Vaikuntha Ekadashi - 25th December

In this post Let us look at what the puranas say about Vaikuntha Ekadashi, the planetary & scientific significance of this day and also why you should fast on this day.

Vaikunta Ekadashi is a special Ekādaśī. It coincides with Mokṣadā Ekādaśī and Putrada Ekādaśī, but seldomly none for that year, mostly once a year, but sometimes twice.(one in Jan & the other in Dec).

Special prayers, yagnas, discourses and speeches are arranged at Vishnu temples across the world on this auspicious day. The Shaiva sect observes the day as Trikoti Ekadashi, a religious observance where all the deities in the Hindu pantheon pay obeisance to Lord Sri Shiva at once.

According to the Vishnu Purana, fasting on Vaikuntha Ekadashi is equivalent to fasting on the remaining 23 Ekadashis of the (Hindu) year.[4] However, according to Vaishnava tradition fasting is mandatory on all Ekadashis of both Shukla paksha and Krishna paksha. Fasting on Ekadashi is considered holier than any other religious observation.

According to Padma Purana, the female energy of Vishnu slayed the demon Muran and protects the 'Devas'. This happened on the eleventh day of lunar month during the sun's journey in the Dhanu Rashi. Impressed by the act, Vishnu names her as 'Ekadashi' and gives her the boon that those who worship 'Ekadashi' on the day of her victory over Muran would reach 'Vaikunth' (His abode).

Vaikuntha Ekadashi is one of the important and auspicious days for Hindus. It is dedicated to Vishnu. It occurs in the Hindu calendar, in the month of Margashirsha (between December and January). When observed, it bestows liberation from the cycle of birth and death

Planetary significance of Ekadashi and impact on the human system :

Ekadashi means the 11th day after the full moon and the 11th day after the new moon. Human physiology goes through a cycle called a mandala, approximately every 40 to 48 days. In this cycle, three specific days, which may be different from person to person and need not come with equal spacing, will arise when the body does not demand food. If you identify those days in your life and not give the body food – because it is not asking – a lot of your health issues will be handled by that simple pattern.

Importance of Ekadashi

This cycle in the system is something that most people can identify if they take away the nonsense of “so many calories, so much protein and so much mineral should be eaten.” If they listen to the body, these three days can be easily identified by most human beings. So it was told that three times in those 48 days, you should not eat. This was said because somebody observed his own system and from that he expressed this. But then people did not have the awareness so they fixed the Ekadashi for not eating. If you look, there are three Ekadashis in 48 days. It goes well.

The possibility of opening the door within is more on this day.

Ekadashi Fasting

The reason is because the planet itself is in a certain state on that day, so if we keep our body light and available, our awareness will turn inward. The possibility of opening the door within is more on that day. If you have a full stomach, and you are unaware and dull, you will not notice it. So to stay alert and also to purify the body, you go without food on that day – you ate dinner the previous day and the next thing you eat is dinner on Ekadashi.

"There is much more to life then your thoughts and emotions. Time to move from psychological scale to existential reality" -