Saphala Ekadasi
Yudhisthira Maharaj said, “O my Dear Lord Sri Krishna, what is the name of
that Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Pausha
(December-January)? How is it observed, and which Deity is to be worshipped
on that sacred day? Please narrate these details to me fully, so that I may
understand Oh Janardana.”
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna then replied, “O best of
kings, because you desire to hear, I shall fully describe to you the
glories of the Pausha-krshna Ekadasi.
“I do not become as pleased by sacrifice or charity as I do by My devotees
observance of a full fast on Ekadasi. To the best of one’s ability,
therefore, one should fast on Ekadasi, the day of Lord Hari.
“O Yudhisthira, I urge you to hear with undivided intelligence the glories
of Pausha-krshna Ekadasi, which falls on a Dwadasi. As I explained
previously, one should not differentiate among the many Ekadasis. O king,
to benefit humanity at large I shall now describe to you the process of
observing Pausha-krshna Ekadasi.
“Pausha-krshna Ekadasi is also known as Saphalaa Ekadasi. On this sacred
day one should worship Lord Narayana, for He is its ruling Deity. One
should do so by follow the previously described method of fasting. Just as
among snakes Shesha-naga is the best, and among birds Garuda is the best,
among sacrifices the Ashvamedha-yajna is the best, among rivers Mother
Ganges is the best, among gods Lord Vishnu is best, and among two-legged
beings the brahmins are the best, so among all fasting days Ekadasi is by
far the best. O foremost of kings who took your birth in the Bharata
dynasty, whoever strictly observes Ekadasi becomes very dear to Me and
indeed worshippable by Me in every way. Now please listen as I describe the
process for observing Saphalaa Ekadasi.
“On Saphalaa Ekadasi My devotee should worship Me by offering Me fresh
fruits according to time, place and circumstance, and by meditating on Me
as the all-auspicious Supreme Personality. He should offer Me jaambira
fruit, pomegranate, betal nuts and leaves, coconut, guava, varieties of
nuts, cloves, mangoes, and different kinds of aromatic spices. He should
also offer Me incense and bright ghee lamps, for such an offering of lamps
on Saphalaa Ekadasi is especially glorious. The devotee should try to stay
awake all the Ekadasi night.
“Now please hear with undivided attention as I tell you how much merit one
gets if he fasts and remains awake throughout the entire night singing and
chanting the glories of Narayana. O best of kings, there is no sacrifice or
pilgrimage that yields merit that is equal to or better than the merit one
gains by fasting on this Saphalaa Ekadasi. Such fasting – particularly if
one can remain awake and alert the entire night long – bestows the same
merit upon the faithful devotee as the performance of austerity for five
thousand earthly years. O lion among kings, please hear from Me the
glorious history that made this Divine Ekadasi famous.
“Once there was a City called Champaavati, which was ruled by the saintly
King Maahishmata. He had four sons, the eldest of whom, Lumpaka, always
engaged in all manner of very sinful activities – illicit sexual encounters
with the wives of others, gambling, and continual association with known
prostitutes. His evil deeds gradually reduced the wealth of his father,
King Maahishmata. Lumpaka also became very critical of the numerous devas,
the empowered universal attendants of the Lord, as well as toward the
brahmins, and every day he would go out of his way to blaspheme the
Vaishnavas. At last King Maahishmata, seeing the unrepentant brazen fallen
condition of his son, exiled him to the forest. Out of fear of the king,
even compassionate relatives didn’t come to Lumpaka’s defense, so angry was
the king toward his son, and so sinful was this Lumpaka.
“Bewildered in his exile, the fallen and rejected Lumpaka thought to
himself, ‘My father has sent me away, and even my kinsmen do not raise but
a finger in objection. What am I to do now?’ He schemed sinfully and
thought, ‘I shall sneak back to the city under cover of darkness and
plunder its wealth. During the day I shall stay in the forest, and as night
returns, so shall I to the city.’ So thinking, the sinful Lumpaka entered
the darkness of the forest. He killed many animals by day, and by night he
stole all manner of valuable items from the city. The city-dwelling folk
apprehended him several times, but out of fear of the king they left him
alone. They thought to themselves that it must have been the accumulated
sins of Lumpaka’s previous births that had forced him to act in such a way
that he lost his royal facilities and became to act so sinfully like a
common selfish thief.
“Though a meat-eater, Lumpaka would also eat fruits every day. He resided
under an old banyan tree that unknown to him happened to be very dear to
Lord Vaasudeva. Indeed, many worshipped as the demi-god (representative
departmental head) of all the trees in the forest. In due course of time,
while Lumpaka was doing so many sinful and condemnable activities, the
Saphalaa Ekadasi arrived. On the eve of the Ekadasi (Dasami) Lumpaka had to
pass the entire night without sleep because of severe cold that he felt due
to his scanty bedclothes (bedding). The cold not only robbed him of all
peace but almost of his very life. By the time the sun rose, near dead, his
teeth chattering and near comatose. In fact all that Ekadasi morning, he
remained in that stupour and could not awaken out of his near comatose
condition.
“When midday of the Saphalaa Ekadasi arrived, the sinful Lumpaka finally
came to and managed to rise up from his place under that banyan tree. But
with every step he took, he stumbled and fell to the ground. Like a lame
man, he walked slowly and hesitantly, suffering greatly from hunger and
thirst in the midst of the jungle. So weak was Lumpaka that he couldn’t
even concentrate to nor muster strength to go and kill even a single animal
that whole day. Instead, he was reduced to collecting whatever fruits had
fallen to the ground of their own accord. By the time he returned to his
banyan tree home, the sun had set.
“Placing the fruits on the ground next to him (at the base of the sacred
banyan tree), Lumpaka began to cry out, ‘O, woe is me ! What should I do ?
Dear father, what is to become of me? O Sri Hari, please be merciful to me
and accept these fruits as an offering !’ Again he was forced to lie awake
the whole night without sleep, but in the meantime the all merciful Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Madhusudana, had become pleased with Lumpaka’s
humble offering of forest fruits, and He accepted them. Lumpaka had
unwittingly observed a full Ekadasi fast, and by the merit he reaped on
that day he regained his kingdom with no further obstacles.
“Listen, O Yudhisthira, to what happened to the son of King Maahishmata
when but a fragment of the merit spouted up within his heart.
“As the Sun beautifully rose in the sky on the day following Ekadasi, a
handsome horse approached Lumpaka as if seeking him out, and stood next to
him. At the same time, a voice suddenly boomed out from the clear blue sky
saying, ‘This horse is for you, Lumpaka! Mount it and ride swiftly out of
this forest to greet your family! O son of King Maahishmata, by the mercy
of the Supreme lord Vaasudeva and the strength of the merit you acquired by
observing Saphalaa Ekadasi, your kingdom will be returned to you without
any further hindrances. Such is the benefit you have gained by fasting on
this most auspicious of days. Go now, to your father and enjoy your
rightful place in the dynasty.’
“Upon hearing these celestial words resounding from above, Lumpaka mounted
the horse and rode back to the city of Champaavati. By the merit he had
accrued by fasting on Saphalaa Ekadasi, he had become a handsome prince
once more and was able to absorb his mind in the lotus feet of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Hari. In other words, he had become My pure devotee.
“Lumpaka offered his father, King Maahishmata, his humble obeisances and
once more accepted his princely responsibilities. Seeing his son so
decorated with Vaishnava ornaments and tilak (udhvara pundra) King
Maahishmata gave him the kingdom, and Lumpaka ruled unopposed for many,
many years. Whenever the Ekadasi came, he worshipped the Supreme Lord
Narayana with great devotion. And by the mercy of Sri Krishna he obtained a
beautiful wife and a fine son. In old age Lumpaka handed his kingdom over
to his son – just as his own father, King Maahishmata, had handed it over
to him. Lumpaka then went to the forest to dedicate his concentrate
attention to gratefully serve the Supreme Lord with controlled mind and
senses. Purified of all material desires, he left his old material body and
returned back to home, back to Godhead, attaining a place near the lotus
feet of his worshipful Lord, Sri Krishna.
“O Yudhisthira, one who approaches Me as Lumpaka did will become completely
free of lamentation and anxiety. Indeed, anyone who properly observes this
glorious Saphalaa Ekadasi – even unknowingly, like Lumpaka – will become
famous in this world. He will become perfectly liberated at death and
return to the spiritual abode of Vaikuntha. Of this there is no doubt.
Moreover, one who simply hears the glories of Saphalaa Ekadasi obtains the
same merit derived by one who performs a Rajasurya-yajna, and at the very
least he goes to heaven in his next birth, so where is the loss?”
Thus ends the narration of the glories of Pausha-krshna Ekadasi, or
Saphalaa Ekadasi, from the Bhavishya-uttara Purana.
--------------------------------------------
Sri Devananda Pandit
Sri Devananda Pandit used to live at Kuliya. He was a famous reciter of the
Srimad Bhagavatam and many people used to study the Bhagavatam under his
guidance.
One afternoon, Srivasa Pandita came to hear Devananda Pandit's recitation
of the Bhagavatam. Hundreds of students were seated around the Pandit and
some were following his reading in their own personal copies of the
manuscript.
Srivasa Pandita was a very advanced devotee and thus, when the sweet nectar
of the Bhagavatam entered his ears, his heart became softened in love of
God. He started to cry and roll on the ground, his body having become
agitated by the waves of ecstatic love.
When the students of Devananda saw this, they thought, "This fellow must be
crazy. He is disturbing our hearing of the recitation. Get him out of
here." Thus they picked him up and carried him outside. Though Devananda
saw all this taking place, he didn't prevent those foolish students of his
from committing this offense. As the guru was ignorant, so his students
were sinful.
Srivasa said nothing, but simply went to his house feeling very sad. All of
this occured before the appearance of Sri Gaurasundara.
During Mahaprabhu's exhibition of His divine position as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead for twenty-one hours, He asked Srivasa if he
remembered this incident.
One day, when Mahaprabhu was taking a stroll around Nadiyanagara, he came
to Mahesvara Visarada Pandit's house. At that time Devananda resided there.
Mahaprabhu heard him reciting the Srimad Bhagavatam from outside and became
very angry.
"What purport will that rascal explain? Not in any of his births has he
understood the meaning of even one verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam. The
Bhagavatam is the avatara of Sri Krsna in book form. Devotion is the only
subject it teaches. The four Vedas are like yoghurt and the Bhagavatam is
like butter. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami did the churning and Maharaja Pariksit
ate that butter. Sukadeva Gosvami is very dear to Me. He knows very well
that the Srimad Bhagavatam is meant to describe the truth about Me
according to My own liking. Whoever sees any difference between Me, My own
devotees and the Srimad Bhagavatam simply brings destruction upon himself."
[C.B. Mad 21.13]
Mahaprabhu made these statements in a voice loud enough for Devananda to
hear. Then He turned to go back to His home. The devotees following Him
begged for more mercy. He continued, "All the scriptures state that the
Srimad Bhagavatam enunciates the highest realization. Without having
understood any of this, simply for the sake of name and fame as a
religionist and a scholar, he poses himself as a teacher of this great
book. But he doesn't know the purport.
"Only one who has understood that the Srimad Bhagavatam is verily the
inconceivable intelligence of the Supreme Lord Himself knows that the only
meaning of the Bhagavatam is devotion. In order to understand the book
Bhagavata, one has to serve the devotee-Bhagavata."
Devananda could hear all of these remarks from the distance, yet he thought
nothing of it.
After some time Gaurasundara accepted sannyasa and went to live at
Nilacala. It was then that Devananda at last began to feel some
remorse. "Such a great soul, totally imbued with love of God, but I never
went even once to have his association."
One day Srila Vakresvara Pandita came to Kuliya to visit the house of one
devotee there. In the evening he held a festival of dancing and chanting
the Holy Name. Devananda was present on this occasion, and was completely
stunned by Sri Vakresvara's effulgence and ecstatic chanting and dancing.
As the night progressed more and more, people came to listen to his kirtan
until there was finally a huge crowd. Devananda took a cane and began to
control the crowd so that Vakresvara's dancing wouldn't be disturbed.
When Vakresvara fainted in ecstatic love, Devananda carefully put his head
on his lap and brushed the dust from his body with his own upper cloth.
Then he smeared that dust on his own body. That day his service to the
devotees had its auspicious beginning.
After some days, Mahaprabhu returned to Bengal to see his mother and the
holy Ganges. He also came to Kuliya. At that time thousands upon thousands
of people came to have darsana of His lotus feet. All of those who had
previously committed offenses against Nimai Pandita by thinking Him to be
an ordinary human being now came to seek His forgiveness; Mahaprabhu
forgave each and everyone of them. Among those present was Devananda, who
fell down on the ground to offer his obeisances to Mahaprabhu. From that
moment he became one of the Lord's foremost devotees.
Still, he felt a little hesitant, and thus upon getting up, he stood to one
side. Mahaprabhu addressed him, "Because you have served My dear devotee
Vakresvara, I am now pleased with you. By that service you have now been
able to approach Me. Within Vakresvara's person is Sri Krsna's complete
potency. Whoever serves him must receive Krsna's mercy."
Devananda, in a faltering voice replied, "You are the Supreme controller.
Simply for the sake of reclaiming fallen souls You have advented Yourself
here at Nadiya. I am a sinful wretch and have never served Your lotus feet
and thus was cheated of Your causeless mercy for so many years. Oh my Lord,
Who resides with in the heart of all living entities, You are Supremely
merciful.
Only because You have shown Yourself to me have I been able to see You. O
most compassionate One, please instruct me. Let me know the actual purport
of the Srimad Bhagavatam."
Mahaprabhu replied, "Now hear Me, O brahmana, and know that the only way to
explain the verses of the Bhagavatam is in terms of bhakti. In the
beginning, middle and end of the Srimad Bhagavatam there is only one
teaching: devotion to Visnu, which is eternally perfect and which is never
destroyed or diminished."
"As Krsna's various incarnations such as Matsya and Kurma appear and
disappear in this world by Their sweet will, in the same way, the Srimad
Bhagavatam is not made or composed by any person. It makes its appearance
and disappearance by its own sweet will. Due to the appearance of devotion,
the Bhagavatam blossomed forth from Vyasadeva's mouth, by the mercy of Sri
Krsna.
"As the truths regarding the Supreme Authority are inconceivable, so are
the truths of Srimad Bhagavatam. Many may pretend to know its meaning but
they have no real grasp of the evidence the Bhagavatam presents. But
whoever who simply remembers the Srimad Bhagavatam while admitting himself
to be ignorant can understand the real meaning.
"The Bhagavata, which is saturated with loving devotion for Krsna, is an
expansion of Krsna Himself and contains descriptions of His most
confidential pastimes." [C.B. Ant. 3.505-516]
"Now you should beg forgiveness by catching hold of Srivasa Pandit's feet.
The book Bhagavata and the devotee Bhagavata are not different. If the
devotee Bhagavata is merciful to us, then the book Bhagavata manifests its
true meaning."
Then Devananda fell at Srivasa Pandita's feet and begged forgiveness.
Srivasa embraced him and his offense retreated far away. All the devotees
shouted in ecstasy, "Hari bol! Hari bol!"
His disappearance is on the 11th day of the dark fortnight in the month of
Pausa.
