King Maandhaataa once said to Vasishtha Muni, "O great sage, kindly be merciful to
me and tell me of a holy fast that will benefit me eternally."
Vasishtha Muni replied. "O king, kindly
listen as I describe the best of all fast days, Amalakii
Ekadashi. He who faithfully observes a fast on this Ekadashii obtains enormous wealth, gets free of the effects
of all kinds of sins, and attains liberation. Fasting on this Ekadashii is more purifying than donating one thousand cows
in charity to a pure brAhmana. So please hear me
attentively as I tell you the story of a hunter who, though daily engaged in
killing innocent animals for his living, achieved liberation by observing a
fast on Amalakii Ekadashii
following the prescribed rules and regulations of worship.
"There was once a kingdom named Vaidishaa,
where all the braahmanas, kshatriyas,
vaishyas, and shudras were
equally endowed with Vedic knowledge, great bodily strength, and fine
intelligence. Oh lion among kings, the whole kingdom was full of Vedic sounds,
not a single person was atheistic, and no one sinned. The ruler of this kingdom
was King PAshabinduka, a member of the dynasty of
Soma, the moon. He was also known as Chitraratha and
was very religious and truthful. It is said that King Chitraratha
had the strength of ten thousand elephants and that he was very wealthy and
knew the six branches of Vedic wisdom perfectly.
"During the reign of Maharaja Chitraratha,
not a single person in his kingdom attempted to practice another's dharma (duty)
so perfectly engaged in their own dharmas were all
the braahmanas, kshatriyas,
vaisyas, and sudras.
Neither miser nor pauper was to be seen throughout the land, not was there ever
a drought or flood. Indeed, the kingdom was free of disease, and everyone
enjoyed good health. The people rendered loving devotional service to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, as did the king, who also rendered
special service to Lord Shiva. Moreover, twice a month everyone fasted on Ekadashii.
"In this way, O best of kings, the citizens of Vaidishaa lived many long years in great happiness and
prosperity. Giving up all varieties of materialistic religion, they completely
dedicated themselves to the loving service of the Supreme Lord, Hari.
"Once, in the month of Phalguna
(February - March), the holy fast of Amalakii Ekadashii arrived, conjoined with DvAdasi.
King Chitraratha realised
that this particular fast would bestow especially great benefit, and thus he
and all the citizens of Vaidishaa observed this
sacred Ekadashii very strictly, carefully following
all the rules and regulations.
"After bathing in the river, the king and all his
subjects went to the
Then they prayed to the Amalakii
tree: 'Oh Amalakii, Oh offspring of Lord BrahmA, you can destroy all kinds of sinful reactions.
Please accept our respectful obeisances and these bumble gifts. O Amalakii, you are
actually the form of Brahman, and you were once worshiped by Lord RAmachandra Himself. Whoever circumambulates you is
therefore immediately freed of all his sins.'
"After offering these excellent prayers, King Chitraratha and his subjects remained awake throughout the
night, praying and worshiping according to the regulations governing a sacred Ekadashii fast. It was during this auspicious time of
fasting and prayer that a very irreligious man approached the assembly, a man
who maintained himself and his family by killing animals. Burdened with both
fatigue and sin, the hunter saw the king and the citizens of Vaidishaa observing Amalakii Ekadashii by performing an all-night vigil, fasting, and
worshiping Lord Vishnu in the beautiful forest setting, which was brilliantly
illuminated by many lamps. The hunter hid nearby, wondering what this
extraordinary sight before him was.
'What is going on here?' he thought. What he saw in that
lovely forest beneath the holy Amalakii tree was the
Deity of Lord DAmodara being worshiped upon the Asana
of a waterpot, and what he heard were devotees
singing sacred songs describing Lord Krishna's transcendental forms and
pastimes. Despite himself, that staunchly irreligious killer of innocent birds
and animals spent the entire night in great amazement as he watched the Ekadashii celebration and listened to the glorification of
the Lord.
"Soon after sunrise, the king and his royal retinue -
including the court sages and all the citizens - completed their observance of Ekadashii and returned to the city of
"King VasUratha was strong
and fearless, as effulgent as the Sun, and as handsome as the Moon. In strength
he was like Sri Vishnu, and in forgiveness like the Earth itself. Very
charitable and every truthful, King VasUratha always
rendered loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Sri Vishnu. He
therefore became very well versed in Vedic knowledge. Always active in the
affairs of state, he enjoyed taking excellent care of his subjects, as though they
were his own children. He disliked pride in anyone and would smash it when he
saw it. He performed many kinds of sacrifices, and he always made certain that
the needy in his kingdom received enough charity.
"One day, while hunting in the jungle, King VasUratha strayed from the footpath and lost his way.
Wandering for some time and eventually growing weary, he paused beneath a tree
and, using his arms as a pillow, fell asleep. As he slept, some barbarian
tribesmen came upon him and, remembering their longstanding enmity toward the
king, began discussing among themselves various ways to kill him. 'It is
because he killed our fathers, mothers, brothers-in-law, grandsons, nephews,
and uncles that we are forced to aimlessly wander like so many madmen in the
forest.' So saying, they prepared to kill King VasUratha
with various weapons, including spears, swords, arrows, and mystic ropes.
"But none of these deadly weapons could even touch the
sleeping king, and soon the uncivilised, dog-eating
tribesmen grew frightened. Their fear sapped their strength, and before long
they lost what little intelligence they had and became almost unconscious with
bewilderment and weakness. Suddenly a beautiful woman appeared from the king's
body, startling the aborigines. Decorated with many ornaments, emitting a
wonderful fragrance, wearing an excellent garland around her neck, her eyebrows
drawn in a mood of fierce anger, and her fiery red eyes ablaze, she looked like
death personified. With her blazing chakra discus she quickly killed all the
tribal hunters, who had tried to slay the sleeping king.
"Just then the king awoke, and seeing all the dead
tribesmen lying around him, he was astonished. He wondered, 'These are all
great enemies of mine! Who has slain them so violently? Who is my great
benefactor?'
"At that very moment he heard a voice from the sky:
'You ask who helped you. Well, who is that person who alone can help anyone is
distress? He is none other than Sri Keshava, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, He who saves all who take shelter of Him
without any selfish motive.'
"Upon hearing these words, King VasUratha
became over-whelmed with love for the Personality of Godhead Sri Keshava (
"Therefore, Oh King Maandhaataa,"
the venerable Vasishtha Muni concluded,
"...anyone who observes this holy Amalakii Ekadashii will undoubtedly attain the supreme abode of Lord
Vishnu, so great is the religious merit earned from the observance of this most
sacred fast day."
Thus ends the narration of the glories of Phalguna-sukla Ekadashi, or Amalaki Ekadashi, from the Brahmanda Purana.