Guiding Light: The true significance of Ekadashi

Guiding Light: The true significance of Ekadashi

Ekadashi vrata teaches us to live a minimalistic life by containing cravings, focusing on the goal and working towards mastery of one’s senses.

Prof S AinavoluUpdated: Tuesday, May 30, 2023, 10:26 PM IST
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Ekadashi is the eleventh day that happens twice in every lunar month. Every year a minimum of 24 such Ekadashis happen and during the occasional Adhika/ Purushottama masa (extra month to account for corrections) that comes roughly once in three years, two more get added. The significance of Ekadashi is less known and often routinely passed off as fasting.

Every lunar month sees 16 kalaas (factored forms) of Chandra (Moon). The ‘full’ happens on the Purnimasya, the full moon day. The completely disappeared form happens on Amavasya, the new moon day. The prakopa (spike) of the mental energies of people is high during these two days. Also, any spiritual sadhana practiced on these two days gives more benefits. Ekadashi is a preparation for such sadhana.

A typical Ekadashi day is spent in light consumption of all material things. It is followed as “vrata” (bound festival). The complete Ekadashi vrata is observed from the night of the tenth day called Dashami when heavy food is abstained, till the twelfth day night. The actual Ekadashi day is spent in “Upa+Vasa” (meaning near + stay), staying near one’s own GOD. Here, GOD is the inner feeling. To preserve one’s mental and physical energies, one may take a light diet that may include fruit / roots. The day after Ekadashi is the twelfth day, Dwadashi. On this day, worship touching the inner core is conducted. The naivedya or divine offered food is distributed and consumed with all contentment and gratitude as it is Prasadam. The evening/ night of Dwadashi too is spent with minimal consumption. Thus, the essence of Ekadashi vrata is minimalism, consuming less and making the most of the precious resource, the “time” for pursuing one’s sadhana.

Ekadashi vrata teaches us to live a minimalistic life by containing cravings, focusing on the goal and working towards mastery of one’s senses. It is more than ceremonial fasting, which is often followed by “disengagement due to weakness”. One has to engage fully on this day for one’s sadhana, hence making more time available for this. On both physical and mental counts, a lot of detoxification can be observed during Ekadashi vrata. May the better content fill the emptied space is the prayer.

(Prof S Ainavolu is a teacher of tradition and management. He is with VPSM, Navi Mumbai. Views are personal. You can read more at https://www.ainavolu.in/blog)

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