🏵️ Apara Ekadashi Vrat Katha 🏵️
The mythology of Apara Ekadashi’s story goes back to ancient times. There was a ruler named Mahidhwaj who was kind and level-headed. He was a kind-hearted ruler, but his younger Vajradhwaj was exactly the opposite in nature compared to his elder brother. His heart was filled with malefic intentions against his brother, and he never liked his brother’s pious behavior. He was always looking for the opportunity to kill his brother and attain his power and kingdom. He did that exactly and buried the dead body of his brother under a peepal tree in a dark forest.
But according to destiny, Mahidhwaj met with premature death, and thus his soul took the form of a ghost. His spirit used to wander beneath the peepal tree. The spirit used to annoy any passerby, and this had become a headache for people passing through the tree. One day, a rishi was going through the same path and exchanged dialogues with the ghost of the king. He asked the king why his soul was still wandering. The spirit of the king told the story, and the sage, with his power, freed the spirit and taught him about the afterlife.
For the salvation of the king, the sage observed the fast of Apara Ekadashi and helped him get rid of the pret yoni. On the day of Dwadashi, he offered the virtue obtained after observing the fast to the soul of the king. With the effect of Apara Ekadashi’s fast, the spirit of the king attains moksha, gets rid of the pret yoni, and continues his afterlife journey.
According to popular belief and Hindu mythology, it is believed that the importance of this Ekadashi was narrated by Lord Krishna to King Yudhishthira. One who performs this Ekadashi vrat and rituals gets rid of past and present misdeeds and moves on the path of positivity. One of the main reasons for performing this Ekadashi is to achieve immense wealth, fame, and respect in society. It is also believed that the person may get out of this cycle of rebirth and death and reach the ultimate gate of moksha by performing the rituals of this Ekadashi with utmost devotion.
According to a few religious experts, it is believed that those who observe this vrat will get benefits equivalent to taking a holy dip in the Ganga during the month of Kartik. The good karma and deeds earned by doing the puja of Lord Vishnu during Apar Ekadashi are equivalent to donating a thousand cows and performing yajnas.
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