Vijaya Ekadashi (24.2)

Vijaya Ekadashi

The glories of this Vijaya ekadashi are described in Skanda Purāna. Once, Mahārāja Yudhisṭhira said, “O Lord Kṛsṇa, please be kind to me and describe the ekadashi that occurs during the waning moon in the period of February-March.”

Lord Kṛsṇa replied, “O King Yudhisṭhira, I would be happy to tell you about the ekadashi known as Vijayā ekadashi. By observing this ekadashi, one’s sinful reactions are eradicated.

“Once, the great sage Nārada said to Lord Brahmā, ‘O best of the demigods, kindly describe to me the result one achieves by following Vijaya ekadashi, which occurs during the waning moon in the period of February-March. ‘Lord Brahmā replied, ‘My dear son, this oldest of vows is pure, and it eliminates all sinful activities. As suggested by its name, it gives the best result; this Vijaya ekadashi undoubtedly awards one the power of victory.

When Śrī Rāmacandra went to the forest for fourteen years with His wife Sītādevī and brother Laksmaṇa to fulfill the order of His father, for some time they lived in a beautiful forest known as Pañcavaṭī on the bank of the river Godāvarī. One day while they were residing in this forest, Rāvaṇa, the king of the demons, kidnapped austere Sītā-devī. Rāmacandra was overwhelmed with distress due to separation from her.

While wandering through the forest in search of Sītā, Rāmacandra met with Jaṭāyu, the king of the birds, who was about to die. Jaṭāyu told Rāmacandra everything about Sītā’s situation, and then he left this world and returned to Vaikuṇṭha. Thereafter, Rāmacandra became friends with Sugrīva. Many monkey soldiers were summoned to help Rāmacandra.

Meanwhile, Hanumān, the king of the monkeys, completed a great mission. He went to the Aśoka forest in Laṅkā and met with the kidnapped Sītā-devī. To convince her of his good intentions, he gave her Rāmacandra’s ring. Thereafter, Hanumān returned to Rāmacandra and explained to Him what had happened. Then Rāmacandra met with His friend Sugrīva and He decided to invade Laṅkā. Rāmacandra gathered a great number of monkey soldiers and took them to the shore of the ocean.

He asked Laksmaṇa, ‘O Saumitra, how will we cross this deep ocean which is full of dangerous animals such as whales and crocodiles?’ Laksmaṇa replied, ‘O original Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are the primeval Lord. A great sage named Bakadālbhya lives on a nearby island; his āśrama is four miles away. O son of the Raghu dynasty, this sage has had darśana of Lord Brahmā. We should ask him about how to cross this ocean.’

“Lord Rāmacandra followed Lak?maṇa’s advice and went to the āśrama of Bakadālbhya, and He offered respectful obeisances to the sage. The omniscient sage immediately understood that this person was the Supreme Lord Rāmacandra, and that He had appeared in the material world to accomplish some purpose of His pastimes, such as killing the demon Rāvaṇa.

The great sage asked, ‘O Rāmacandra, for what purpose have You kindly come here?’ Rāmacandra replied, ‘O brāhmana, by your mercy I have come here with My soldiers to fight the demons and conquer Laṅkā. O best of sages, please tell me a way to easily cross this vast ocean. I have come to your lotus feet for this reason.’

“The great sage said, ‘O Rāmacandra, I will tell You about a great vow by which You will certainly conquer Your enemies and attain extraordinary fame and opulence. You should follow this vow with undeviated attention. O Rāma, there is an ekadashi known as Vijaya ekadashi which occurs during the waning moon in the period of February-March. You will certainly be able to cross the ocean with Your monkey soldiers by observing this ekadashi.

O Lord Rāmacandra, please hear the procedure for following it. On the day before ekadashi, You should fill a pitcher made of gold, silver, copper, or clay with water and decorate it with mango twigs. Thereafter, You should place this pitcher on a sanctified, raised alter which is decorated with seven kinds of grains. Then, You should place a golden Deity of Lord Nārāyaṇa on this pitcher. On ekadashi, You should take bath early in the morning and worship this Deity with devotion by offering various items such as Tulasī leaves, sandalwood paste, flowers, garlands, incense, ghee lamp, and foodstuffs. You should also stay awake that night.

At sunrise on the day after ekadashi, you should place the pitcher on the bank of a river, pond, or lake and duly worship it. Thereafter, you should donate this pitcher along with the Deity of Nārāyaṇa to a brāhmana who strictly follows the vow of celibacy. You will certainly conquer your enemies by following this process.’

Lord Kṛsṇa concluded, “Lord Rāmacandra followed the great sage’s instruction by perfectly observing ekādaśī, and later He was victorious in battle. A person who properly follows the vow of ekadashi is certainly victorious in this life and in the next. Lord Brahmā said to Nārada, ‘O my dear son, this incident reveals why every human being should follow Vijayā ekādaśī. The glories of this ekadashi destroy all of one’s sinful reactions. One who reads or hears about the glories of this ekadashi obtains the result of a Vājapeya sacrifice.’”

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