Hare Krishna, tomorrow is Varuthinī Ekādaśī, here is story
Varuthinī Ekādaśī
The glories of Varuthinī ekādaśī, which occurs during the waning moon in the period of April-May, are described in Bhavisya-uttara Purāna in a conversation between Lord Kṛsṇa and Mahārāja Yudhisṭhira.
Once, Mahārāja Yudhisṭhira said to Śrī Kṛsṇa, “O Vāsudeva, I offer my humble obeisances to You. Please tell me about the ekādaśī which occurs during the waning moon in the period of April-May, including its name and glories.”
Lord Kṛsṇa replied, “My dear king, the name of this ekādaśī is Varūthinī, and it awards one good fortune both in this life and in the next. By following this ekādaśī, a living entity attains perpetual happiness, diminishes his sinful reactions, and becomes greatly fortunate.
By observing this vow, an unfortunate wife become fortunate; a human being attains happiness and prosperity both in this life and in the next; one is freed from the cycle of birth and death; all of one’s sinful reactions are nullified; and one attains devotional service to the Lord. King Māndhātā was liberated by properly observing this ekādaśī, and other kings such as Dhundhumāra were also liberated by doing so.
One can achieve the result of undergoing austerities for ten thousand years simply by observing Varūthinī ekādaśī. The amount of piety one accumulates by donating forty kilograms of gold during a solar eclipse at Kuruksetra is achieved simply by following this ekādaśī.
“O best of kings, donating an elephant is superior to donating a horse. Donating land is superior to donating an elephant, and donating sesame seeds is better than donating land. Donating gold is better than donating sesame seeds, and donating food grains is better than donating gold. In fact, there is no greater charity than giving food grains.
O best of kings, one satisfies the forefathers, demigods, and all other living entities by giving food grains in charity. Learned scholars have ascertained that the charity of giving food grains is equal to the charity of giving one’s daughter. The Supreme Lord Himself has said that donating food grains is equal to donating cows.
“Among all the different kinds of charity, giving knowledge is the best. By following Varūthinī ekādaśī, one attains the results of giving all kinds of charities. A person who sells or trades his daughter certainly commits a great sin, and he will go to hell until the time of final annihilation of the universe.
No one should ever accept wealth in exchange for his daughter. O king of kings, a householder who sells his daughter out of greed becomes a cat in his next life. If one decorates his daughter with ornaments according to his capacity and gives her in charity to a qualified groom, then even Citragupta, the chief secretary of Yamarāja, finds one’s piety too much to count.
One should follow this ekādaśī by eating out of a bell-metal pot, and not eating masūra gram, chickpea, spinach, honey, and foodstuffs cooked by others. One should not eat more than once on that day, and should not indulge in sex starting from the day before ekādaśī. One should not gamble, sleep, eat betel nuts, brush his teeth, blaspheme anyone, gossip, speak with a sinful person, become angry, or tell lies on ekādaśī.
On the day after ekādaśī, one should not eat on a plate made of bell-metal, and should not eat masūra gram, or honey. Also, one should not speak lies, exercise, labor hard, eat more then once, have sex, shave his head or face, apply oil on the body, or eat foodstuffs cooked by others. One should carefully avoid all of these activities, which destroy the vow of ekādaśī.
In addition, some other prohibitions should be followed not only on ekādaśī and the days before and after it, but all of the time. If one observes the vow of Varūthinī ekādaśī according to these prescribed rules and regulations, all of his sinful reactions are eradicated and he attains the supreme destination.
One who stays awake on ekādaśī and worships Lord Janārdana becomes free of all sins and attains the supreme goal of life. Anyone who hears or reads about the glories of this ekādaśī surely achieves the result of donating one thousand cows, and, being freed from all of his sinful reactions, attains the abode of Visṇu.”
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