Rama Ekadashi

Arjuna asked, "O Shri Krishna! Please share with me the story of the Ekadashi that occurs during Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartika. What is the name of this Ekadashi and which deity is worshipped on this day? What are the benefits of observing the fast on this Ekadashi?"

Lord Shri Krishna said, "O Arjuna! The name of the Ekadashi that occurs during the Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartika is Rama Ekadashi. Observing this fast removes all sins."

In ancient times there was a king named Muchukunda, whose friends were Indra, Varuna, Kubera and Vibhishana. He was known for his unwavering truthfulness and his devotion to Lord Vishnu, and his kingdom was entirely free of troubles. He had a daughter named Chandrabhaga, who was married to Shobhana, the son of King Chandrasena. King Muchukunda observed the Ekadashi fast with great discipline, and everyone in his kingdom followed the practice strictly.

Once Shobhana came to his in-laws' house in the month of Kartika, at the time of the highly meritorious Rama Ekadashi, when everyone kept the fast. Chandrabhaga was anxious that her husband might be too weak to observe it, especially since her father had made the fast binding on all. The king, with his son-in-law present, proclaimed that everyone in the kingdom must strictly keep the Ekadashi fast, and when Dashami came the announcement went through the kingdom.

Hearing it, Shobhana went to his wife and said, "O dear! Please suggest a solution for me, because I cannot fast. If I attempt to fast, I will surely die."

Chandrabhaga replied, "O dear! In my father's kingdom, no one is allowed to eat on the day of Ekadashi. Even the elephants, horses, camels, and other animals don't consume grass, grains, or water, so how can humans eat? If you cannot fast, you should go somewhere else. If you stay here, you will definitely have to observe the fast."

Shobhana said, "O dear! Your suggestion is valid, but I will not go anywhere else, even if it means I have to fast. I am determined to observe this fast, regardless of the outcome. After all, who can avoid what is written in destiny?"

With everyone else he kept the fast, and grew extremely distressed from hunger and thirst. When the sun set, the night of vigil began, and it brought him unbearable suffering; before sunrise the next day he died of hunger and thirst.

The king had Shobhana's body released into the water, and instructed his daughter not to become a Sati but to keep her faith in Lord Vishnu. Following her father's instruction, Chandrabhaga did not become a Sati; she remained at her father's house and continued to observe the Ekadashi fast.

By the merit of that one Rama Ekadashi, Shobhana was raised from the water, and by the grace of Lord Vishnu was granted a magnificent city named Devapura on Mount Mandarachala, filled with wealth and free from enemies. Shobhana was made king of Devapura. His palace was adorned with pillars of gems and gold; dressed in beautiful clothes and ornaments he sat upon a throne of gold and precious stones, while Gandharvas and Apsaras danced and sang his praise, and he shone with the majesty of another Indra.

At that time a Brahmin named Soma Sharma, of the city of Muchukunda, set out on pilgrimage. Wandering, he came into King Shobhana's kingdom and met him there. Recognising him as the king's son-in-law, the Brahmin approached, and Shobhana rose from his throne to ask after the well-being of his father-in-law and of his wife Chandrabhaga.

Shobhana told him that this splendid city had come to him from a single Rama Ekadashi kept without faith, and that because he had kept it under compulsion rather than with devotion, the city was impermanent. He asked the Brahmin to tell Chandrabhaga what he had seen. When Soma Sharma returned and told her, she went to her husband, and by the merit of the many Ekadashis she herself had kept with devotion, the city was made permanent, and the two lived there in happiness.

Rama Ekadashi destroys sin so completely that it bore fruit even for one who kept it unwillingly; kept with devotion, it grants the unfailing grace of Lord Vishnu.