people who worship God with devotion by fasting on Ekadashi, their sins of hundred births are removed. By pleasing God with this fast, a man goes to Vishnu Lok, lighting up in ten directions. This holy Ekadashi is the giver of wealth-grains and the one who removes all sins, nothing is rare by observing this fast with devotion. The fruit that is obtained by bathing and donating during the eclipse of the Sun and Moon, is a thousand times the fruit that is obtained from the awakening of Ekadashi.
Bathing, donation chanting, home self-study, worship of God on the day of enlightenment, whatever is done out of these, it gets crores of times fruitful. By not fasting on Kartik Ekadashi, all the good deeds done throughout life are in vain. In Kartik, the story of the scriptures is pleased with the talks. By the way, Yagya like Madhusudan and other elephants, etc. are not done by the charity. The man who recites and listens to the story of Vishnu in full or half or a quarter of it in Kartik gets the fruit of hundred cows.
In the month of Kartik, leaving aside all religions, stories should be told and heard. The one who tells the story of God in Kartik for welfare or greed of money, he saves hundreds of his clans. Those who tell and listen to stories on the day of God's enlightenment, get the fruit of the donation of the earth with seven islands.
How to fast on Prabodhini Ekadashi?
Wake up early in the morning on Ekadashi and take a bath after brushing your teeth. Worship Lord Keshav by taking bath in the river, pond, well, stepwell or house, then listen to the story. Recite this mantra for the rule:
After fasting on Ekadashi, I will eat food the next day, O Pundarikaksh! I am your refuge, you protect me.
Recite this mantra in front of the Chakradhari God. Fast happily in devotion. Stay awake at night by sitting near God. One who sings, dances, plays instruments, or tells and listens to the story of God, that virtuous soul resides above all the three worlds. On the day of Prabodhani in Kartik, many flowers, fruits, camphor, agar, and kumkum should be used to worship God.
Ekadashi Jagran Worship God with many types of beautiful fruits and Arghya should be offered to Janardan by filling water in the conch. Indra also joins hands with the one who worships Janardan with divine Agastya flowers.
Those who worship God with devotion in Kartik with bel Patra, get salvation. Those who worship Janardan with Tulsi leaves and flowers in Kartik, their sins of ten thousand years are burnt to ashes. Those who do nine types of devotion to Tulsi daily, they reside in heaven for crores of ages.
Hey Mune! One who worships God with utmost devotion with rose flowers in Kartik is part of salvation. Those who worship God with flowers of Bakul and Ashoka, will not grieve as long as there is Sun and Moon. Lord Keshav is pleased with those who worship Jagannath with white or red Kaner flowers. Those fortunate people who offer mangoes on Keshav, get the fruit of crores of cows.
Those who worship God with the sprout of dub, get a hundred times the fruit of worship. Those who worship Sukhdai God with Chhonkare leaves, easily cross the path of the fierce Yamlok. Those people who offer cucumber flowers to Lord Janardan, get the fruit of offering gold for a moment. The person who offers the golden ketaki flower to Lord Jarandan, Lord Garudhwaj burns the sins of his crores of births to ashes.
The one who offers red fragrant centipede flowers like Kumkum to Jagannath resides in Shvetdweep. In this way, after worshiping Lord Keshav at night from the giver of devotional salvation, wake up early in the morning and go to the bank of the river, thereafter taking bath, chant and do daily work, go home and worship Lord Keshav according to the method. To observe the fast, a wise man should offer food to a Brahmin, bow his head with devotion and ask for forgiveness, and should be given dakshina.
Naked eater man should feed good Brahmins. Donate a bullock along with gold as per the unspoken rule. One who has given up eating meat should be given a cow along with dakshina. Curd and honey should be given in the rule of bathing with gooseberry, if it leaves to fruit, then the fruit should be donated. If oil is left, ghee should be given; if ghee is left, milk should be given. Rice should be given in the rule of giving up food.
The one who sleeps on the ground should be given a bed with a mattress and sheet, and the one who eats on a plate should be given a utensil filled with ghee. The person who observes silence should be given bells, sesame seeds, and gold and the fasting person should be given food mixed with ghee to Brahmins and Brahmins. A lamp should be lit daily in the temple of Vishnu or in the place of God.
At the end of the rule, a copper or gold belly filled with ghee and a lac lamp should be kept in it and given to a Brahmin who is a devotee of Vishnu. After saluting the brahmins, send them off. Then you eat. Finish what you have left in four months. The wise one who behaves in this way gets eternal fruit, and in the end, he goes to heaven. If the fast is broken, then the person becomes blind and a lepers.
Katha:
In the kingdom of a king, all the people used to fast on Ekadashi. From servants to animals, food was not given on the day of Ekadashi. But those people did not understand the importance of this fast.
One day a person from another state came to the king and said, "Your Majesty! I am very poor, and I have no work. Please employ me. I will do any work."
Then the king put a condition in front of him, "Okay, we will hire you. Every day you will get to eat, but you will not get food on Ekadashi. Because everyone in this state observes Ekadashi fast, you have to keep it too."
At that time the person said yes under compulsion, but on the day of Ekadashi, when he was given the fruit item, he went in front of the king and started begging and said, "Maharaj! This will not fill my stomach. I will die of hunger. Give me food."
The king reminded him of the condition, but he was not ready to give up the food. Then the king gave him flour-dal-rice etc. He reached the river as usual and took a bath and started cooking. When the food was ready, he started calling God and said, "Come God! The food is ready."
On his call, the God-wearing Pitambar arrived in the chaturbhuj form and started eating with him with love. After eating the food, God disappeared and he went to his work.
Fifteen days later, on the next Ekadashi, when he went to the king to ask for food, he said to the king, "Maharaj, give me double food this time. I remained hungry that day." When the king asked the reason, he told, "God also eats with me. That's why this stuff is not complete for both of us."
The king was very surprised to hear this and the king said, "I cannot believe that God eats with you. I keep so much fast, and worship, but God never appeared to me."
After listening to the king, he said, "Your Majesty! If you don't believe, then come and see." The king obeyed her and went with him. The king sat hiding behind a tree. That person cooked food and kept calling God till evening, but God did not come. At last, he said, "O Lord! If you do not come, I will die by jumping into the river."
But God did not come. Then he moved towards the river with the aim of sacrificing his life. Knowing his firm intention to sacrifice his life, soon God appeared and stopped him, and started eating with him. After eating and drinking, they made him sit in their plane and took him to his abode.
Seeing this, the king thought that fasting is of no use until the mind is pure. The king got knowledge from this. He also started fasting from his heart and finally got to heaven.