25th Aug is Annadaa Ekaadashi

1 view
Skip to first unread message

ISKCON-Ahmedabad

unread,
Aug 24, 2011, 8:44:04 AM8/24/11
to ISKCON Abad Googlegroup

|| हरे कृष्ण ||
|| Hare Kṛṣṇa ||

All Glories to Śrī Guru & Gaurānga!
All Glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Nitāi Gaura Premānande, HARI HARI BOLO!

पतितानाम पावनेभ्यो वैष्णवेभ्यो नमो नम:|
Patitānām Pāvanebhyo Vaiśṇavebhyo Namo Namaḥ!

Respected Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisance - dandavat praṇāma,

THURSDAY, 25th AUGUST 2011 is ANNADAA EKAADASHI / अन्नदा एकादशी / અન્નદા એકાદશી
& also Vyaas Pujaa of His Holiness Srila Gopaal Krishna Goswaami Mahaaraaj (Disciple of Srila Prabhupada)
PLEASE OBSERVE COMPLETE FAST AS PER THE RULES GIVEN BELOW AFTER THIS NARRATION AND ACQUIRE KRISHNA PREMA.
Aja-Annadaa Ekaadashi, or Bhadrapada-Krishna Ekaadashi

Sri Yudhisthira Maharaja said, "Oh Janardana, protector of all living entities, please tell me the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September)." The Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, then replied, "Oh King, hear Me attentively. The name of this sin-removing, sacred Ekadasi is Aja. Any person who fasts completely on this day and worships Hrishikesha, the master of the senses, becomes free of all reactions to his sins. Even one who simply hears about this Ekadasi is freed from his past sins. Oh King, there is no better day than this in all the earthly and heavenly worlds. This is true without a doubt. "There once lived a famous king named Harishchandra, who was the emperor of the world and a person of great truth and integrity. His wife's name was Chandramati, and he had a son named Lohitashva. By the force of destiny, however, Harishchandra lost his great kingdom and sold his wife and son. The pious king himself became a menial servant of a dog-eater, who made him guard a crematorium. Yet even while doing such menial service, he did not forsake his truthfulness and good character, just as soma-rasa, even when mixed with some other liquid, does not lose its ability to bestow immortality. "The king passed many years in this condition. Then one day he sadly thought, 'What shall I do? Where shall I go? How can I be delivered from this plight?' In this way he drowned in an ocean of anxiety and sorrow. "One day a great sage happened by, and when the king saw him he happily thought, 'Ah, Lord Brahma has created brahmins just to help others.' Harishchandra paid his respectful obeisances to the sage, whose name was Gautama Muni. With joined palms the king stood before Gautama Muni and narrated his pitiful story. Gautama Muni was astonished to hear the king's tale of woe. He thought, 'How has this mighty king been reduced to collecting clothes from the dead?' Gautama Muni became very much compassionate toward Harishchandra and instructed him on the process of fasting for purification. "Gautama Muni said, 'Oh king, during the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada there occurs an especially meritorious Ekadasi named Aja (Annada), which removes all sins. Indeed, this Ekadasi is so auspicious that if you simply fast on that day and perform no other austerity, all your sins will be nullified. By your good fortune it is coming in just seven days. So I urge you to fast on this day and remain awake through the night. If you do so, all the reactions of your past sins will come to an end. Oh Harishchandra, I have come here because of your past pious deeds. Now, all good fortune to you in the future!' So saying, the great sage Sri Gautama Muni immediately disappeared from his vision. "King Harishchandra followed Gautama Muni's instructions concerning fasting on the sacred day of Aja Ekadasi. Oh Maharaja Yudhisthira, because the king fasted on that day, the reactions to his previous sins were completely destroyed at once. Oh lion among kings, just see the influence of this Ekadasi fast! It immediately vanquishes whatever miseries one may be suffering as a result of past karmic sinful activities. Thus all Harishchandra's miseries were relieved. Just by the power of this wonderful Ekadasi, he was reunited with his wife and son, who had died but were now revived. In the heavenly regions the devas (demigods) began beating on their celestial kettledrums and showering down flowers upon Harishchandra, his queen, and their son. By the blessings of the Ekadasi fast, he regained his kingdom without difficulty. Moreover, when King Harishchandra left the planet, his relatives and all his subjects too, went with him to the spiritual world. "Oh Pandava, whoever fasts on Aja Ekadasi is surely freed from all his sins and ascends to the spiritual world. And whosoever hears and studies the glories of this Ekadasi achieves the merit gained by performing a horse sacrifice.

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Bhadrapada-Krishna Ekaadashi, or Aja Ekaadashi, from the Brahma-vaivarta Puraana.
Breakfast/Paarnaa time of Dvaadashi (26th August) for the devotees of Ahmedabad is from 06.19 am up to 10.34 am.

Devotees outside Ahmedabad kindly follow the link and find out the exact date and the time of breakfast on the next day for Ekaadashi & Dvaadashi respectively, according to your city/country location, as it is of great importance to break the fast within stipulated time. Also, sometimes Ekaadashis might occur one day before or after at different places.


OR

Install Vaishnava Calendar in your PC

http://www.krishnadays.com (This is authorized Vaishnava Calendar GCal by ISKCON GBC)


RULES FOR EKAADASHI FASTING AND BREAKFAST ON DVAADASHI


Those persons who are serious about the ultimate benefit for the soul will never eat grains on the Ekadashi tithi. According to the instructions of Lord Vishnu, every kind of sinful activity that can be found in the material world takes its residence in this place of foodstuff (grain). Whoever follows Ekadashi is freed from all sins and never enters into hellish regions. If one doesn't follow Ekadashi because of illusion, he is still considered the utmost sinner. For every mouthful of grain that is eaten by a person, one receives the effect of killing millions of Brahmans. It is definitely necessary that one give up eating grain on Ekadashi. Especially since even if one by trickery follows Ekadashi, all of his sin becomes destroyed and he very easily attains the supreme goal, the abode of Vaikuntha.

Rules for Ekaadashi
You should recommend the avoidance of mixed Ekadashi and the performance of pure Ekadashi. You should also describe the fault in not observing this. One should be very careful as far as these items are concerned. If one is not careful, one will be negligent in executing devotional service.

Vratas - what to do / austerities:
Specified foodgrains and beans (pulses) as foods that must be avoided on Ekadashi. One may use spices for cooking, although mustard seeds should be avoided. You should not use powdered asafatoeda (hing), since it (generally) contains grains. Sesame seeds are also to be avoided, except on Satila Ekadashi, when they may be offered and eaten.
Do not use any cooking ingredients that might be mixed with grains, such as ghee that has been used to fry puris, or spices touched by hands dusted with chapati flour. There is absolutely NO doubt about what is NOT permissible to eat on Ekadashi. ANNA-grains.What we could eat -"Fruits, Roots, Nuts, Milk". If you stick to these types of foods you should be fine. Of course the sure way is to fast completely. Water of course can be taken. Except if you wish to do Nirjala.

Someone who is very strictly observing Ekadashi should avoid all spices except pepper, rock salt and cumin. He should also eschew certain vegetables, such as tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, and leafy vegetables.

Dvaadashi (the day after ekaadasi - the day of breaking the Ekaadashi Fast):
(To observe Ekadashi properly, one should strictly observe the breaking of this fast.)
One should break the fast after the sunrise of the dvadasi, after the first quarter of the dvadashi tithi has passed, but before the dvadashi tithi has ended. After taking morning bath, one should offer the upavasa to the Lord:
Oh Kesava, be pleased with this vrata performed by one fallen in the modes of darkness. Oh Lord, bestow your glance of knowledge upon me.

Mahaadvaadashi:
Sometimes, due to the manner in which the ekadashi tithi and the dvadashi tithis are positioned in relation to the sunrise (there are six different cases), the vrata is observed on the dvadashi and the fast is broken the next day, the trayodashi. Such a fast day is called a mahadvadashi, to distinguish it from a regular dvadashi, which is the day to break the ekadashi fast.
With sincere prayers for your wellbeing and dandavat praṇāma,
Your humble servants at,

श्री राधागोविंदजी धाम - इस्कॉन अहमदाबाद
Śrī RādhāGovindajī Dhāma
ISKCON - Ahmedābād - INDIĀ

Land Phone: +91-79-2686-1945 / 1645 / 2350
                                http://picasaweb.google.com/iskcon.abad2

Google Groups
Subscribe to ISKCON-Ahmedabad, Śrī RādhāGovindajī Dhāma
Email:
Visit this group

Some Useful Links:

http://www.krishna.com
http://www.iskcondesiretree.com
http://www.iskcon.com
http://www.prabhupadavani.org
http://www.causelessmercy.com
http://www.vanipedia.org

Śrīla Prabhupāda: If one simply approaches the holy name with reverence and allows the holy name to enter through his ears into his heart, and especially if he accepts the divine name as his very life and soul, he can enter the deepest, most profound, most sublime of all spiritual mysteries.

Always Chant Mahaa-Mantra...
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण, कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |
हरे राम हरे राम, राम राम हरे हरे ||
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare |
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Hare Hare ||
...and be Happy
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages