Chapter 39 - The importance of the Mokṣadā Ekādaśī

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

1-3. I salute Viṣṇu who is actually the lord, who gives happiness to the three worlds, who is the lord of the universe, the author of everything, the ancient Puruṣottama. O lord of gods, I ask (because) I have a great doubt (and also) for the well-being of the world and for the destruction of sins. O master, tell me in detail and properly, about the manner in which that Ekādaśī^[1] which would fall in the bright half of Mārgaśīrṣa, is observed and which deity is worshipped (on that day).

Śrīkṛṣṇa said:

4-17. O king, you have asked well. Your spotless fame is excellent. O lord of kings, I shall tell you about the excellent day of (i.e. sacred to) Viṣṇu. The Dvādaśī that has come up in the dark half ofMārgaśīrṣa is dear to me. (This one) called Mārgaśīrṣa-utpatti has sprung up from my body. O best among the Bharatas, it has sprung up for killing the gods (?) and demons. O best king, I have told about it to you. The day previous (to this) in the dark half of the (month of) Mārgaśīrṣa is called Utpatti Ekādeśī in the three worlds with the mobile and the immobile. Hereafter I shall describe the one that falls in the bright half of Mārgaśīrṣa, by hearing about which a man would obtain the fruit of the Vājapeya (sacrifice). It is great, is called by the name Mokṣadā and removes all sins. A man should carefully worship Dāmodara (i.e. Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, on this day), O king. (He should worship Viṣṇu) carefully with the Tulasī-sprouts, according to the manner (told) before. This Ekādaśī (having on that day a portion of) Daśamī also, is called Mokṣā (i.e. Mokṣadā) Ekādaśī. It destroys great sins. At night he should keep awake with dances, songs and my eulogies. O king, listen. I shall tell you a divine, ancient story, by merely hearing which all sins would perish. There is no doubt that due to the religious merit that it gives, the (dead) forefathers (of a man) that have, due to (their) sins, gone to (i.e. born in) a mean stock, go to (i.e. obtain) salvation. In the city (called) Campaka which was adorned with Viṣṇu’s devotees, there (lived) a king Vaikbā-nasa by name. He would (i.e. he did) look after his subjects like his own sons. (In the city) lived many brāhmaṇas who had mastered the Vedas and the Upaniṣads. The subjects of that king Vaikhānasa were prosperous. O king, he was ruling over his kingdom like this. He (once) saw at night in a dream his own forefathers gone to a mean stock. He, seeing all of them like this, with his mind full of amazement, told the account that took place in the dream to brāhmaṇas.

The king said:

18-23. O brāhmaṇas, I saw my forefathers gone to hell, and saying to me: “O you born of our bodies, emancipate us from this ocean of hell.” I saw them speaking like this and weeping repeatedly, O best brāhmaṇas. Due to this I am unhappy. This great kingdom does not give me pleasure. O brāhmaṇas, I am not pleased with all the horses and the elephants. O best brāhmaṇas, my wife and sons do not please me. What do (i.e. should) I do? O best brāhmaṇas, tell me about that vow, that practice of penance, by means of which my ancestors will go to (i.e. obtain) salvation. What is the fruit (i.e. use) of that son who is living richly, who is mighty and magnanimous, when his father lives in a fearful hell?’

The brāhmaṇas said:

24-29. The great hermitage of the sage Parvata who knows the past and the future, is nearby. O best king, go to that hermitage.

Then hearing (these) words of them, the great king Vaikhā-nasa quickly went to the hermitage of Parvata. The king was surrounded by brāhmaṇas and accompanied by (other) kings. The best king reached his (i.e. Parvata’s) extensive hermitage. Having seen the best sage like another Brahma, surrounded by sages well-versed in the study of Ṛgveda, Yajurveda and Sāmaveda, king Vaikhānasa saluted the sage (by prostrating before him) in the manner of a staff and touched his feet. The sage asked him about the welfare of the seven constituent^[2] parts of the kingdom, so also about the absence of trouble in the kingdom and the king’s happiness.

The king said:

30-38. O master, by your favour there is well-being in the seven constituent parts of my kingdom. How can those who are devoted to Viṣṇu and brāhmaṇas, have (any) difficulty? I saw in a dream my ancestors living in hell. O master, I have come to you to clear the doubt, O best brāhmaṇa, as to which religious merit will give them salvation. O best sage, some remedy should be adopted in this case.

Having heard these words from him, Parvata, the best sage, the ascetic, resembling Brahma, fixed his eyes in meditation. Remaining in meditation for a short time, he replied to the king: “O lord of kings, I have understood the former acts of your ancestors. In his previous existence, your father, a kṣatriya, was proud of his kingdom. Prompted by his royal duty and seeking to gain his object, he, leaving his wife behind in the time favourable for conception, went to a village. Your father did not give her (what should be given to his wife) during the period favourable for conception (i.e. did not copulate with her). As a result of that sin, O best king, your father, along with your ancestors, fell into a very terrible hell.” After that king Vaikhānasa again said to the sage: “O sage, by to the power of which vow would they have salvation?”

The sage said:

39-47. In the bright half of Mārgaśīrṣa there is the Mokṣā (or Mokṣadā Ekādaśī). All should observe this vow, and (its) religious merit should be given to a (dead) father (i.e. ancestor). By the efficacy of that religious merit they will have salvation. O glorious one, this is true since it is the statement of Brahmā.

Having heard the words of the sage he again came back to his house. And then the month of Mārgaśīrṣa also came. King Vaikhānasa, having observed the vow with effort, gave, along with all, its religious merit to his father. When the religious merit was given, just in a moment, shower of flowers occurred from the sky; and Vaikhānasa’s father, along with his ancestors, entered (i.e. obtained) salvation. And from the sky he (i.e. the father) spoke (these) auspicious words: “O son, may it be well with you, may it be well with you.” Speaking thus he went to heaven. O king, the sins of him who observes the auspicious (vow of) the Mokṣā (i.e. Mokṣadā) Ekādaśī, perish, and after death he would obtain salvation. There cannot be any Ekādaśī superior to this one, that would give (one) salvation. O king, I do not know the measure of religious merit (it gives). O king, this is the vow of him who does good to me. This (vow) is like the desire-yielding gem. It gives salvation to men. A man would get the fruit (of the performance) of a Vājapeya sacrifice by reading about and listening to it.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

From this chapter onwards the Ekādaśīs falling in each of the two fortnights of a month are described. The months are said to end with the full-moon day.

To the north of the Narmadā, a month is generally considered to end with the full-moon day, while in other parts of the country. the month is supposed to end with the new-moon day. The bright half is the same. That half of the month which is the dark half of Caitra according to the practice followed to the north of Narmadā, is the dark half of the Vaiśākha month in other parts of the country.

[2]:

Saptāṅgāni: The seven constituents of a kingdom are: the king, the minister, the allies, the treasury, the territory, the fortress, and the army.