All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Hare Krishna!
Dear esteemed members,
As I am observing Ekadashi today, I have a question. Tomorrow is Saturday and I am going to start Shanidev fast from sunrise to sunset tomorrow. After sunset, I have decided to eat food without salt.
Now the question is, since I am also fasting today with just water, can I skip the parana tomorrow morning and extend the fast till evening for the saturday fast?
Or does it become a mistake on Ekadashi if I do not do the parana tomorrow morning?
Anybody who knows, kindly advise.
Many thanks.
Replies
Hare krsna,
When you are worshipping supreme personality of godhead krsna, no need to keep fast for other demi gods, specially shani, because he is a krsna devotee himself . Moreover krsna says in bhagwat gita, no matter which god you worship ultimately it reaches to me only, so when you offer obeisances to shani it goes to krsna only. And ekadashi carries more weight than anything else. You are loosing ekadashi phala for nothing.
Hare Krishna,
Parana time is most important and it should be followed. Remember the Ambarish maharaj katha. He just took some water inorder to break the fast on the exact parana time and he he waited for Durvasa muni to come back from the river without taking the food. But broke it just by taking water. But Durvasa muni got angered that the maharaj didn't wait for him and broke the fast hastily.
But Durvasa muni also knew that it is very very important to break the fast on the parana time.
So, Maharaj Ambarish was in a fix, Durvasa muni said he will come back before parana time and went to the river for bathing and daily abulutions and didn't return on time. So, Maharaj Ambarish asked his advisors and brahminas, vaishnavas there they suggested them as it is very important to break the fast timely. Pls. do it now as time is running out. But, don't eat food., just take water and break the fast and wait for rishi Durvasa to return back for taking food with him.
But, Problem with your fasting is-
you have fasted with just water and left all grains. You cannot break the fast with water. ( WHATEVER YOU FASTED like grains can be had ) to break the fast. Unlike Ambarish Maharaj ji who has fasted with no food, no grains no liquids no water. So he broke the fast by just drinking a sip of water.
So, in your case you can break the fast with only grain foods as you did upvas from grains.
It is tough. to decide on.
actually it is an offense to not break the fast on dwadashi at the parana time. I don't think even Shani maharaj would be happy if you do this faulty vrat.
Only if you think you are in India right now. It is already Shanvaar ( saturday there) just their day started. You mix both vrats together and do it.
Instead of doing faulty vrat you would say to Shani dev ji to pls. forgive me consider that I am doing this pratial day vrat for you from now and pls. accept this vrat and pray sincerely. Shanidev ji is also Krishna's devotee only. He will surely consider your vrat.
Hare Krishna
Namaste Gayatri ji,
Hare Krishna. Thank you very much for your wonderful advice.
I thought and thought about it, actually, I broke the fast on Ekadashi day itself, by eating fruits and milk after sunset. Then yesterday on Saturday, I kept a proper full-day fast which I broke now, on Sunday morning.
I enjoyed your tale on Maharaja Ambarisha and Durvasa. Very timely and full of information.
Thank you,
Sincerely yours, Jayashree