Yogini Ekadasi Significance

Yogini Ekadasi Significance

What do you mean by Ekadasi?

Ekadasi is known as day of Lord Krishna (Hari)which is an golden opportunity for devotees to engage in remembering Lord Krishna and his qualities. 

When devotees Celebrates Yogini Ekadasi?

Yogini Ekadasi is the dearest day of Lord Krishna. Yogini Ekadasi fall on the eleventh day of the waning and waxing fortnight of every lunar month in Hindu calendar.

How devotees celebrates Yogini Ekadasi?

                           

On this ekadasi Lord Krishna's Devotee observes fast from grains and beans. One can honor milk, fruits and other non-grain food items which was first offered to Lord Krishna and also they engage them self in devotional services. It is said that observing fast on yogini ekadasi is as good as feeding 88 Brahmins. This fast pleases Lord Krishna very much.

Story of Yogini Ekadasi

Shri Krishna advised his cousin and the king of Hastinapur, king Yudhistir about the importance of Yogini Ekadasi vrat. He said: "Oh King, I shall indeed tell you about the best of all fasting days, the Ekadasi that comes during the dark part of the month of Ashadha, famous as Yogini ekadasi it removes all kind of sinful reactions awards supreme liberation.This ekadasi delivers people who are drowning in the vast ocean of material existence and transports them to the shore of spiritual world. In all three words, it s the chief of all sacred fasting days."

Lord Krishna also narrates the story of Hemamali, the gardener of kubera(The king of Alakapuri).

As story Proceeds the king of Alakapuri Kubera known as treasure of the devas (demigods)was a stead fast devotee of Lord Shiva. He employed a servant named Hemamali who was his personal gardener and his daily duty was to visit Manasarovara lake and bring back flowers for his master, kubera with which he would use them in the puja offering to lord shiva. A Yaksha like kubera was very lustfully attracted to his gorgeous wife Swarupavatii.

                                   

One day, after picking the flowers, Himamali visited his wife swarupavatii instead of returning directly to his master and fulfilling his duty by bringing flowers for the puja. Absorbed in loving affairs of a bodily nature with his wife, he forgot to return to the abode of kubera. On other hand kubera had begun the worship of lord shiva as normal but soon he discovered that there were no flowers ready to be offered in the midday puja. Due to lack of such a important item made kubera even more angry and he asked yaksha messenger, 'why has dirty-hearted Hemamali not come with the daily offering of flowers? Go find out the exact reason and report back to me in person with your findings.'

The yaksha returned and told Kubera 'Oh dear lord, Hemamali has become lost in freely enjoying coitus with his wife.' Kubera became extremely angry when he heard this and at one summoned lowly himamali before him. Knowing that he had been remiss and dawdling in his duty and exposed as meditating on his wife's body, Hemamali approached his master in great fear. The gardener first paid his obeisances and then stood before his lord, whose eyes become red with anger and whose lips trembled in rage.

                               

Enraged Kubera cried out to Hemamali, 'Oh you sinful rascal! Oh destroyer of religious principles! you are a walking offense to the devas!I therefore curse you to suffer from white leprosy and to become separated from your beloved wife! Oh lowborn fool, leave this place immediately and betake yourself to the lower planets to suffer.

And so Hemamali fell at once from grace and became ill with the terrible affliction of white leprosy. He awoke in a dense and fearful forest, where there was nothing to eat or drink. Thus he passed his days in misery, unable to sleep at night due to pain. He suffered in both winter and summer season, but because he continued to worship lord shiva himself with faith, his consciousness remained purely fixed and steady. Although implicated by great sin and its attendant reactions he remembered his past life because of his piety.

After wandering for some time here and there, over mountains and across plains,Hemamali eventually came upon the vast expanse of the Himalayan mountain ranges. There he had the wonderful good fortune to come in contact with the great saintly soul Markandeya Rishi,the best of ascetics.

                                                  

Markandeya Rishi was seated peacefully at his ashram, looking as effulgent as second Brahma. Hemamali was feeling very sinful, stood at a distance from magnificent sage and offered his humble obeisances and choice prayers. Always interested in the welfare of others, Markandeya Rishi saw the leper and called him near, "Oh you, what sort of sinful deeds have you done to earn this dreadful affliction?" 

Hearing this, hemamali painfully and ashamed replied, 'Dear sir, I am a Yaksha servant of lord Kubera and my name is himamali. I t was my daily service to pick the flowers from the Manasarovara lake for my master's worship of lord shiva, but one day I was negligent and was late in returning with the offering because I had become overwhelmed with lusty passion for enjoying bodily pleasures with my wife. When my master discovered why I was late, he cursed me in great anger to be as I am before you. Thus I am now bereft of my home, my wife and my service.

But fortunately I have come upon you and now I hope to Receive from you an auspicious benediction, for I know that devotees such as you are as merciful as the supreme lord and always carry the interest of others uppermost in their hearts. That is their-Your nature. Oh best of sages, please help me!"Soft hearted Markandeya Rishi replied, "Because you have told me the truth, I shall tell you about a fast day that will benefit you greatly. If you fat on the Ekadasi that comes during the dark fortnight of the month of Ashadha, you will surely be freed of this terrible curse."

"Thus as the sage had instructed him, Hemamali dutifully observe the Ekadasi fast, and by its influence he again became a handsome yaksha. Then he returned home, where he lived very happily with his wife."

                                                          

Lord Krishna thus concludes,"So, you can readily see, Oh Yudhistir that fasting on Yogini Ekadasi is very powerful and auspicious. Oh king, thus I have explained to you the purity of Yogini Ekadasi.

Thus ends the narration of the glories of yogini ekadasi, from the Brahma- Vaivartapurana

What is it's Significance?

For one who observe a strict fast on this sacred ekadasi, Ekadasi devi destroys heaps of past sinful reactions and make him most pious.