Vaikunta Ekadashi-Karnataka

About:

According to Puranas, Lord Vishnu opened the gate of Vaikuntam (his abode) for two demons in spite of them being against the Lord. They also asked for the boon that those listen to their story and see the image of Lord coming out of the Dwar called Vaikunth Dwar(Doors of Heaven) they reach Vaikunth as well! Temples all over the India makes a door kind of structure on this day for devotees to pass through that.

Yudhisthira Maharaj said, Oh Lord Sri Krishna, O glorious son of Vasudeva, please be merciful to me and describe the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Phalguna .Lord Sri Krishna replied, Oh Yudhisthira, Oh king of kings, gladly I shall tell you about this great fast, known as Vijaya Ekadasi. Whoever observes it certainly achieves success in this life and the next. All the sins of one who fasts on this Ekadasi and hears its sublime glories are eradicated.

Narada Muni once asked lord Brahma, who sits on a lotus flower about the Vijaya Ekadasi. Sri Narada said, Oh best of all the demigods, kindly tell me the merit one can achieve by faithfully observing Vijaya Ekadasi.'Narada's great father then replied, My dear son, this oldest of fasting days is pure, and it nullifies all sins. I have never revealed this to anyone until today, but you can understand beyond any doubt that this Ekadasi bestows the result indicated .

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History:

According to Vishnu Purana, fasting on Vaikunta Ekadashi is holier to fasting on the remaining 23 Ekadashis of the (Hindu) year. However according to Vaishnava tradition fasting is mandatory on all Ekadashi of both Sukla paksha and Krishna paksha.In the Padma Purana, the female energy of Lord Vishnu slayed demon Muran in the form of a damsel named "Ekadashi" and protects 'Devas'. Hence those who worship `Ekadashi' on the day of her victory over Muran would reach `Vaikunth' (His abode).In Mahabarata, Bhagavad Gita - the Gita Upadesh between Lord Krishna and Arjuna at the beginning of Kurukshetra War is said to have occurred on this day.

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Grains (e.g. millet, barley, farina, pasta, rice, corn) and all types of flour made from grains and beans (e.g., rice flour, chickpea flour, urad dahl flour).Starches from corn or grains, and products made from or mixed with these starches like baking soda, baking powder, certain soft drinks with corn syrup, custard, certain yoghurts and puddings, certain varieties of cream and cottage cheese, certain sweets and candies, and tapioca balls.

Culture of Festivities:

Ekadashi is the eleventh day of a fortnight belonging to a lunar month. It refers to the eleventh day of a fortnight belonging to a lunar month. There are two fortnights in a lunar month-the bright and the dark. So, Ekadasi occurs twice in a month, in the bright fortnight and the dark fortnight. Its observance is an astrological phenomenon and it is observed due to this relation we have with some of the planets in the system. In the Rig-veda, the sun is identified with the soul of the universe as well as the soul of the individual, the centre of our personality; hence the sun is called Atmakaraka.On the Ekadashi day the sun and the moon influence the human mind to attain high levels of concentration and meditation. Hence, Seekers and Yogis take advantage of these two days and try to practise deep meditation. Vaishnavas treat Ekadasi as a very holy day and also observe a fast on that day

The special feature of Ekadasi, as most people know it, is a fast, abstinence from diet. There is really no intrinsic connection between fast and meditation, but there is some advantage in keeping the body light and the stomach free from excessive metabolic function.Thus the observance of Ekadasi has many advantages-physical, astral, spiritual-and because this day has connection with the relation of the mind with its abode together with the moon, you feel mysteriously helped in your meditation and contemplation,-mysteriously because you cannot know this consciously.