Mohini Ekādaśī

Please check the date and time for Ekādaśī in your area using below sites.

https://www.vaisnavacalendar.info/

https://vaishnavacalendar.org/

https://www.drikpanchang.com/iskcon/iskcon-ekadashi-list.html

How to perform Ekādaśī

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 12

Observe fasting on Ekādaśī day (this occurs on the eleventh day after the full moon and the eleventh day after the new moon). On such days no grains, cereals or beans are eaten; simply vegetables and milk are moderately taken, and the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa and reading of scriptures are increased.

Meditations on this auspicious day

Śrīla Prabhupāda class on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.2, April 28 1969

Austerity means accepting voluntarily some difficulties for higher development. The same principle. Just like a patient is accepting the physician direction under certain difficulty, but he is, because his aim is aiming at healthy condition of life, he voluntarily accepts. Austerity means just like if I say, "Please don't smoke," but you are veteran smoker, and if you want to follow my instruction, "Don't smoke," you'll feel some difficulty in the beginning. That is called austerity.

That is the way of spiritual realization. That is not actually suffering. That is nectarean. But in the beginning it appears like suffering. So that is called austerity. Tapaḥ divyam. So Ṛṣabhadeva says, "My dear sons, you just voluntarily accept some austerities, divyam." Why? For transcendental realization. Tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1].

Excerpt from a lecture by Guru Maharaj; 2020-08-14 Spiritual Fitness - 5 Disciplines For an Enlightened Mind

Austerity really comes down to the practice of tolerance. If any of you have tried fasting before know that fasting requires a little tolerance because the body and the mind start saying, "Hey, wait a minute. First of all, it's time to feed us. And second of all, if you don't, we're gonna be nagging you all day long, or more, we might even die." So, there are ways in which those who are practicing to still the mind and to come to a higher level of happiness, can practice tolerance and get great benefits. So, tolerating hunger, thirst, other extremes. Another one that is mentioned about austerity is avoiding useless talk. This is the austerity of the tongue. There's a way in which the tongue just wants to say any old thing at any time. And what we say, has a profound effect on our consciousness.

Story of Mohinī Ekādaśī

Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-Khaṇḍa, Chapter 49

Once, the noble King Yudhiṣṭhira humbly inquired from Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa,"O Keśava, please tell me the name of the Ekādaśī that falls in the bright half of the month of Vaiśākha. What are its glories? What is the proper way to observe it?"

Śrī Kṛṣṇa replied with a gentle smile, "O King, your question reminds me of a sacred exchange from ancient times. Long ago, Lord Rāmacandra asked the same question to the wise sage Vasiṣṭha."

Once, distressed and weary from separation from Sītā-devī, Rāma approached his guru, Vasiṣṭha Muni. “O glorious sage,” Rāma said, “please speak to me about the most sacred of vows, one that destroys all sins and alleviates the deepest suffering. My heart is restless, burdened by sorrow. I seek a vow that can uplift me.”

Vasiṣṭha smiled and responded with affection,"O Rāma, your question is noble and arises from a heart full of devotion. Just by uttering your name, men become purified, yet for the benefit of the world, I shall describe to you a most purifying vow.

This sacred Ekādaśī, which falls during the bright half of Vaiśākha, is known as Mohinī. It is powerful, sin-destroying, and liberates one from the bondage of delusion. By observing this fast, even the heaviest of sins are washed away. I speak the truth, O Rāma—this vow must be observed by those who seek freedom from suffering.” Vasiṣṭha then narrated a tale illustrating its power.

On the banks of the sacred Sarasvatī River, in the city of Bhadrāvatī, lived a noble king named Dyutimat, descended from the Lunar dynasty. Among his subjects was a wealthy and pious vaiśya named Dhanapāla. He was generous, a supporter of dharma, and a devoted servant of Viṣṇu. He built wells, temples, gardens, and alms houses for the good of society. Dhanapāla had five sons. The youngest, Dhṛṣṭabuddhi, however, was a stain on his lineage. Dhṛṣṭabuddhi was utterly sinful. He delighted in gambling, alcohol, and immoral company. He disrespected the gods, neglected his ancestors, and never served the brāhmaṇas. He squandered his father's wealth on prostitutes and was soon abandoned by them as well. Cast out from his home and disgraced, he roamed the streets, starving, without clothes, and tormented by misery.

Driven by desperation, he turned to thievery but was frequently caught. Only his father’s reputation saved him from severe punishment. Eventually, the king himself banished Dhṛṣṭabuddhi from the kingdom, warning him never to return. Now homeless, Dhṛṣṭabuddhi wandered into a dense forest. There, like a wild animal, he survived by killing deer, birds, and pigs. His heart became hardened, steeped in sin from both past and present lives.

One day, while wandering in misery, Dhṛṣṭabuddhi came upon the hermitage of the sage Kauṇḍinya. The sage had just returned from bathing in the Gaṅgā during the holy month of Vaiśākha. As Dhṛṣṭabuddhi approached, the mere touch of Kauṇḍinya’s garment began to purify him. His heart softened. Bowing before the sage with folded hands, he pleaded: “O brāhmaṇa, you are full of compassion. Please show me the path to salvation. My life is wasted in sin.”

Kauṇḍinya Muni looked upon the fallen man with kindness and spoke, “O child, your repentance has brought you here. Listen well: in the bright half of Vaiśākha is a sacred Ekādaśī known as Mohinī. By observing a fast on this day with sincerity, all sins—no matter how vast—are destroyed.” Encouraged by these words, Dhṛṣṭabuddhi faithfully observed the Mohinī Ekādaśī fast under the sage’s guidance. As a result, all his sins were eradicated. He regained a divine form and, at the end of his life, was carried to Vaikuṇṭha on the back of Garuḍa.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa concluded, “O Rāma, such is the glory of the Mohinī-vrata. In all three worlds, there is no vow superior to it. Even the benefits of yajñas, tīrthas, and great gifts are not equal to one-sixteenth of the merit earned by observing Mohinī Ekādaśī. Simply hearing or reciting its glories gives the merit of donating a thousand cows.”