Varūthinī 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

Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Chapter 20

Actually, one should undergo severe austerities and penances only to achieve spiritual happiness. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is recommended that tapasya, or austerity, should be accepted for realizing the Supreme Lord. By accepting austerity in devotional service, one regains his spiritual life, and as soon as one regains his spiritual life, he enjoys unlimited spiritual bliss.

Excerpt from a lecture by Guru Maharaj; 2013 11 30Teaching of Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Goswami

We perform tapasya for the sake of serving Kṛṣṇa. And when we do that, then there's a way that we remember Kṛṣṇa, we feel Kṛṣṇa's connection. All good things come from that. But especially taking the time and energy to promote the saṅkīrtana movement, and whatever kind of sense control and is required for that is the best kind of tapasya.

It's actually the wealth of the intelligent; tapasya. There's no happiness, in sense indulgence it, it leads to suffering, but in tapasya, especially, divine tapasya, tapo divyaṁ [SB 5.5.1], there is a growing sense of happiness and the juncture at which one realizes that, is when one begins to advance in spiritual life, that actually my real wealth lies in spiritual tapasya. Then one becomes greedy for it. Then one wants to perform more and more sacrifice for the sake of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the saṅkīrtana movement. Then one begins to get some traction in spiritual life and move forward.

Story of Varūthinī Ekādaśī

Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-Khaṇḍa, Chapter 48

Once, the noble King Yudhiṣṭhira humbly approached Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and inquired, “O Vāsudeva, please tell me the name of the Ekādaśī that falls in the dark half of the month of Vaiśākha. Kindly describe its importance. I offer my salutations unto you.”

Smiling with divine affection, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa replied,“O King, listen attentively. The Ekādaśī that falls in the kṛṣṇa-pakṣa of Vaiśākha is called Varūthinī Ekādaśī. Observing this sacred vrata bestows both grandeur in this world and auspicious results in the next.

“O Yudhiṣṭhira, through the vrata of Varūthinī, one attains continuous happiness. All sins are destroyed, and immense good fortune is granted. Even an unfortunate woman who sincerely observes this vow becomes blessed with good fortune. This vrata grants both material pleasures and final liberation.

“This powerful vow eradicates all sins and cuts off the cycle of rebirth—even ending life in the womb. It was by the influence of this very vrata that King Māndhātṛ ascended to the heavenly realms. Likewise, many noble kings like Dhundhumāra attained similar destinations.

“Even Lord Śiva was absolved of the sin of breaking the skull of Lord Brahmā due to the power of this Ekādaśī. One who faithfully observes the Varūthinī-vrata receives the merit equal to giving a bhāra of gold at the holy site of Kurukṣetra when the Sun is auspicious.

“O best of kings, a person who performs this vrata with faith achieves all desired objects in both this world and the next. This vrata is supremely pure and purifying, and capable of destroying even the most grievous sins. It bestows both enjoyment and liberation.

“O king, among all kinds of charity, giving elephants is better than giving horses; land is better than elephants; and gifting sesame seeds surpasses even that. Still superior is the gift of gold, and yet greater is the gift of food. Indeed, there never was, nor ever will be, a greater gift than anna-dāna (the donation of food). Through food, the ancestors, the demigods, and human beings are satisfied. The wise also declare that giving one’s daughter in marriage is equally meritorious. Yet, among all types of charity, the giving of knowledge stands above the rest.

“One who performs the Varūthinī-vrata accrues merit equivalent to all these acts. However, those who, overcome by greed, accept money in exchange for giving their daughter in marriage lose their religious merit and descend to torment-filled hells. Therefore, O king, one must avoid accepting dowry or bride-price at all costs.

“O lord of kings, the one who, motivated by greed, takes such money will be born as a cat in his next life. But a person who gives his daughter in marriage with proper decorum and according to his capacity, with no expectation of wealth, attains immeasurable religious merit—even Citragupta cannot account for it. Such a person earns the same

“O King, those who observe the Varūthinī Ekādaśī, all their sins are completely destroyed. At the end of life, they attain an eternal, indestructible position.

“Those who worship Lord Viṣṇu with devotion are completely purified of all sins and attain the highest spiritual destination. Therefore, O king, those who fear sin should wholeheartedly observe this vrata.

“And one who is fearful of adverse planetary influences, especially from Saturn—the son of the enemy of night—should take special care to perform the Varūthinī-vrata.

“O king, even by narrating or listening to the glories of this sacred Ekādaśī, a person obtains the merit of gifting a thousand cows. Freed from all sins, such a soul is honored in the eternal abode of Lord Viṣṇu.”