In Sanatan dharma scriptures of India there are two main divisions, karma kanda and bhakti. Karma-kanda is the part of the Vedic literatures that prescribes ritual and ceremonies suitable for the obtainment of material, temporary benefits. This is called karma kanda - smarta. From smriti comes the word smarta. Those brahmins who are well versed in smriti are called smarta brahmins. They prescribe laws and regulations taken from the smarta scripture advising, 'if you perform this sort of vow you will get this sort of benefit.' To encourage worldly people, they speak of worldly benefits. But this, the worldly minded are inspired, but pure devotees do not want any such material, temporary benefits. This is called shuddha bhakti. Devotees know the fact that whatever happiness and sorrow they are getting is because of their previous karma. No one can change that. Sri Prahlad Maharaj quoted, ' No one is working for the sorrow. Everyone is working hard to stay happy. Still, one gets sorrow in life. Why? This is because happiness and sorrowfulness will come as per our previous karma. So it is better to perform righteous karma (devotion) so that our future is better.
For e.g. Mohini Ekadashi.. It is given that one who observes Mohini Ekadashi, then one is relieved of the burden of all sins. In Karma kanda shastra you may find that this sort of encouragement is given, but shuddha bhakta observe Ekadashi solely for the satisfaction of Supreme Lord.
Purpose of Ekadashi fast is to remember Bhagavan. Wherever your mind is, you are there also. Also, it is said in scriptures that all sorts of sins are accumulated in grains on this day. Eating grains on the day of Ekadashi means committing grave sins, and accumulating fruits of most henious those sins, which one do not imagine. One can eat many other items except grains on the day of Ekadashi.
For e.g. Mohini Ekadashi.. It is given that one who observes Mohini Ekadashi, then one is relieved of the burden of all sins. In Karma kanda shastra you may find that this sort of encouragement is given, but shuddha bhakta observe Ekadashi solely for the satisfaction of Supreme Lord.
Purpose of Ekadashi fast is to remember Bhagavan. Wherever your mind is, you are there also. Also, it is said in scriptures that all sorts of sins are accumulated in grains on this day. Eating grains on the day of Ekadashi means committing grave sins, and accumulating fruits of most henious those sins, which one do not imagine. One can eat many other items except grains on the day of Ekadashi.
The effect of observing Ekadashi is illustrated in the story of the life of Ambarish Maharaj.
When Sage Durvasa could not get any shelter throughout fourteen worlds he went to Sri Vishnu and requested the Lord, fell flattened before Sri Vishnu, "Oh Lord, your Sudarsan Chakra. That Sudarsan Chakra is coming after me, wants to kill me. You please save. I am traveling for one year to take shelter. Nobody is accepting me. And nobody is helping me. Everybody says, "We cannot help, you go to Sri Vishnu." I have come to you. It is your disk. And now you can help me, you can save me."
Sri Vishnu said, "I cannot save you."
"What is this, Sir? If you do this, if you say this, to whom I can go and appeal? You are the supreme authority and the weapon belongs to You. If You don't help then who will help me? You must help. So please help me."
'No, I cannot help you, but I will advise you. I advise you that where you have committed offense you please go there and offer your prayers to him. Then you will be saved."
Hence sage went to Sri Ambarish Maharaj. Sri Ambarish Maharaj who was performing Sri Ekadasi vrata for one year. He observed all Ekadasi's without taking the water. Even one drop of water. On Dasami he would eat once in a day, and on Dvadasi once in a day. And he spends his whole time, like that though he was the emperor. To manage his empire he has established a congress committee who will look after the administration. And he was performing yagya on the border of Yamuna river. All the risis, sages, performed yagna with him. King used to serve Supreme Lord from morning till night. He engaged all his senses. He was looking at the Lord with his eyes, hearing the glories of the Lord through ears, smelling the flowers and tulasi offered at the feet of the Lord. Honouring prasadam of Supreme Lord. Cook and prepare bhog for Lord. Though he was an emperor, he thought himself to be servant to the Lord. He would walk / circumabulate Lord's temple / dham, offer obeisances, etc. Everything. All his organs are engaged in the service of the Lord. Nine types of sravana, kirtana, smarana, arcana, vandana, padasevana and dasya, sakhya, atma nivedana. These nine types of devotion he only performs.
Sri Ambarish was performing Ekadasi vrat for one year. He completed that one year vrata in Mathura. On Dvadasi day, he distributed all food, cloth and cows, everything. When Dvadasi ends Trayodasi begins.
As per rule, if he breaks his fast after Dvadashi ends, then that will be an offense at the feet of the Lord Vishnu. He observed after distributing charity to all that only five minutes are remaining before Dvadashi ends. He was about to break his fast when Sage Durvasa came.
Sri Ambarish welcomed him and said, "Sir, you have come. I am fortunate. You please take bath and take prasad. I'm about to break - fast. Only five minutes are remaining".
Sage went to take bath, but did not return.
Sri Ambarish thought, "What shall I do now? If five minutes passes I have to commit offense at the feet of Lord Vishnu. And now if I take something without offering the guest to whom I have invited he will say that You have committed offense. I will curse you. Now what shall I do?"
He consulted great scholars.
He conlcuded, "I will take one drop of water and just put it on my tongue. That is breaking of fast. That drop of water will never destroy my hunger. And it is not the food. And my thirst can not be destroyed by the water. Now niyam - raksha, that is I have kept the timely parana (breaking of fast). If sage is late by even half an hour, no matter."
As he took drop of water, immediately Sage Durvasa came and said, "Maharaj! You are a ksatriya, you are a grihasta, whereas I am a yogi, I am a gyani and I am a great scholar. I had been to Brahma-lok with this body. You could not recognize me. You have committed offense. You promised to me food. You did not give me food and you took yourself."
He said, "Sir, I have not taken any food. Because you were late, and I would have ended committing an offense at the feet of this vrata, Vishnu vrata. So I have taken one drop of water and just I put it on my tongue. It is absorbed on the tongue only. It never entered inside the throat. Now you please excuse me."
"No excuse. I will punish you."
Saying this, he removed one of his jata and threw it on the ground and from that jata appared a fiery being with a sword in hand. She wanted to kill Ambarish. She began moving towards Ambarish. Ambarish stood with folded hands. Though he is the emperor. He has got military force. Everything he has got. He can do anything. But as if he has done a great offense he was standing with folded hands. He was waiting there. And that devil when she came nearer, suddenly Sri Sudarsana chakra appeared.
Sri Vishnu holds Shanka, chakra, gada, padma in four arms. The powerful chakra can destroy the whole world.
Lord Vishnu has asked that chakra, "You must save Ambarish. No one should be able to do any harm to him. Not only to him. You must look after his empire. You must go around his empire. If anybody attacks his empire you should save them."
Now this Sudarsana has come and when Sudarsana came it destroyed this devil. And when the devil was destroyed then it came towards this fellow who has created this devil. And now he is running afraid of death, he is running. Durvasa was running, running after Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapaloka, Satyaloka, then came to Brahma. Nobody could give him shelter. He came to Brahma, '"Please save me, sir."
Brahma said,'I cannot save you. This weapon belongs to Vishnu. We are to carry the orders of Vishnu. Through the orders of Vishnu I create the world."
And when he is rejected, he went to Mahadeva and requested him to save him. "Mahadeva. sir..."
"I cannot help. I am only His servant. I follow Him, His advice and destroy the world whenever He wants."
And so when he was rejected by them he went to Vishnu. Now Sri Vishnu said, "You go to Ambarish. You have committed offense. He was a king. He was an emperor. He can kill you. He would have killed you. But he never did it. Because he is a devotee. He is a devotee. He always wants to give respect to all. He never harms anyone. So he did not harm you. Though emperor, he has got his ammunitions, he has got his military force and they can do any harm to you, but he never likes it. Now, he himself to suffer, but he'll never allow others to suffer. Never wants to take revenge."
If one will commit wrong. Others will say, "I want to take revenge. You have done this, I will do this. You have done this harm to me, I will do that harm to you."
This is a revenging attitude. The devotee has no revenging attitude. He always forgets, forgives. He forgets that. And Sri Ambarish Maharaj forgave, forgave this yogi.
Sri Vishnu said, "You have committed offense. He has done no harm to you. You came late. And that also, he preserved his promise, without giving you food he never took food. Now for one year he is waiting for food. Without giving you food he cannot take food. He wants to keep that promise. One year have passed since you are running from one lok to other. Now, you go there and offer your prostrations to him. And beg him to excuse you. Then he will excuse. Then Sudarsan chakra will go. Till then sudarsan chakra will never go. I cannot order sudarsan chakra. Because in my heart Ambarish is there."
sadhavo hrdayam mahyam
sadhunam hrdayam tv aham
"My heart is Ambarish. I am the heart of Ambarish. Ambarish is my heart."
"So, what I have to do?"
"Ambarish must give the key. He has got the key to open the door. The heart will be opened to you if he gives the key. So, he is my heart, I am his heart. Now you go to him."
"Oh?"
Then he went and saw Ambarish waiting with folded hands.
"Sir, I am waiting for you. You have come. You take my food."
Food was prepared and he took food. And then he said, "Yes, now I could recognize, I could realize the extent of a Vaisnava, a sadhu, a saint, what the power you posses. I thought I am more powerful than you. You are a ksatriya and a grihasta. But I am not a grihasta, I am a brahmana, I am a brahmacari. My power, completely my power was defeated before yours, before devotion. So, I could now understand the devotion of the Lord. And devotees posses such capacity. I could now understand. So I offer my prostrations to you."
"No", he says, "Don't offer your prostrations. I am a grihasta, I must prostrate to you."
So saying he prostrated. So, such is the character of a sadhu. One must be a sadhu. Sadhu means who finds no fault with anybody. No fault. He says:"I am the person who commit faults, but the sadhus will never commit fault. They are not, they never commit wrong. I am the person, I will commit wrong, I will commit fault, I am the sinner, but the sadhus are all pure."
When Sage Durvasa could not get any shelter throughout fourteen worlds he went to Sri Vishnu and requested the Lord, fell flattened before Sri Vishnu, "Oh Lord, your Sudarsan Chakra. That Sudarsan Chakra is coming after me, wants to kill me. You please save. I am traveling for one year to take shelter. Nobody is accepting me. And nobody is helping me. Everybody says, "We cannot help, you go to Sri Vishnu." I have come to you. It is your disk. And now you can help me, you can save me."
Sri Vishnu said, "I cannot save you."
"What is this, Sir? If you do this, if you say this, to whom I can go and appeal? You are the supreme authority and the weapon belongs to You. If You don't help then who will help me? You must help. So please help me."
'No, I cannot help you, but I will advise you. I advise you that where you have committed offense you please go there and offer your prayers to him. Then you will be saved."
Hence sage went to Sri Ambarish Maharaj. Sri Ambarish Maharaj who was performing Sri Ekadasi vrata for one year. He observed all Ekadasi's without taking the water. Even one drop of water. On Dasami he would eat once in a day, and on Dvadasi once in a day. And he spends his whole time, like that though he was the emperor. To manage his empire he has established a congress committee who will look after the administration. And he was performing yagya on the border of Yamuna river. All the risis, sages, performed yagna with him. King used to serve Supreme Lord from morning till night. He engaged all his senses. He was looking at the Lord with his eyes, hearing the glories of the Lord through ears, smelling the flowers and tulasi offered at the feet of the Lord. Honouring prasadam of Supreme Lord. Cook and prepare bhog for Lord. Though he was an emperor, he thought himself to be servant to the Lord. He would walk / circumabulate Lord's temple / dham, offer obeisances, etc. Everything. All his organs are engaged in the service of the Lord. Nine types of sravana, kirtana, smarana, arcana, vandana, padasevana and dasya, sakhya, atma nivedana. These nine types of devotion he only performs.
Sri Ambarish was performing Ekadasi vrat for one year. He completed that one year vrata in Mathura. On Dvadasi day, he distributed all food, cloth and cows, everything. When Dvadasi ends Trayodasi begins.
As per rule, if he breaks his fast after Dvadashi ends, then that will be an offense at the feet of the Lord Vishnu. He observed after distributing charity to all that only five minutes are remaining before Dvadashi ends. He was about to break his fast when Sage Durvasa came.
Sri Ambarish welcomed him and said, "Sir, you have come. I am fortunate. You please take bath and take prasad. I'm about to break - fast. Only five minutes are remaining".
Sage went to take bath, but did not return.
Sri Ambarish thought, "What shall I do now? If five minutes passes I have to commit offense at the feet of Lord Vishnu. And now if I take something without offering the guest to whom I have invited he will say that You have committed offense. I will curse you. Now what shall I do?"
He consulted great scholars.
He conlcuded, "I will take one drop of water and just put it on my tongue. That is breaking of fast. That drop of water will never destroy my hunger. And it is not the food. And my thirst can not be destroyed by the water. Now niyam - raksha, that is I have kept the timely parana (breaking of fast). If sage is late by even half an hour, no matter."
As he took drop of water, immediately Sage Durvasa came and said, "Maharaj! You are a ksatriya, you are a grihasta, whereas I am a yogi, I am a gyani and I am a great scholar. I had been to Brahma-lok with this body. You could not recognize me. You have committed offense. You promised to me food. You did not give me food and you took yourself."
He said, "Sir, I have not taken any food. Because you were late, and I would have ended committing an offense at the feet of this vrata, Vishnu vrata. So I have taken one drop of water and just I put it on my tongue. It is absorbed on the tongue only. It never entered inside the throat. Now you please excuse me."
"No excuse. I will punish you."
Saying this, he removed one of his jata and threw it on the ground and from that jata appared a fiery being with a sword in hand. She wanted to kill Ambarish. She began moving towards Ambarish. Ambarish stood with folded hands. Though he is the emperor. He has got military force. Everything he has got. He can do anything. But as if he has done a great offense he was standing with folded hands. He was waiting there. And that devil when she came nearer, suddenly Sri Sudarsana chakra appeared.
Sri Vishnu holds Shanka, chakra, gada, padma in four arms. The powerful chakra can destroy the whole world.
Lord Vishnu has asked that chakra, "You must save Ambarish. No one should be able to do any harm to him. Not only to him. You must look after his empire. You must go around his empire. If anybody attacks his empire you should save them."
Now this Sudarsana has come and when Sudarsana came it destroyed this devil. And when the devil was destroyed then it came towards this fellow who has created this devil. And now he is running afraid of death, he is running. Durvasa was running, running after Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapaloka, Satyaloka, then came to Brahma. Nobody could give him shelter. He came to Brahma, '"Please save me, sir."
Brahma said,'I cannot save you. This weapon belongs to Vishnu. We are to carry the orders of Vishnu. Through the orders of Vishnu I create the world."
And when he is rejected, he went to Mahadeva and requested him to save him. "Mahadeva. sir..."
"I cannot help. I am only His servant. I follow Him, His advice and destroy the world whenever He wants."
And so when he was rejected by them he went to Vishnu. Now Sri Vishnu said, "You go to Ambarish. You have committed offense. He was a king. He was an emperor. He can kill you. He would have killed you. But he never did it. Because he is a devotee. He is a devotee. He always wants to give respect to all. He never harms anyone. So he did not harm you. Though emperor, he has got his ammunitions, he has got his military force and they can do any harm to you, but he never likes it. Now, he himself to suffer, but he'll never allow others to suffer. Never wants to take revenge."
If one will commit wrong. Others will say, "I want to take revenge. You have done this, I will do this. You have done this harm to me, I will do that harm to you."
This is a revenging attitude. The devotee has no revenging attitude. He always forgets, forgives. He forgets that. And Sri Ambarish Maharaj forgave, forgave this yogi.
Sri Vishnu said, "You have committed offense. He has done no harm to you. You came late. And that also, he preserved his promise, without giving you food he never took food. Now for one year he is waiting for food. Without giving you food he cannot take food. He wants to keep that promise. One year have passed since you are running from one lok to other. Now, you go there and offer your prostrations to him. And beg him to excuse you. Then he will excuse. Then Sudarsan chakra will go. Till then sudarsan chakra will never go. I cannot order sudarsan chakra. Because in my heart Ambarish is there."
sadhavo hrdayam mahyam
sadhunam hrdayam tv aham
"My heart is Ambarish. I am the heart of Ambarish. Ambarish is my heart."
"So, what I have to do?"
"Ambarish must give the key. He has got the key to open the door. The heart will be opened to you if he gives the key. So, he is my heart, I am his heart. Now you go to him."
"Oh?"
Then he went and saw Ambarish waiting with folded hands.
"Sir, I am waiting for you. You have come. You take my food."
Food was prepared and he took food. And then he said, "Yes, now I could recognize, I could realize the extent of a Vaisnava, a sadhu, a saint, what the power you posses. I thought I am more powerful than you. You are a ksatriya and a grihasta. But I am not a grihasta, I am a brahmana, I am a brahmacari. My power, completely my power was defeated before yours, before devotion. So, I could now understand the devotion of the Lord. And devotees posses such capacity. I could now understand. So I offer my prostrations to you."
"No", he says, "Don't offer your prostrations. I am a grihasta, I must prostrate to you."
So saying he prostrated. So, such is the character of a sadhu. One must be a sadhu. Sadhu means who finds no fault with anybody. No fault. He says:"I am the person who commit faults, but the sadhus will never commit fault. They are not, they never commit wrong. I am the person, I will commit wrong, I will commit fault, I am the sinner, but the sadhus are all pure."
By: Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj
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