Nirjala Ekadashi

Shaunaka and eighty-eight thousand other sages, having heard the sin-destroying tales of the Ekadashis with great devotion, asked to hear of the Ekadashi of the Shukla Paksha of Jyeshtha. Then Suta Ji told them how Bhimsena had once asked Maharishi Vyasa:

"O Pitamaha! My brother Yudhishthira, Mata Kunti, Draupadi, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva observe fast on Ekadashi. They also urged me not to eat food on Ekadashi. I told them that I can worship God with devotion and give donations, but I can't stay hungry."

Maharishi Vyasa said, "O Bhimsen! They are correct. It is stated in the scriptures that one should not consume food on Ekadashi. If you consider hell as the worst and heaven as the best, then avoid eating food on both Ekadashis of each month."

Bhimsen said, "O Grandfather, I have already told you that I cannot stay without food for even one meal, let alone the whole day. My stomach contains a fire that is only quenched by consuming a lot of food. If I try, I can observe the fast on one Ekadashi in a year, so please suggest one such fast that will lead me to heaven."

Vyasa Ji said, "O son! Great sages and seers have created many scriptures. If humans follow them in the Kali Yuga, they will surely attain liberation. These require very little expenditure. The essence of these Puranas is that one should observe fast on both the Ekadashis of each month to attain heaven."

Then he said, "O son of Vayu! The Ekadashi that falls between Vrishabha Sankranti and Mithuna Sankranti in the Shukla Paksha of Jyeshtha month should be observed as a Nirjala fast." If water enters the mouth while bathing or performing achamana it is no fault, but not more than six masha of water should be taken in achamana; that little purifies the body, while more is as though one had consumed alcohol. Food is not to be eaten on that day, for it nullifies the fast. One who abstains from water from sunrise to sunset attains the merit of twelve Ekadashis. On Dwadashi one should rise before sunrise and feed hungry Brahmins before eating.

"O Bhimsen! The Lord Himself told me that the merit of this Ekadashi is equivalent to that of all pilgrimages and donations." Those who keep the Nirjala fast do not see the fearsome Yamadutas at the time of death; instead the messengers of Lord Hari come from heaven and carry them on a Pushpaka Vimana. On this day one should chant "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya," and should donate a cow. This Ekadashi is also known as Bhimaseni or Pandava Ekadashi.

Before beginning, one worships the Lord and prays, "O Lord! Today, I observe the Nirjala fast and will eat food the next day. I will observe this fast with devotion. May all my sins be destroyed." On this day one donates a pot filled with water, covered with cloth and accompanied by gold, to a worthy person. Those who bathe and perform penance during this fast receive the merit of donating crores of gold coins, and the merit of yajnas and homas performed on this day is beyond description. The merit of the Nirjala fast leads one to the abode of Lord Vishnu, while those who eat on this day are counted as chandals and end in hell. Even those guilty of killing a Brahmin, of drinking alcohol, of stealing, of envying their teacher or of lying attain heaven by observing it.

Bhimsena kept this one fast, and by it obtained the merit of all the Ekadashis of the year — and so it carries his name to this day.