26 Dec 2024 evening – Glories of Ekadasi (English) | Puebla, Mexico | Srila BV Vana Maharaja
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Ekadasi tithi occurs 11 days after the full moon and after the new moon.
Some people fast on ekadasi for their own health, but in the Vaisnava Sampradaya we observe ekadasi for the exclusive pleasure of Krsna, this is suddha-bhakti.
Sloka that defines suddha-bhakti (bhakti-pure): anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam… (CC Madhya-lila 19.167).
On Ekadasi we should stay very close to the Lord by chanting the Holy Names.
Story of King Rukmangada, his son Dharmangada and the glories of Ekadasi.
Sloka that presents the stages of the process of devotion/bhakti: ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo ’tha bhajana-kriyā tato ’nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt… (CC Madhya-lila 23.14-15).
Three types of stubbornness that are difficult to undo: that of the child, that of the woman and that of the king.
About Srila Bhakti Gaurava Vaikanasa Maharaja, disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, and his dialogue with a brahma-daitya type ghost about the glories of ekadasi.
Story of the origin of the ekadasi fast: lila of Visnu fighting with the demon Mura and the appearance of the beautiful young girl Ekadasi, a potency/sakti of Visnu.
Story of an impersonalist who was about to merge into brahma but listened to Krsna-katha, gave up his meditation on brahma and became a servant of Srimati Radhika.
Sloka revealing the supremacy of Harikatha: nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc chrotra mano-‘bhirāmāt ka uttamaśloka-… (SB 10.1.3).
Story of the sadhu who spoke Harikatha with his eyes closed for many hours and everyone left.
Ambarisa Maharaja’s lila with Durvasa Rsi shows the importance of breaking ekadasi at the right time as marked by the calendar.
