Mohini Ekadashi
Mohini Ekadashi takes place on Vaishakh Vad 11. Mohini Ekadashi donors great benefits to all human beings to live happily in this life and the next. Observing the ekadashi vratt on this day helps achieve peace, honour and the divine pleasure of God to all mankind on this earth. During the Dwapur yuga, Lord Shree Ram came to the ashram of His guru Vashisht Muni, and professed his troubling concern, “O Muni, since the departure of Sitaji, I am going through great grief and sadness in my life. Please enlighten me and the people of this world by showing us a means of overcoming great sorrows and troubles of this life.” Vashisht Muni replied, “O Prabhu, just by chanting your divine name makes a person happy in this life, but yet for the benediction of mankind the vratt of Mohini Ekadashi relieves one from all troubles of life and society.” “O Ram, once in the village of Bhadravati at the banks of River Sarasvati, there lived a vanik named Dhanpaal. He was a great devotee of God and donated lots to the people of the village. He was always helping the poor and was very much respected in the surrounding villages due to his generosity. Dhanpaal had five sons and one of them was called Dhrustbuddhi. This son was a great sinner and performed dreadful acts to the people of the village. He encouraged the females to start infidelity and treacherous acts, instigated looting and created a base for unlawful businesses in the village and neighbouring towns. Upon learning of his son’s misconduct, Dhanpaal summoned his son and imprisoned him as punishment.Due to this judgment, he was later exiled from the village and started his journey through the terrifying dense forest. He did many illicit acts such as killing animals for his survival. Once he arrived at the ashram of Kaudinya Rushi near the banks of the great River Ganges. He saw the Rushis bathing in the river and he too jumped in for a holy dip. He was in constant search for an answer to overcome his sorrow. He inquired, “O Rushi, I have performed enormous and unimaginable sins which have come back to haunt me. Please show me a way out of my suffering and distress.”The Rushi replied, “O Dhrustbuddhi, you have overcome most of your suffering by just realising your mistake. To get yourself cleansed further and achieve salvation you must perform the great vratt of Mohini Ekadashi with full reliance and devotion to God Almighty. This vratt will bestow you with a place in the heavens.”Thereafter on the next Vaishaak Sud 11, Dhrustbuddhi performed the vratt as advised by Kaudinya Rushi. As time went by, Dhrustbuddhi became free from sins and after his death, achieved a divine body, sat on Garud and ascended to the heavenly abode Vaikunth.”Dear devotees this story shows us that the greatest sinner can be spared from the suffering of his sins, and become closer to God by observing this vratt.
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