Wear rudraksha on auspicious days this coming week....

[Guest guest]

Wearing rudraksha and praying brings manifold benefits, as we have

read and experienced too. But wearing these especially on auspicious

days like the two approaching important days in this week:

Wednesday: 27th (Ekadashi: Day of Lord Vishnu), Thursday: 28th

(Pradosh: Day of LordShiva, AND Guru pushya nakshatra), and engaging

in Sadhana increases the spiritual upliftment to a thousand times.

 

There is excellent information on the Rudra center website on Guru

pushya nakshatra

/showarticles.php?artid=313, and so

here I will emphasize only on the Aja Ekadashi.

 

The two eleventh days: " ekadashi " , of every month are of special

importance for spiritual progress. These occur when the distance b/w

Moon and Sun is in the range of 120-132 degrees (in shukla ekadashi)

or in the range of 300-312 (in krishna ekadashi).

 

Now, there is a very special Ekadashi: Aja - Annada Ekadasii

approaching on Wednesday: 27th August, 2008. Observing austerities

like praying while wearing rudraksha, or/ and fasting on Ekadashi

gives one an immense feeling of delight and spiritual elevation,

moving closer to the Supreme source, and overcoming helplessness….

Ekadashi is a day of boon fulfillment.

 

For those interested, please read the story of this great day as

quoted from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana:

…… Sri Yudhisthira Maharaja said, " Oh Janardana, protector of all

living entities, please tell me the name of the Ekadasii that occurs

during the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada (August-

September). "

 

The Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna, then replied, " Oh King, hear me

attentively. The name of this sin-removing, sacred Ekadasii is Aja.

Any person who fasts completely on this day and worships

Hrishikesha, the master of the senses, becomes free of all reactions

to his sins. Even one who simply hears about this Ekadasii is freed

from his past sins. Oh King, there is no better day than this in all

the earthly and heavenly worlds. This is true without a doubt.

 

" There once lived a famous king named Harishchandra, who was the

emperor of the world and a person of great truth and integrity. His

wife's name was Chandramati, and he had a son named Lohitashva. By

the force of destiny, however, Harishchandra lost his great kingdom

and sold his wife and son. The pious king himself became a menial

servant of a dog-eater, who made him guard a crematorium. Yet even

while doing such menial service, he did not forsake his truthfulness

and good character, just as soma-rasa, even when mixed with some

other liquid, does not lose its ability to bestow immortality.

 

" The king passed many years in this condition. Then one day he sadly

thought, `What shall I do? Where shall I go? How can I be delivered

from this plight?' In this way he drowned in an ocean of anxiety and

sorrow.

" One day a great sage happened by, and when the king saw him he

happily thought, `Ah, Lord Brahma has created brahmins just to help

others.' Harishchandra paid his respectful obeisances to the sage,

whose name was Gautama Muni. With joined palms the king stood before

Gautama Muni and narrated his pitiful story. Gautama Muni was

astonished to hear the king's tale of woe. He thought, `How has this

mighty king been reduced to collecting clothes from the dead?'

Gautama Muni became very much compassionate toward Harishchandra and

instructed him on the process of fasting for purification.

 

" Gautama Muni said, `Oh king, during the dark fortnight of the month

of Bhadrapada there occurs an especially meritorious Ekadasii named

Aja (Annada), which removes all sins. Indeed, this Ekadasii is so

auspicious that if you simply fast on that day and perform no other

austerity, all your sins will be nullified. By your good fortune it

is coming in just seven days. So I urge you to fast on this day and

remain awake through the night. If you do so, all the reactions of

your past sins will come to an end. Oh Harishchandra, I have come

here because of your past pious deeds. Now, all good fortune to you

in the future!' So saying, the great sage Sri Gautama Muni

immediately disappeared for their vision.

 

" King Harishchandra followed Gautama Muni's instructions concerning

fasting on the sacred day of Aja Ekadasii. Oh Maharaja Yudhisthira,

because the king fasted on that day, the reactions to his previous

sins were completely destroyed at once. Oh lion among kings, just

see the influence of this Ekadasii fast! It immediately vanquishes

whatever miseries one may be suffering as a result of past karmik

sinful activities.

 

Thus all Harishchandra's miseries were relieved. Just by the power

of this wonderful Ekadasii, he was reunited with his wife and son,

who had died but were now revived. In the heavenly regions the devas

(demigods) began beating on their celestial kettledrums and

showering down flowers upon Harishchandra, his queen, and their son.

By the blessings of the Ekadasii fast, he regained his kingdom

without difficulty. Moreover, when King Harishchandra left the

planet, his relatives and all his subjects too, went with him to the

spiritual world.

 

" Oh Pandava, whoever fasts on Aja Ekadasii is surely freed from all

his sins and ascends to the spiritual world. And whosoever hears and

studies the glories of this Ekadasii achieves the merit gained by

performing a horse sacrifice. "

 

.....Thus ends the narration of the glories of Bhadrapada-krishna

Ekadasii, or Aja Ekadasii, from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana.

 

 

Om Namo Narayana

Om Namah Shivaya

 

Blessed be...