? Mokshda Ekadashi Puja Vidhi ?
- Wake up in Mokshda Ekadashi Brahma Muhurta, take a bath and wear clean clothes. Purify the place of worship in the house with Gangajal.
- After this, light a lamp in front of the idol or picture of Lord Krishna.
- Offer Tulsi Dal, flowers, incense, lamp, and naivedya to God.
- Recite the Bhagavadgita and chant the mantras of Lord Krishna. Along with this, chant the mantra “Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay”.
- Remain fasting on this holy festival and listen or read the story of Ekadashi.
- Perform the aarti of Lord Krishna at night and organize bhajan-kirtan.
- The next day on the day of Dwadashi, feed the Brahmins and break the fast by giving donations.
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? Mokshada Ekadashi Vrat Katha ?
After listening to the origin, glory, importance etc. of Utpanna Ekadashi, Arjuna said to Shri Krishna- “O most revered Lord Shri Krishna! O Trilokinath! You are the one who gives happiness and salvation to everyone, I salute you. O Lord! You are the one who is kind. Satisfy one of my queries.”
Lord Shri Krishna said- “O Arjun! Whatever you want to know, tell me fearlessly, I will surely satisfy your curiosity.”
“O Lord! What you have told me about Ekadashi of Krishna Paksha of Margashirsha month, I got great peace from it. Now kindly tell me about the Ekadashi which falls in the Shukla Paksha of Margashirsha month. What is its name? Which deity is worshipped on that day and what is the method of worshipping it? What benefit does a man get by observing its fast? Lord! Answer these questions of mine in detail and remove my curiosity, it will be your great favour.”
Hearing Arjuna’s curiosity, Shri Krishna said- ‘O Arjun! You have asked a very good question, therefore your fame will spread in the world. Ekadashi of the Shukla Paksha of Margashirsha month destroys many sins. In the world it is known as Mokshada Ekadashi. On this Ekadashi, one should worship Lord Damodar with devotion by offering incense, lamp, naivedya etc. O son of Kunti! Due to the effect of the virtue of this Ekadashi fast, the mother, father, ancestors who have gone to hell attain heaven.
Its story is as follows in a Purana, listen to it carefully- A king named Vaikhanas ruled in an ancient city. In his kingdom lived Brahmins who knew all the four Vedas. The king used to take care of his subjects like his sons. One night in his dream, the king saw his father suffering the tortures of hell, seeing such a dream the king became very restless. He started waiting for the morning restlessly. As soon as it was morning, he called the Brahmins and told them about his dream- ‘O Brahmins! Last night in my dream I saw my father suffering the tortures of hell. He said to me, O son! I am suffering a terrible hell. Free me from here. Ever since I have heard these words of his, I have no peace. Now I do not find the kingdom, happiness, prosperity, elephants, horses, wealth, women, sons etc. pleasing. What should I do now? Where should I go? My body is suffering due to this sorrow. You people tell me some kind of penance, charity, fast etc., by which my father gets salvation. If I do not make efforts to free my father from the tortures of hell, then my life is useless. The person whose father is suffering the tortures of hell, has no right to enjoy happiness on this earth. O Brahmin Gods. Kindly tell me some remedy for this soon.’
Hearing the pain of the king’s inner sorrow, the Brahmins discussed among themselves, then unanimously said- ‘King! There is a sage named Parvat who knows the present, past and future. He is not very far from here. You should go and tell him your problem, he will surely tell you some simple solution for this.’
The king followed the advice of the Brahmins and went to the hermitage of the sage. Many calm-minded Yogis and sages were doing penance in the hermitage. Parvat Muni, the knower of all the four Vedas, seemed to be sitting like another Brahma. The king bowed down to him and introduced himself. Parvat Muni asked the king about his well-being, then the king told- ‘O sage! Due to your grace, everything is fine in my kingdom, but suddenly a problem has come up in front of me, due to which my heart is getting very restless.
Then the king told the sage with a heavy heart the whole story of the dream he had seen at night and then said in a sad voice- ‘O Maharshi! Now please guide me as to what should I do in such a situation? How can I free my father from the torture of hell?’
Parvat Muni listened to the king’s words seriously, then closed his eyes and started thinking about the past and the future. After thinking seriously for some time, he said- ‘O King! I have gained knowledge of all the misdeeds of your father through my yogic powers. He had discriminated between his wives in his previous life. He did not give his second wife the gift of menstruation when she asked for it, following the advice of his elder queen. Your father has gone to hell because of that sinful act.’
Knowing this, Vaikhanas said in a pleading voice- ‘O Rishivar! Please tell me some way to redeem my father, how will he be freed from this sin?’
On this, Parvat Muni said- ‘O King! The Ekadashi that falls in the Shukla Paksha of Margashirsha month is called Mokshada Ekadashi. It provides salvation. You should observe the fast of this Mokshada Ekadashi and after taking a vow, offer the virtue of that fast to your father. Your father will definitely be liberated due to the virtuous effect of Ekadashi.’
Listening to the words of Parvat Muni, the king returned to his kingdom and observed the Mokshada Ekadashi fast along with his family. The king offered the virtue of this fast to his father. Due to the effect of this virtue, the king’s father got salvation easily. While departing to heaven, the king’s father said- ‘O son! May you be blessed’ Saying this, the king’s father departed to heaven. O son of Pandu! Those people who observe the Ekadashi fast of the Shukla Paksha of Margashirsha month, all their sins are destroyed and finally they attain heaven. There is no other fast better than this and which provides salvation. Listening and reading this story gives infinite fruits. This fast is like Chintamani which provides salvation. By which all the wishes of the person who fasts are fulfilled. O Arjun! Every person has a strong desire to attain salvation. This fast of Mokshada Ekadashi is very important for those who desire salvation. There is no better example of a son’s responsibility towards his father than this story. Therefore, this fast should be observed with full devotion and faith in the name of Lord Vishnu.”
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? Story Summary ?
This is a great and sacred story of devotion towards one’s father and offering virtues for others. This fast does not only benefit the person who observes it, but also his ancestors. By offering the fruits of this fast to any of his relatives, friends or relatives, his sins and sufferings also get destroyed.