Chapter 47 - Kāmadā Ekādaśī

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

1. Salutation to you, O Vāsudeva; tell me, Ekādaśī of which name would fall in the bright half of Caitra.

Śrīkṛṣṇa said:

2. O king, listen attentively to an auspicious old tale which formerly Vasiṣṭha narrated to Dilīpa who had asked (him).

Dilīpa said:

3. O revered one, I desire to hear. Favour me and tell me what the name of the Ekādaśī that would fall in the bright half of Caitra, is.

Vasiṣṭha said:

4-12. O king, you have asked well. I shall tell (about it) to you. The Ekādaśī falling in the bright half of Caitra is Kāmadā by name. (This) Ekādaśī is most auspicious, and is a fire to the fuel of sins. O king, listen to this story which destroys sins, (and) which gives religious merit. Formerly in the beautiful city of Nāgapura, adorned with gold and jewels, lived very powerful nāgas led by Puṇḍarīka. In that city king Puṇḍarīka ruled. He was served by gandharvas, kinnaras, and celestial nymphs also. The excellent celestial nymph was Lalitā; and the (excellent) gandharva was Lalita; the couple, glowing with attachment, and oppressed by passion of love, rejoiced in their beautiful house which was full of wealth and grains. In the heart of Lalitā (her) husband always resided; (and) in his heart, that beautiful Lalitā always resided. Once Puṇḍarīka, remaining in his assembly, was sporting. Lalita, without his wife, was singing and dancing (there). Remembering Lalitā, his tongue stumbled over (i.e. while uttering) an arrangement of words. Knowing the state of his mind, the best nāga Karkoṭaka reported his error in (uttering) the arrangement of words to Puṇḍarīka.

13-20. Hearing the words of Karkoṭaka, Puṇḍarīka, the king of the nāgas, with his eyes red due to anger, became extremely fierce. He then cursed Lalita who was singing and was overpowered by the passion of love: “O you of a wicked mind, be a demon that eats raw flesh, and that eats human beings, since, being influenced by (the love for) your wife, you are singing before me.” As a result of his words, he (i.e. Lalita) got a demon’s form, O best king. His face was fierce. His eyes were deformed. He caused fear even when just seen. His arms were as long as a yojana. His mouth resembled a cave. His eyes were like the moon and the sun. His neck was like a mountain. His nostrils were (just) hollows. His lips were a yojana in length. O lord of kings, his body rose (up to) eight yojanas. He, as result of his deed(s) became a demon of this type. And that Lalitā, seeing her husband thus deformed was oppressed by great grief, and thought to herself: “What do (i.e. should) I do? Where do (i.e. should) I go? My husband is troubled by the curse.” Recalling like this to her mind, she did not obtain pleasure in her mind.

21-25. Lalitā, along with her husband, moved into a dense forest. That demon who took any form he liked, was cruel, was engaged in (committing) sins, who was deformed, ate human beings, wandered in that impassable forest. He, oppressed by sins, did not have pleasure at night or by day. Seeing her husband like that Lalitā was very much pained. She, weeping, wandered with him in (that) dense forest. Having seen a lovely hermitage and a sage of a tranquil form, she quickly went to him, and saluting him, stood before him. Seeing her distressed, the sage, solely devoted to kindness, said to her: “Who are you? Why have you come here? Tell the truth to me.”

Lalitā said:

26-28. There is a gandharva Vīradhanvan (by name). I am the daughter of that noble one. Know me to be Lalitā by name. I have come here for the sake of my husband. O great sage, due to a sin, my husband has become a demon of a fierce form and wicked deeds. Seeing him, I am not happy. Now, O brāhmaṇa, instruct me. O lord, tell me what I should do. (Tell me about) the religious merit due to which he is free from his state of demon, O best brāhmaṇa.

The sage said:—

29-31. O you beautiful woman, it is now. the bright half of the month of Caitra. O Lalitā, (in it falls) the Kāmadā Ekādaśī which is great and which destroys sins. O auspicious one, duly observe its vow as told by me. Give the religious merit which (you will obtain) from this vow to your husband. When the religious merit is given (to him), his sin will go away in a moment.

Hearing these words of the sage, Lalitā was delighted.

32-39. Having fasted on the Ekādaśī, so also on the day of Dvādaśī, Lalitā, in the vicinity of a brāhmaṇa, and in front of Viṣṇu, uttered these words for the emancipation of her husband: “I have observed the vow, viz. the Kāmadā fast. Let his goblin-hood go (away) by the prowess of that religious merit.” Merely at the words of Lalitā, just at that moment, his sins went away, and he had a divine form. His state of a demon went (away) and he got gandharva-hood again. Full of gold and jewels, he rejoiced with Lalitā. The couple having more lovely forms than before got into an excellent aeroplane, and looked more charming due to the efficacy of Kāmadā. O best king, realising this, this (Kāmadā-vow) should be carefully observed. For the good of the people I told it to you. It destroys sins like that of the condition of a goblin. There is nothing superior to it in the three worlds with the mobile and the immobile. O king, by reciting about it, and listening to the (the account of) it one would get the fruit of a Vājapeya sacrifice.