Mokshada Ekadashi / Guruvayur Ekadasi

Courtesy:Sri.S.Ramaswamy

Mokshada Ekadashi

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Mokshada Ekadashi
The day Krishna delivered the Bhagavad Gitato Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra
Also called	Margashirsha Mokshada Ekadashi day
Observed by	Hindus
Type	Hindu
Significance	Fasting day
Observances	Prayers and religious rituals, including puja to Vishnu andKrishna
Date	Decided by the lunar calendar
2013 date	13 December[1]
2014 date	02 December

Mokshada Ekadashi is a Hindu holy day, which falls on the 11th lunar day (ekadashi) of the fortnight of the waxing moon in theHindu month of Margashirsha (Agrahayana), corresponding to November-December. Hindus, particularly Vaishnavas observe a 24-hour fast in honour of the god Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu.

The ekadashi is celebrated on the same day as Gita Jayanti, the day when Krishna gave the holy sermon of the Bhagavad Gita to the Pandava prince Arjuna, as described in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The 700-verse Bhagavad Gita told at the beginning of the climactic Mahabharata war between the Pandavas and their cousins, the Kauravas at Kurukshetra, deals with a variety of Hindu philosophical ideas.^[3][4]

Contents

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• 1 Legend
• 2 Practices
• 3 See also
• 4 References
• 5 Bibliography

Legend[edit]

The legend about Mokshada Ekadashi is narrated by the god Krishna to the Pandava King Yudhishtira in the Brahmanda Purana. Once, a saintly king called Vaikhanasa ruled in the city of Champakanagar with total compassion treating the subjects as his own children. His subjects belonged to the Vishnu-worshipping Vaishnava sect and were very erudite in Vedic knowledge. Once in the night, the king had a dream and saw his late father being tormented in Naraka (Hell), ruled by Yama, the god of death. The king was highly anguished and related this nightmare to his council the next day. He sought their advice as to how to free his dead father and his ancestors from tortures of Hell and grant them moksha (salvation). The council advised the king to approach the omniscient saint, Parvata Muni ("sage of the mountain"). The sage meditated and found the reason for the hellish torture of the king's father. He mentioned that his father had committed the sin of quarrelling with his wife and having coitus with her in her menstrual cycle, in spite of her strong protests. As a solution to rectify the situation, the sage suggested to the king to observe vrata (vow) of the Mokshada Ekadashi day. On Moksha Ekadashi, the king observed the vrata with a complete fast along with his wife, children and relatives with full faith and devotion. The king's religious merit (obtained from the vrata) pleased the gods of heaven, who carried the king's father to heaven. Mokshada Ekadashi is compared with the chintamani, the gem that yields all desires and special merit is achieved by the vrata, by which one can elevate someone from hell to heaven or attain salvation himself.^[3][4]

Practices[edit]

The complete fast from sunrise on Mokshada Ekadashi to the dawn the next day is observed. People who cannot fast for that period observe a partial fast. Only vegetarian food, especially fruits, vegetables, milk products and nuts, are consumed. Eating rice, beans, pulses, garlic, and onions is prohibited on this day.^[3]

Like most ekadashis, the rites involve worship and prayers to Vishnu. On this day, the avatar Krishna is also worshipped. Devotees properly observing the fast are believed to attain moksha after death.^[5]

Guruvayur Ekadasi .

Guruvayur Ekadasi is observed in the famous Sri KrishnaTemple at Guruvayur in Kerala. It is observed in the Vrischikam month as per traditional Malayalam calendar. Guruvayur Ekadasi 2014 date is December 2. The corresponding Ekadasi in other regions is known as Mokshada Ekadasi. The Geeta Jayanti is also observed on the day.

The major highlight on the Ekadasi day in Guruvayur is the elephant procession. Gajarajan Guruvayur Kesavan – an elephant that attained legendary status when it was alive – is remembered and honored on the day.

Ekadasi Vilakku and distribution of Dwadasi Panam are the other important rituals on the day.

Ekadashi is a highly auspicious day dedicated to Lord Vishnu on the eleventh day of every lunar fortnight in traditional Hindu calendar. In 2014, the date of Guruvayur Ekadasi is December 2. There are 24 Ekadasis in a year and the Ekadashi that falls in the waxing phase of moon in the Malayalam month Vrishchikam (November – December) is observed as Guruvayur Ekadasi in the world famous Guruvayoor Sri Krishna Temple in Kerala – the abode of Guruvayurappan.

Lord Guruvayurappan is the owner of the largest number of elephants in India and on the Ekadashi day there are special elephant processions.

One of the most important rituals associated with Guruvayur Ekadashi, is the lighting of Ekadasi Vilakku (lamps). It starts a month before the actual Ekadasi day. 

The temple does not close the doors of the Sanctum Sanctorum on Ekadasi day. The temple doors which opens on at 0300 hrs on Dasami, the day before Ekadasi, is only closed at 0900 hrs on Dwadasi Day – the day after Ekadashi.

A highlight of the Ekadasi is the honoring of the elephant Gajarajan Guruvayur Kesavan – an elephant that attained legendary status when it was alive and is still remembered and honored at the temple. Guruvayur Kesavan had died on a Guruvayur Ekadasi day. On the day, the leader of the elephants at Punnathur Kotta of the Guruvayur Temple places a garland at the statue of Guruvayur Kesavan and all the elephants stand around and pay obeisance. 

There is also a grant elephant procession to the nearbyParthasarathy Temple as it is the day when Bhagavad Gita was rendered to Arjuna by Lord Krishna – Geeta Jayanti, which is known as Geethopadesam Day here.

At night on Ekadasi day, there is yet another elephant procession.

On the Dwadasi day – the day after Ekadasi – there is a unique custom of offering Dwadasi Panam in the Koothambalam of the temple. The Dwadasi Panam is a token amount of money and it is considered highly auspicious.