Vaikuntha Ekadasi (Vijaya Ekadasi) Yudhisthira Maharaj said, Oh
Lord Sri Krishna, O glorious son of Vasudeva, please be merciful to
me and describe the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight
of the month of Phalguna (February-March). Lord Sri Krishna
replied, Oh Yudhisthira, Oh king of kings, gladly I shall tell you
about this great fast, known as Vijaya Ekadasi. Whoever observes it
certainly achieves success in this life and the next. All the sins
of one who fasts on this Ekadasi and hears its sublime glories are
eradicated. Narada Muni once asked lord Brahma, who sits on a lotus
flower about the Vijaya Ekadasi. Sri Narada said, Oh best of all
the demigods, kindly tell me the merit one can achieve by
faithfully observing Vijaya Ekadasi.' Narada's great father then
replied, My dear son, this oldest of fasting days is pure, and it
nullifies all sins. I have never revealed this to anyone until
today, but you can understand beyond any doubt that this Ekadasi
bestows the result indicated by its name (Vijaya meaning Victory).
When Lord Rama was exiled to the forest for fourteen years, He, the
goddess Sita, and His divine brother Lakshmana stayed at Panchavati
as mendicants. Mother Sita was then kidnapped by the demon Ravana,
and Lord Rama seemingly became bewildered like an ordinary man by
distress. While searching for His beloved consort, the Lord came
upon the dying Jatayu and thereafter killed His enemy Kabandha. The
great devotee-vulture Jatayu returned to Vaikuntha after telling
Rama how His dear Sita had been abducted by Ravana. Later, Lord
Rama and Sugriva, the king of the monkeys, became friends. Together
they amassed a grand army of monkeys and bears and sent Hanumanji
his minister to Sri Lanka, where he was able to see Janaki (Srimati
Sita devi) in an Ashoka grove garden. He delivered Lord Rama's
message and showed the ring proving his authenticity for rendering
such great service to the Supreme Lord Sri Rama. With the help of
Sugriva, Lord Rama proceeded toward Sri Lanka. Upon arriving at the
shore of the ocean with the army of monkeys, He could understand
that the water was uncommonly deep and hostile. Thus He said to
Lakshmana, Oh son of Sumitra, how can We earn enough merit to be
able to cross this vast ocean, the unfathomable abode of Varuna
deva? I can see no easy way to cross it, teeming as it is with
sharks and other ferocious aquatics. Lakshmana replied, Oh best of
all beings, Oh origin of all the devas, Oh primal personality, the
great sage Bakadalbhya lives on an island just four miles from
here. Oh Raghava, he has seen many Brahmas come and go, so aged and
wise is he. Let us go to him, take his darshan (audience) and ask
him how We can safely reach our goal. So Rama and Lakshmana
proceeded to the humble Ashram of the incomparable Bakadalbhya
Muni. Approaching him, the two Lords paid Their respectful
obeisances to him as if he were a second Vishnu. Bakadalbhya could
immediately understand, however, that Sri Rama was actually the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who for His own reasons had
appeared on the Earth and was enacting just like a human being.
"Sri Rama", said Bakadalbhya, "Oh best of the beings, why have You
come to my lowly abode?" The Lord replied, "Oh great, twice born
brahmin, I have come here to the ocean shore with My phalanx of
monkey and bear warriors in order to cross the sea and conquer
Lanka and its demon horde headed by Ravana. Oh greatest of sages,
please be merciful unto Me and please tell Me how I can cross this
vast ocean. That is why I have come to your Ashram today." The sage
said, "Oh Lord Sri Rama, I shall tell you of the most exalted of
all fasts, observing which You will surely conquer Ravana and be
eternally glorified. Kindly now listen with full attention." "On
the day before Ekadasi, fashion a water pot of gold or silver, or
even copper. Even clay will do if these metals are unavailable.
Fill the pot with pure water and then decorate it nicely with mango
leaves. Cover it and place it near a holy altar upon a mound of
seven grains (the seven grains are barley, wheat, rice, corn,
chickpeas, kukani, and dahl or peas). Now take Your morning bath,
decorate the water pot with flower garlands and sandalwood paste,
and in the concave lid atop the pot place there the barley,
pomegranate, and coconut. Now with great love and devotion worship
the water pot Deity form and offer Him incense, sandalwood paste,
flowers, a ghee lamp, and a plate of sumptuous foods. Remain there
awake that night beside this sacred pot. On top of the lid filled
with barley, etc., place a golden murthy of Lord Sri Narayana. When
Ekadasi dawns, take Your morning bath and then decorate the water
pot with fine sandalwood paste and garlands. Then worship the pot
again with first class incense, lamps, sandalwood paste and flowers
dipped in sandalwood paste, and then devoutly/devotedly place many
kinds of cooked food, pomegranate, and coconut before the water
pot. Then remain awake over night. When the Dwadasi dawns, take the
waterpot to the bank of a holy river, or even to the shore of a
small pond. After worshipping it again properly, Oh King of kings,
offer it with all the aforementioned ingredients to a pure hearted
brahmin, expert in the Vedic sciences. If You and Your military
commanders observe the Vijaya Ekadasi in this way, You will surely
be victorious in every way." Lord Sri Ramachandra Bhagavan, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, did just as Bakadaalbhya Muni
instructed, and thus He conquered all demoniac forces. Similarly,
anyone who observes the Vijaya Ekadasi in this way will always be
victorious in this mortal world, and after leaving this world
he/she will reside forever in the anxiety free realm of the Kingdom
of God known as the Vaikunthas. Oh Narada, my son, from this
history you can understand why one should observe this Ekadasi fast
properly, strictly following the rules and regulations. This fast
is powerful enough to eradicate all one's sinful reactions, even
the most abominable ones. Lord Sri Krishna concluded, Oh
Yudhisthira, anyone who reads or hears this history will attain the
same great merit as that which is earned by performing a horse
sacrifice on days of yore. Thus ends the narration of the glories
of Phalguna-krishna Ekadasi or Vijaya Ekadasi, from the Skanda
Purana.
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Sugriva a great monkey, was the son of Indra and Ahilya. She was
the wife of Gautama, one of the seven great sages who appeared from
the mind of lord Brahma. Indra disguised himself as Gautama Muni
and seduced Ahilya, who had been blessed that she would never age
beyond sixteen. She was the most beautiful lady on earth, and both
Indra and the sun-god became enamored by her beauty. One after the
other, Indra and the sun-god came to her in the form of Gautama
Muni and had union with her, and Sugriva and Vali were born as a
result, respectively (Sugriva of Indra's union and Vali of Surya's
union). At first, Sugriva and Vali looked like human beings, but
when Gautama discovered his wife's infidelity, he angrily threw
both the boys into the ocean saying" If you are not my sons, turn
into monkeys". Thus they became monkeys. Sugriva helped his friend
Rama to find Sita devi, and in return Rama helped Sugriva regain
his kingdom of Kishkindha from his brother Vali. Regarding Gautama
Muni's possessing a spectacularly wife, the moralist Chanakhya
Pandita says: Rinakarta pita shatruh Mata cha vyabhicharini Bharya
rupavati shatruh Putra shatruh kupanditah "In this world, a man has
four enemies; a father who is a debtor, a mother who is like a
prostitute, a beautiful wife, and a son who is uninterested in
spiritual science" A beautiful wife is an enemy because many other
men will be attracted to her.
