||Jai Sriman Narayana ||
Margashirsha
Krishna Ekadashi is known as Uthpanna Ekadashi/Uthpathi Ekadashi, worship of Lord Narayana on this auspicious day and undertakes fasting on this
propitious day would bring abundance of merit, ultimately liberation from the
cycles of birth and death.
Long
ago Lord Krishna was described the glories and specific rules and regulation
for the observance of Ekadashi to Yudhishtira.
The fasting for Ekadashi begins from the Dasami/previous day after
finishing supper just before sun set. On
the day of Ekadashi early morning, worshipper should take bath in a pond or
holy river with sacred prayers to Mother Earth.
During the day of Ekadashi the worshipper should follow strict
austerities like avoid talking to immoral and wicked people or people who
consume meat or people who argue about sacred scriptures and Veda or Vedic
Brahmins or people who have illicit relationship and engage in the worship of
Lord Govinda with alluring fresh flowers and offerings. The worshipper should avoid sleeping and should
abstain from sensual pleasures, consuming grains and beans on the day of
Ekadashi, reciting the glories of Lord and abstaining from consumption of water
and meals is an important part of austerities, worshipper should be awake all
through the night. As a concluding part
of Ekadashi austerities on the next day of Dwadhashi, the worshipper performs
charity and obeisance to Bhramins.
Whoever
performs abundance of charity on the day of Makarasankrathi would attain
400,000 times of pieties compared to charity performed on any other day. Whoever performs fasting on the day of
Ekadashi would attain pieties of hundred times of performance of Ashwamedha
Yaga. Whoever performs fasting on
Ekadashi once would attain pieties ten times of performance of charity of 1000
cows to a learned Bhramin. Offering food
to a Bhramachari would bring ten times merit of serving food to ten Bhramanas,
thousand times of merit by offering land to a well deserved Bhramin, thousand times of merit by performing
marriage of a girl to a respectable bridegroom, ten times of merit by rendering
spiritual knowledge to children without any expectation or any rewards, ten times
of merit to serve grains to hungry people, performance of charity in abundance
will please our ancestors and deities, but the pieties from observance of
austerities on the day of Ekadashi is immeasurable.
The
legend has that there was a demon Murasura lived in the Kingdom Chandravathi
during Sathyayuga. He tormented the deities, Sages and Rishis, he conquered
Lord Indra, Vivaswan/ Lord Surya, Ashtavasus, Lord Bhrama, Lord Agni and Lord
Vayu. Lord Indra approached Lord Shiva
and appealed to him. Lord Shiva advised
the deities to approach Lord Vishnu who is Jagannatha capable to protect all
the living being in the Universe. All
the deities eulogized Lord Vishnu who was immersed in Yoganidra and requested “Oh
supreme Lord Vishnu, our humble obeisance to you, Oh Jagannatha/Lord of the
Universe, you have been praised and worshipped by all the deities, Oh!
Dhaithanthaka/destroyer of demons, Oh! Padmanabha/lotus eyed, Oh!
Madhusoodhana/slayer of demon Madhu, kindly protects us. You are the creator,
preserver and destroyer as well; you are the safe heaven to deities. You are Lord Bhrama, You are Lord Vishnu and
Lord Shiva. You are the supreme Lord to
Lord Surya, Lord Chandra, and Lord Agni, you are personified as Yagna,
Yagnakartha, sacred hymns, rites etc… you are the cause and effect of Universe
and its living beings. You are safe
haven to your passionate devotees. Oh!
Supreme Lord Vishnu, kindly protects us from the impediments created by the
demon Murasura who is the son of dreadful demon Nandijangha. ” after listening to the cries of deities, Lord
Vishnu was in a state of fury proceeded to Chandravathi with all the deities to
battle against the demon Murasura, the fierce
battle between Lord Vishnu and demon Murasura continued for several years, Murasura was exhausted and hid in
Badrikashrama. Lord Yogeshwara, who
represents supreme ascetic entered in a beautiful cave in Himavathi that was
extremely wide with one entrance, due to extreme fatigue Lord Vishnu fallen
asleep. Murasura entered the cave to
destroy Lord Vihnu. Soon Lord Vishnu
assumed the form of a beautiful young maiden equipped with various vicious
weapons, Muruasura entered in a fight with the beautiful maiden, he was
completely obsessed with the beauty and valor of the young maiden/ female force
of Lord Vishnu/ Goddess Ekadashi, eventually Murasura was beheaded by her. Lord Vishnu woke up and saw the mortal coil
of Murasura and the beautiful young maiden with folded hands before him. Lord Vishnu was pleased at the valor young
maiden and offered her boon and it was whoever undergoes strict austerities and
fasting, worship Lord Vishnu on the day of Ekadashi would be blessed with abundance
of pieties and liberty from the repeated births. The significance of observance of Uthpanna Ekadashi
is that it would bring abundance of pieties superior to visiting holy places
and offering charity to Bhramins.
Whoever
describes the glories of Lord Vishnu and narrates the significance of Ekadashi
would reside in the abode of Lord Vishnu for ten million Kalpa, whoever listens
or read the glories of Lord Vishnu and significance of Ekadashi austerities
would be freed from all sins and even the sin of Bhramahathya. Thus ends the description of the significance
of Ekadashi from Bhavishyothara Purana.
||Jai Sriman Narayana ||
