Mokshada Ekadasi
is a very special Ekadasi in two regards; today was
the all auspicious day on which Lord Sri Krishna spoke the Srimad
Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra,
at the place now known as Jyotisha tirtha.
Anyone who gifts a Bhagavad Gita away to a deserving person on this day is bestowed
profuse blessings by the Sri Krishna Bhagavan.
The Ancient History of Mokshada Ekadasi from Brahmanda Purana:
Yudhishthira Maharaj
said, "O Vishnu, master of all, O delight of the three worlds, O Lord of
the entire Universe, O creator of the world, O oldest personality, O best of
all beings, I offer my most respectful obeisances
unto You.
"O Lord of lords, for the benefit of all living
entities, kindly answer some questions that I have.
What is the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during
the light fortnight of the month of Margashirsha
(November-December) and removes all sins? How does one observe it properly, and
which Deity is worshipped on that holiest of days? O my Lord please explain this to me in full."
Lord Sri Krishna replied, "O dear Yudhishthira,
your enquiry is very auspicious in itself and will bring you fame. Just as I
previously explained to you about the dearest Utpannaa
Maha-Dwadasi - which occurs during the dark part of
the month of Margashirsha, which is the day when Ekadasi-devi appeared from My body to kill the demon Mura,
and which benefits everything animate and inanimate in the three worlds - so I
shall now relate to you regarding this Ekadasi that occurs
during the light part of the month of Margashirsha.
This Ekadasi is famous as Mokshadaa
because it purifies the faithful devotee of all sinful reactions and bestows
liberation upon him. The worshippable Deity of this
all auspicious day is Lord Damodara. With full
attention one should worship Him with incense, a ghee lamp, fragrant flowers,
and Tulasi manjaris (buds).
"O best of saintly kings, please listen as I narrate to
you the ancient and auspicious history of this wonderful Ekadasi.
Simply by hearing this history one can attain the merit earned by performing a
horse sacrifice. By the influence of this merit, one's forefathers, mothers,
sons, and other relatives who have gone to hell can turn around and go to the
heavenly kingdom. For this reason alone, O king, you should listen with rapt
attention to this narration. "There once was a beautiful city named Champaka-nagar, which was decorated with devoted Vaishnavas. There the best of saintly kings Maharaj Vaikhaanasa, ruled over
his subjects as if they were his very own dear sons and daughters. The brahmins in that capital city were
all expert in four kinds of Vedik knowledge. The
king, while ruling properly, had a dream one night in which his father was seen
to be suffering the pangs of hellish torture in one of the hellish planets
ruled over by the Yamaraj. The king was overwhelmed
with compassion for his father and shed tears. The next morning, Maharaj Vaikhaanasa described
what he had seen in his dream to his council of twice born learned brahmins.
" ' O brahmanas,'
the king addressed them, 'in a dream last night I saw my father suffering on a
hellish planet. He was crying out in anguish, "O son, please deliver me
from this torment of this hellish condition !"
Now I have no peace in my mind, and even this beautiful kingdom has become
unbearable to me. Not even my horses, elephants, and chariots and my vast
wealth in my treasury that formerly brought so much pleasure, gives me no
pleasure at all.
" 'Everything, O best of the brahmins,
even my own wife and sons, have become a source of unhappiness since I beheld
my father suffering the tortures of that hellish condition so. Where can I go,
and what can I do, O brahmins,
to alleviate this misery? My body is burning with fear and sorrow
! Please tell me what kind of charity, what mode of fasting, what
austerity, or what deep meditation, and in service upon which Deity I may have
to perform to deliver my father from that agony and bestow upon liberation upon
my forefathers. O best among the brahmins,
what is the use of one's being a powerful son if one's father must suffer on a
hellish planet? Truly, such a son's life is utterly useless, to him and to his
forefathers.
" The twice born brahmins
replied, 'O king, in the mountainous forest not far from here is the ashram
where a great saint Parvata Muni resides. Please go
to him, for he is tri-kala-jnan (he knows the past,
the present, and the future of everything) and can surely help you in your
gaining relief from your misery.'
"Upon hearing this advise, the
distressed king immediately set out on a journey to the ashram of the famous
sage Parvata Muni. The ashram was indeed very big and
housed many learned sages expert in chanting the sacred hymns of the four Vedas
(Rg, Yajur, Sama, and Arthava). Approaching
the holy ashram, the king beheld Parvata Muni seated
among the assembly of sages adorned with hundreds of tilaks
(from all the authorised sampradayas)
like another Brahmaa or Vyaas.
"Maharaj Vaikhaanasa
offered his humble obeisances to the muni, bowing his head and then prostrating his entire body
before him. After the king had seated himself among the assembly Parvata Muni asked him about the welfare of the seven limbs
of his extensive kingdom (his ministers, his treasury, his military forces, his
allies, the brahmins, the
sacrificial offerings performed, and the needs of his subjects). The muni also asked him if his kingdom was free of troubles and
whether everyone was peaceful, happy and satisfied. To these enquiries the king
replied, 'By your mercy O glorious and great sage, all seven limbs of my
kingdom are doing very well. Yet there is a problem that has recently arisen,
and to solve it I have come to you, O brahmana for
your expert help and guidance'.
"Then Parvata Muni, the best
of all sages, closed his eyes and meditated on the king's past, present and
future. After a few moments he opened his eyes and said, 'Your father is
suffering the results of committing a great sin, and I have discovered what it
is. In his previous life he quarrelled with his wife
and forcibly enjoyed her sexually during her menstrual period. She tried to
protest and resist his advances and even yelled out, "Someone please save
me! Please, O husband, do not interrupt my monthly period in this way!"
Still he did not stop or leave her alone. It is on account of this grievous sin
that your father now has fallen into such a hellish condition of suffering.'
"King Vaikhaanasa then said,
'O greatest among sages, by what process of fasting or charity may I liberate
my dear father from such a condition? Please tell me how I can relieve and
remove the burden of his sinful reactions, which are a great obstacle to his
progress toward ultimate release (salvation - liberation - going back home).'
"Parvata Muni replied,
'During the light fortnight of the month of Margashirsha
there occurs an Ekadasi called Mokshadaa.
If you observe this sacred Ekadasi strictly, with a
full fast, and give directly to your suffering father the merit you thus
attain/obtain, he will be freed from his pain and instantly liberated'.
"Hearing this, Maharaj Vaikhaanasa profusely thanked the great sage and then
returned to his palace to perform his vrata (austere
rite). O Yudhishthira, when the light part of the
month of Margashirsha at last arrived, Maharaj Vaikhaanasa faithfully
waited for the Ekadasi tithi
to arrive. He then perfectly and with full faith observed the Ekadasi fast with his wife, children, and other relatives.
He dutifully gave the merit from this fast to his father, and as he made the
offering, beautiful flower petals showered down from the devas who peered out from behind the clouds in the
sky. The king's father was then praised by the messengers of the demigods (devas) and escorted to the celestial region. As he passed
his son, as he traversed the lower to middle to higher planets, the father said
to the king, 'My dear son, all auspiciousness unto you!'
At last he reached the heavenly realm from where he can
again with his newly acquired merit perform devotional service to
"O son of Pandu, who so ever
strictly observes the sacred Mokshadaa Ekadasi, following the established rules and regulations,
achieves full and perfect liberation after death. There is no better fasting
day than this Ekadasi of the light fortnight of the
month of Margashirsha, O Yudhishthira,
for it is a crystal-clear and sinless day. Whoever faithfully observes this Ekadasi fast, which is like chintaa-mani
(a gem that yields all desires), obtains special merit that is very hard to
calculate, for this day can elevate one from hellish life to the heavenly
planets, and for one who observes Ekadasi for his own
spiritual benefit, this elevates one to go back to Godhead, never to return to
this material world."
Thus end the narration of the glories of Margashirsha-shukla
Ekadasi or Mokshada Ekadasi, from the Brahmanda Purana.