king Māndhātā once said to Vasiṣṭha Muni, "O great sage, kindly be merciful to me
and tell me of a holy fast that will benefit me eternally."
Vasiṣṭha Muni replied. "O king, kindly listen as I describe the best of all fast days,
Āmalakī Ekādaśī. He who faithfully observes a fast on this Ekādaśī obtains enormous wealth,
gets free of the effects of all kinds of sins, and attains liberation. Fasting on this Ekādaśī is more
purifying than donating one thousand cows in charity to a pure brāhmana. So please hear me
attentively as I tell you the story of a hunter who, though daily engaged in killing innocent
animals for his living, achieved liberation by observing a fast on Āmalakī Ekādaśī following the
prescribed rules and regulations of worship.
"There was once a kingdom named Vaidiṣā, where all the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiṣyas and
śūdras were equally endowed with Vedic knowledge, great bodily strength, and fine intelligence.
O lion among kings, the whole kingdom was full of Vedic sounds, not a single person was
atheistic, and no one sinned. The ruler of this kingdom was King Pāśabinduka, a member of the
dynasty of Soma, the moon. He was also known as Citraratha and was very religious and
truthful. It is said that King Citraratha had the strength of ten thousand elephants and that he was
very wealthy and knew the six branches of Vedic wisdom perfectly.
"During the reign of Mahārāja Citraratha, not a single person in his kingdom attempted to
practice another's dharma so perfectly engaged in their own dharmas were all the brāhmaṇas,
kṣatriyas, vaiṣyas and śūdras. Neither miser nor pauper was to be seen throughout the land, not
was there ever a drought or flood. Indeed, the kingdom was free of disease, and everyone
enjoyed good health. The people rendered loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality
of God, Lord Viṣṇu, as did the king, who also rendered special service to Lord Śiva. Moreover,
twice a month everyone fasted on Ekādaśī.
"In this way, O best of kings, the citizens of Vaidiṣ ā lived many long years in great happiness
and prosperity. Giving up all varieties of materialistic religion, they completely dedicated
themselves to the loving service of the Supreme Lord, Hari.
"Once, in the month of Phalguna, the holy fast of Āmalakī Ekādaśī arrived, conjoined with
Dvādaśī. King Citraratha realised that this particular fast would bestow especially great benefit,
and thus he and all the citizens of Vaidiṣā observed this sacred Ekādaśī very strictly, carefully
following all the rules and regulations.
"After bathing in the river, the king and all his subjects went to the temple of Lord Viṣṇu, where
an Āmalakī tree grew. First the king and his leading sages offered the tree a pot filled with water,
as well as a fine canopy, shoes, gold, diamonds, rubies, pearls, sapphires, and aromatic incense.
Then they worshiped Lord Paraśurāma with these prayers: 'O Lord Paraśurāma, O son of
Reṇukā, O all-pleasing one, O liberator of the worlds, kindly come beneath this holy Āmalakī
Ktree and accept our humble obeisances.' Then they prayed to the Āmalakī tree: 'O Āmalakī, O
offspring of Lord Brahmā, you can destroy all kinds of sinful reactions. Please accept our
respectful obeisances and these bumble gifts. O Āmalakī, you are actually the form of Brahman,
and you were once worshiped by Lord Rāmacandra Himself. Whoever circumambulates you is
therefore immediately freed of all his sins.'
"After offering these excellent prayers, King Citraratha and his subjects remained awake
throughout the night, praying and worshiping according to the regulations governing a sacred
Ekādaśī fast. It was during this auspicious time of fasting and prayer that a very irreligious man
approached the assembly, a man who maintained himself and his family by killing animals.
Burdened with both fatigue and sin, the hunter saw the king and the citizens of Vaidiṣā observing
Āmalakī Ekādaśī by performing an all- night vigil, fasting, and worshiping Lord Viṣṇu in the
beautiful forest setting, which was brilliantly illuminated by many lamps. The hunter hid nearby,
wondering what this extraordinary sight before him was.
'What is going on here?' he thought. What he saw in that lovely forest beneath the holy Āmalakī
tree was the Deity of Lord Dāmodara being worshiped upon the āsana of a waterpot, and what he
heard were devotees singing sacred songs describing Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental forms and
pastimes. Despite himself, that staunchly irreligious killer of innocent birds and animals spent
the entire night in great amazement as he watched the Ekādaśī celebration and listened to the
glorification of the Lord.
"Soon after sunrise, the king and his royal retinue - including the court sages and all the citizens
-completed their observance of Ekādaśī and returned to the city of Vaidiṣā. The hunter then
returned to his hut and happily ate his meal. In due time the hunter died, but the merit he had
gained by fasting on Āmalakī Ekādaśī and hearing the glorification of the Supreme Personality
of God, as well as by being forced to stay awake all night, made him eligible to be reborn as a
great king endowed with may chariots, elephants, horses, and soldiers. His name was Vas ūratha,
the son of King Vidūratha, and he ruled over the kingdom of Jayantī.
"King Vasūratha was strong and fearless, as effulgent as the Sun, and as handsome as the Moon.
In strength he was like Viṣṇu, and in forgiveness like the Earth itself. Very charitable and every
truthful, King Vasūratha always rendered loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Śrī
Viṣṇu. He therefore became very well versed in Vedic knowledge. Always active in the affairs of
state, he enjoyed taking excellent care of his subjects, as though they were his own children. He
disliked pride in anyone and would smash it when he saw it. He performed many kinds of
sacrifices, and he always made certain that the needy in his kingdom received enough charity.
"One day, while hunting in the jungle, King Vasūratha strayed from the footpath and lost his
way. Wandering for some time and eventually growing weary, he paused beneath a tree and,
using his arms as a pillow, fell asleep. As he slept, some barbarian tribesmen came upon him
and, remembering their longstanding enmity toward the king, began discussing among
themselves various ways to kill him. 'It is because he killed our fathers, mothers, brothers- in- law,
grandsons, nephews, and uncles that we are forced to aimlessly wander like so many madmen in
the forest.' So saying, they prepared to kill King Vasūratha with various weapons, including
spears, swords, arrows and mystic ropes.
"But none of these deadly weapons could even touch the sleeping king, and soon the uncivilised,
dog-eating tribesmen grew frightened. Their fear sapped their strength, and before long they lost
what little intelligence they had and became almost unconscious with bewilderment and
weakness. Suddenly a beautiful woman appeared from the king's body, startling the aborigines.
Decorated with many ornaments, emitting a wonderful fragrance, wearing an excellent garland
around her neck, her eyebrows drawn in a mood of fierce anger, and her fiery red eyes ablaze,
she looked like death personified. With her blazing chakra discus she quickly killed all the tribal
hunters, who had tried to slay the sleeping king.
"Just then the king awoke, and seeing all the dead tribesmen lying around him, he was
astonished. He wondered, 'These are all great enemies of mine! Who has slain them so violently?
Who is my great benefactor?'
"At that very moment he heard a voice from the sky: 'You ask who helped you. Well, who is that
person who alone can help anyone is distress? He is none other than Śrī Keśava, the Supreme
Personality of God, He who saves all who take shelter of Him without any selfish motive.'
"Upon hearing these words, King Vasūratha became over-whelmed with love for the Personality
of God. He returned to his capital city and ruled there like a second Indra, without any obstacles
at all.
"Therefore, O King Māndhātā," the venerable Vasiṣṭha Muni concluded, "...anyone who
observes this holy Āmalakī Ekādaśī will undoubtedly attain the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu, so
great is the religious merit earned from the observance of this most sacred fast day."
Thus ends the Vṛjavāsī narration of the glories of Phālguna-sukla Ekādaśī, or Āmalakī Ekādaśī,
from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare|
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare||
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