NITAAI-Veda.nyf > Other Scriptures by Acharyas > Ekadashi Glories > Ekadashi Vratas Part Two > Padmini |
Padmini Ekadashi
Suta Gosvami said,
"Yudhisthira Maharaja said, '0 Janardana, what is the name of the Ekadashi
that occurs during the light fortnight of the extra, leap-year month? How does
one observe it properly? Please narrate this to me.'
"The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Shri Krishna, replied, '0 Pandava, the meritorious
Ekadashi that occurs during the light fortnight of the extra month of leap-year
is called Padmini. It is very auspicious. The fortunate soul who observes it
with great determination and faith will return to My personal abode. This
extra-month Ekadashi is as powerful as I am in nullifying sins. Even
four-headed Lord Brahma cannot glorify it sufficiently. Long ago Lord Brahma
told Narada about this liberating, sin-removing Ekadashi.'
"Lotus-eyed Lord
Krishna became very pleased by the inquiry of Yudhisthira and spoke to him the
following pleasing words: '0 king, please listen carefully as I narrate to you
the process of fasting on Padmini Ekadashi.' which is rarely done even by great
sages.
" 'One should begin
his fast on Dasami, the day before Ekadashi, by not eating any urad dal, pink
dal, chickpeas, spinach, honey, or sea salt,' and also by not dining in the
homes of others or off bell-metal plates. These eight things should be avoided.
One should eat only once on Dasami, sleep on the ground, and remain celibate.
On Ekadashi.' the devotee should rise early in the morning but should not brush
his teeth. Then he should thoroughly bathe-in a place of pilgrimage, if
possible. While chanting sacred hymns from the Vedas, he should smear his body
with cow dung mixed with clay, sesame-seed paste, kusa grass, and the powder of
amalaki fruits. Then the devotee should take another thorough bath, after which
he should chant the following prayers:
" ' "0 sacred
clay, you have been created by Lord Brahma, purified by Kasyapa Muni, and
lifted by Lord Krishna in His form as Varaha, the boar incarnation. 0 clay,
please purify my head, eyes, and other limbs. 0 clay, I offer my obeisances
unto you. Kindly purify me so I may worship the Supreme Lord, Hari.
""'0 cow-dung,
you possess medicinal and antiseptic qualities because you have come directly
from the stomach of our universal mother, the cow. You can purify the entire
planet earth. Please accept my humble obeisances and purify me.
"' "0 amalaki
fruits, please accept my humble obeisances. You have taken your birth from the
saliva of Lord Brahma, and thus by your very presence the entire planet is
purified. Kindly cleanse and purify my bodily limbs.
"' "0 Supreme
Lord Vishnu, 0 God of gods, 0 master of the universe, 0 holder of the conch,
disc, club, and lotus, please allow me to bathe in all the holy places of
pilgrimage."
"'Reciting these
excellent prayers, chanting mantras to Lord Varuna, and meditating on all the
places of pilgrimage located on the banks of the Ganges, one should bathe in
whatever body of water is at hand. Then, 0 Yudhisthira, the devotee should rub
his body, thus purifying his mouth, hack, chest, arms, and waist as a prelude
to worshiping the Supreme Lord, who wears brilliant yellow garments and gives
pleasure to all creatures. By so doing, the devotee will destroy all his sins.
Afterwards, he should chant the sacred Gayatri mantra, offer oblations to his
forefathers, and then enter a Vishnu temple to worship Narayana, the husband of
Laksmi-devi.
te 'If possible, the
devotee should then fashion murtis of Radha-Krishna or Siva-Parvati out of gold
and offer them nice devotional worship. He should fill a copper or clay pot
with pure water mixed with scents, and then he should cover the pot with a
cloth lid and a gold or silver lid, in this way preparing an asana upon which
the Radha-Krishna or SivaParvati murtis may sit for worship. According to his capacity,
the devotee should then worship these murtis with fragrant incense, a bright
ghee lamp, and sandalwood paste, along with camphor, musk, kunkuma, and other
scents, as well as selected aromatic flowers like white lotuses and other
seasonal blooms, and also very nicely prepared foods. On this special Ekadashi
the devotee should dance and sing ecstatically before the Deity. He should
avoid prajalpa at all costs and should not talk to or touch low-born persons or
a woman in her menstrual period. On this day he should be especially careful to
speak the truth and should not criticize anyone before the Deity of Lord
Vishnu, the brahmanas, or the spiritual master. Rather, with other devotees he
should listen to Vaishnavas read the glories of Lord Vishnu from the Puranas.
One should not drink or even touch water to his lips on this Ekadashi, and one
who is unable to perform this austerity should drink only water or milk.
Otherwise, the fast is considered broken. One should remain awake that night,
singing and playing musical instruments for the transcendental pleasure of the
Supreme Person.
"'During the first
quarter of the Ekadashi night the devotee should offer some coconut meat to his
worshipable murti, during the second part he should offer bel fruit, during the
third part an orange, and as the night draws to a close some betel nut.
Remaining awake during the first part of Ekadashi night bestows on the devotee
the same merit as that gained by performing the Agnistoma-yajna. Staying awake
during the second part of the night bestows the same merit as that gained by
performing a Vajapeya-yajna. Staying awake during the third part gives one the
same merit as that attained by performing an Asvamedha-yajna. And one who
remains awake throughout the night receives all of the above-mentioned merit,
as well as the grand merit of having performed a Rajasuya-yajna. Thus there is
no better fasting day in the year than Padmini Ekadashi. Nothing can compare to
it as a giver of merit, whether it be a fire sacrifice, knowledge, education,
or austerity. Indeed, whoever observes this sacred Ekadashi fast receives all
the merit attained by bathing in all the places of pilgrimage in the world.
"'After remaining
awake throughout the night, the devotee should bathe at sunrise and then
worship Me nicely. He should then feed a qualified brahmana and respectfully
give him the murti of Lord Kesava and the pot filled with pure scented water.
This gift will guarantee the devotee success in this life and liberation in the
hereafter. "'O sinless Yudhisthira, as you have requested, I have
described the rules and regulations, as well as the benefits, regarding the
Ekadashi that occurs during the light fortnight of the extra, leap-year month.
Fasting on this Padmini day bestows merit equal to that gained by fasting on
all other Ekadashis. The Ekadashi that occurs during the dark part of the extra
month, which is known as Parama Ekadashi, is as powerful at removing sin as
this one, Padmini. Now please listen carefully as I narrate to you a fascinating
account connected with this sacred day. Pulastya Muni once recited this history
to Naradaji.
"'Pulastya Muni once
had occasion to rescue Ravana from the prison of Kartaviryarjuna, and upon
hearing of this event, Narada Muni asked his friend, "0 greatest of sages,
since Ravana defeated all the demigods, including Lord Indra, how could Kartaviryarjuna
defeat Ravana, who was so skilled in battle?"
"'Pulastya Muni
replied, "0 great Narada, during the Treta-yuga, Kartavirya
[Kartaviryarjuna's father] took birth in the Haihaya dynasty. His capital city
was Mahismati, and he had one thousand queens, whom he loved very dearly. None
of them, however, was able to give him the son he wanted so badly. He performed
sacrifices and worshiped the demigods and forefathers, but due to the curse of
some sages he was unable to beget a son-and without a son, a king cannot enjoy
his kingdom, just as a hungry man can never really enjoy his senses.
" "'King
Kartavirya carefully considered his plight and then decided to perform severe
austerities to achieve his goal. Thus he donned a loincloth made of bark, grew
matted locks, and turned over the reins of his kingdom to his ministers. One of
his queens, Padmini-who was born in the Iksvaku dynasty, who was the best of
all women, and who was the daughter of King Hariscandra saw the king leaving.
She felt that, since she was a chaste wife, her duty was to follow in the
footsteps of her beloved husband. Removing all the regal ornaments from her
beautiful body and donning but one piece of cloth, she thus followed her
husband into the forest.
""'At last
Kartavirya reached the summit of Mount Gandha madam, where he performed severe
austerities and penance for ten thousand years, meditating and praying to Lord
Gadadhara, who wields a club. But still he did not get a son. Seeing her dear
husband waste away to mere skin and bone, Padmini thought of a solution to the
problem. She went to the chaste Anasjjyjj. With great reverence, Padmini said,
'0 great lady, my dear husband, Kartavirya, has been performing austerities for
the last ten thousand years, but Lord Kesava, who alone can remove one's past
sins and present difficulties, has not yet become pleased with him. 0 most
fortunate one, please tell me a fast day we can observe and thus please the
Supreme Lord with our devotion, so much so that He will bless me with a nice
son who will later rule the world as emperor.
""'Upon hearing
the words of Padmini, who was very chaste and deeply devoted to her husband,
the great Anasuya replied to her in a very cheerful mood: '0 beautiful,
lotus-eyed lady, usually there are twelve months in a year, but after every
thirty-two months an extra month is added, and the two Ekadashis that occur
during this month are called Padmini Ekadashi and Parama Ekadashi They fall on
the Dvadasis of the light and dark part of the month, respectively. You should
fast on these days and remain awake throughout the night. If you do so, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, will bless you with a son.' " '
"0 Narada, in this way Anasuya, the daughter of the sage Kardama,
explained the potency of these special Ekadashis. Hearing this, Padmini
faithfully followed the instructions to fulfill her desire for a son. Padmini
fasted completely, even from water, and remained awake all night, chanting the
glories of God and dancing in ecstasy. Lord Kesava, thus became most pleased
with her devotion and appeared before her, riding on the back of the great
Garuda. The Lord said, '0 beautiful one, you have greatly pleased Me by fasting
on the special Ekadashi of the extra month. Please ask Me for a benediction.'
" ' "Hearing
these sublime words from the overseer of the entire universe, Padmini offered
the Supreme Lord devotional prayers and asked Him for the boon her husband
desired. Lord Shri Krishna was moved to reply, '0 gentle lady, I am very happy
with you, for there is no month dearer to Me than this, and the Ekadashis that
occur during this month are the most dear to Me of all Ekadashis. You have
followed Anasuya's instructions perfectly, and therefore I shall do what will
please you. You and your husband will have the son you desire.'
"'The Lord, who
removes the distress of the world, then spoke to King Kartavirya: '0 king,
please ask of Me any boon that will fulfill your heart's desire, for your dear
wife has pleased Me greatly.'
" ' "The king
was very happy to hear this. Naturally he asked for the son he had desired for
so long: '0 master of the universe, 0 killer of the Madhu demon, kindly grant
me a son who will never be conquered by demigods, human beings, snakes, demons,
or hobgoblins, but whom only You can defeat.' The Supreme Lord immediately
replied, 'So be it!' and disappeared.
" ' "The king
became very pleased with his wife and returned to his palace in her company.
Padmini soon became pregnant, and the mightyarmed Kartaviryarjuna appeared as
her son. He was the mightiest person in all the three worlds, and thus even
tenheaded Ravana could not defeat him in battle. Except for Lord Narayana, who
holds a club, a disc, and other symbols in his hands, no one could overcome
him. By the merit that resulted from his mother's strict and faithful
observance of Padmini Ekadashi, he could defeat even the dreaded Ravana. This
is not at all surprising, 0 Naradaji, for Kartaviryarjuna was the fulfillment
of the benediction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." With these
words, Pulastya Muni departed.'
"The Supreme Lord,
Shri Krishna, concluded, 'O sinless Yudhisthira, as you have inquired from me,
I have explained to you the power of this special Ekadashi. O best of kings,
whoever observes this fast will surely attain to My personal abode. And
similarly, if you want all your desires fulfilled, you should do likewise.'
"Hearing these words
from his beloved Kesava, Dharmaraja [Yudhisthira] became filled with joy, and
when the time came he faithfully observed Padmini Ekadashi.''
Suta Gosvami concluded,
"0 sage Saunaka, I have explained to you all about this meritorious
Ekadashi.'' Anyone who devotedly fasts on the Ekadashis that occur during the
extra, leap-year months, carefully following all the rules, becomes glorious
and happily goes back to Godhead. And one who merely hears or reads about these
Ekadashis will also obtain great merit and ultimately enter the abode of Lord
Hari."