By not taking shelter of Ekadasi-devi’s lotus feet, many problems arise. There are no solutions to these problems. Ekadasi-devi is the embodiment of Krsna’s mercy; she is Krsna-krpa-murti. She has the combined power of Krsna’s eleven senses. Previously, we heard how Baladeva Prabhu is the embodiment of sandhini-sakti; Srimati Radharani is the embodiment of hladini-sakti; and Krsna is the embodiment of samvit-sakti. To help the jivas, Krsna manifested Ekadasi-devi, Gyarasi-devi from His eleven senses. He empowered Ekadasi-devi with all His power. Ekadasi-devi doesn’t help the jivas in only one way. Her help is not confined to only nourishing the jivas by supplying them air, water, fire, ether, and other elements. It is the demigod’s duty to nourish the jivas with these elements. They are the designated servants of the Lord, whose duty is to supply what the jivas need. But, Ekadasi-devi doesn’t concern herself with the duties of the demigods.
She gives ekadasa-bhava to the jivas; she gives them siddha-pranali. How can the jivas be bona fide and qualified for the service of the Lord? She descended by the Lord’s own desire – to facilitate His service. Ekadasi-devi has many different names, and her glories on each of her appearance days are unique to that day. Don’t consider all Tulasi leaves to be equal or all Vaisnavas to be of the same category. Vaisnavas are classified into kanistha, madhyama, and uttama. The Maha-Bhagavats are also classified into various divisions. Why are the names of Ekadasi-devi different? Therefore, I will try to explain all of Ekadasi-devi’s glories and specialties. By requesting and praying to Ekadasi-devi for her mercy, and by remembering her glories, we will be qualified to understand her service to the Lord. Water of different sources cannot be considered to be equal in all respects. There are various kinds of water—distilled water, rain water, river water, canal water, drain water; water from these different sources are not of the same quality. A pig and its piglets like drain water. They don’t like distilled water; they don’t like cleaning themselves with a soap nor do they use body sprays. They only like drain water; sewage makes them especially happy. Hence, water of various sources cannot be considered to be the same. Water is mixed with various substances. You can find water mixed with clay, mud, or pollutants. Water in its pure form has a sublime smell and taste, but you, yourself may make the water dirty.
People have their own ideas and conceptions. Many follow a common form of Ekadasi. Why do they do so? To achieve bhukti and mukti. They follow Ekadasi to fulfill their desires of sense gratification and various forms of recreation. They also follow Ekadasi to keep diseases at bay, to obtain mundane happiness, and to facilitate their sense gratification. Karmis, Jnanis, Yogis, Mayavadis, Dharmadvajis, and many people follow a common form of Ekadasi to fulfill their many material desires. They follow Ekadasi to pursue their own interests. But, how will Ekadasi-devi give siddha-pranali, siddha-bhava, and ekadasa bhava to the jivas? The jivas must follow Ekadasi under the guidance of her true followers. Otherwise, they will not know the real meaning of Ekadasi.
What is the problem in not eating grains on Ekadasi? What is the meaning of fasting on Ekadasi? Babies and calves only drink their mothers’ milk. Hence, they unintentionally follow Ekadasi. But, will they obtain ekadasa-bhava? After a calf drinks its mother’s milk, another one comes and tries to bite its mother’s udders. Why doesn’t their nature change? Will the many calves, puppies, and piglets who only drink their mother’s milk obtain the fruit of following Ekadasi. Many sick people in the hospital fast and some even fall into coma, but do they receive the benefit of following Ekadasi? Will ekadasa-bhava and siddha-pranali manifest in their hearts? They will receive nothing. Why? They don’t know the real glories of following Ekadasi; they have no relation with Ekadasi. They don’t know the real meaning and cause of Ekadasi-devi’s appearance in this world. They don’t respect her.
God sends Madhava-tithi, hari-vasara this day of bhakti-janani to help His part and parcels. But if the souls have no respect or relationship with Hari, then how will they follow Ekadasi? Will the people who observe hungers strikes for many days understand the specialties and glories of Ekadasi-devi? No. They are conditioned souls. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung:
suddha-bhakata-carana-renu,
bhajana-anukula
bhakata-seva, parama-siddhi,
prema-latikara mula
--Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
[The dust of the lotus feet of pure devotees, enthusiastic devotional service, and service to the pure devotees of the highest order are the roots of the creeper of devotion.]
You must have the desire for the foot dust of a pure devotee. This foot dust is favorable for your bhajana. You will then realize the many limbs of surrender. You will realize the essence of six-fold surrender as told in the sloka:
anukulyasya sankalpa
pratikulyasya varjanam
raksisyatiti visvaso
goptrtve varanam tatha
atma-niksepa-karpanye
sad-vidha saranagatih
--Bhakti-sandarbha A-236
["There are six symptoms of self-surrender (saranagati). The first two are anukulyasya sankalpa and pratikulyasya varjanam: 'I will only do that which is favorable for unalloyed bhakti, and I will reject all that is unfavorable.' This is called a solemn vow. The third symptom is raksisyatiti visvaso, faith in the Supreme Lord as one's protector: 'The Lord is my only protector. I can derive absolutely no benefit from jnana, yoga, and other such practices.' This is an expression of trust (visvasa). The fourth symptom is goptrtve varanam, deliberate acceptance of the Supreme Lord as one's maintainer: 'I cannot obtain anything, or even maintain myself, by my own endeavor. I will serve the Lord as far as I am able, and He will take care of me.' This is what is meant by dependence (nirbhara). The fifth symptom is atma-niksepa, surrender: 'Who am I? I am His. My duty is to fulfill His desire.' This is submission of the self (atma-nivedana). The sixth symptom is karpanye, meekness: 'I am wretched, insignificant, and materially destitute.' This is what is meant by humility (karpanya or dainya)."]
The mood of surrender will enter your heart. You will be strong to accept what is favorable for your devotion and to reject what is unfavorable for your devotion. Or else you will be weak. Now, I will start to explain Papamocani Ekadasi’s glories.
Srila Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami has explained what is detrimental to the creeper of devotion by stating the following sloka in the Caitanya-caritamrita:
nisiddhacara', 'kutinati', 'jiva-himsana'
'labha', 'pujā', 'pratisthadi' yata upasakha-gana
--Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 19.159)
[Some unnecessary creepers growing with the bhakti creeper are the creepers of behavior unacceptable for those trying to attain perfection, diplomatic behavior, animal killing, mundane profiteering, mundane adoration and mundane importance. All these are unwanted creepers.]
By this sloka, he instructs the sadhakas on how to properly follow bhakti. A devotee takes harinama from his gurudeva and stays in the temple. People come and respect him. They always follow him from behind and proclaim his glories to everyone they meet. On hearing his glories being spoken, the devotee starts to bask in his new found glory and exclaims, “How wonderfully I am being glorified!”
This is called labha-puja, mundane profiteering and adoration. The devotee is then absorbed in name, fame, and popularity. You must ask yourself the questions, “Who am I? Where am I? What is my position?” By following even a little of Bhakti’s limbs and by respecting one’s gurudeva, labha-puja and pratistha come to the devotee on their own. He will then be hungry and thirsty for name, fame, and prestige. Being adorned with a big turban and a crown, the devotee will then be addressed as an ‘Acarya.’
He will then think, “I am brahmalina and lilalina. I am famous!”
Know that the person afflicted by this mentality has been attacked by papa-purusa, sin personified. By thinking of yourself as great, you are collecting great sin. Nisiddhacara and kutinati follow labha-puja and pratistha. Nisiddhacara represents bad etiquette, where a devotee avoids following regulations.
He thinks, “I am a saffron-cloth brahmacari! I am a sannyasi! There is no need for me to follow these rules and regulations; it is not necessary for me. Vaco-vegam, jihva-vegam, and the other urges apply to the householders; they are not intended for me. I am a higher authority. I am a follower of the super soul, the pure soul! I am now brahma-nista.”
Therefore it is said:
ye ’nye ’ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
aruhya krcchrena param padam tata
patanty adho ’nadrta-yusmad-aṅghrayah
– Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.2.32
[(Someone may say that aside from devotees, who always seek shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet, there are those who are not devotees but who have accepted different processes for attaining salvation. What happens to them? In answer to this question, Lord Brahma and the other demigods said:) O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.]
By falsely considering yourself to be liberated because of impure intelligence, mixed tendencies will enter your heart. Why? Because of nisiddhacara. The sastra states, “Don’t follow this. Don’t accept this. You must reject this.”
But, you will reply, “I am weak. I can’t stop myself from transgressing these rules and regulations.” Who will give you strength?
What is kuti-nati? Some people say, “Maharaja, Prabhuji, this person has insulted you.” Why do you give a chance to engage yourself in prajalpa, gramya-vartha, and gramya-katha? Atyahara prayasasca prajalpa niyamagrah. Why do you engage in prajalpa? You do so because you are weak. You give a person a chance to speak to you. Sitting beside you, he will offer you poison. Srila Gurudeva would often explain what Kuti-nati meant. ‘Ku’ means accepting inappropriate paraphernalia, ‘ti’ means definitely. I take what another has to give, this is the bestowal of guru-mantra. I accept this person as my Guru and I accept what he has to tell me. Why? I offer myself to gurudeva to propagate the glories of Guru and gurudeva and not for any other purpose.
Why do you accept any form of sense gratification? Why can’t you control yourself? Hence, sin, papa will come near you. In this world, people are not only engaged in committing sin, they will also give you presentations composed of sin. But they will not give you harikatha. Srila Prabhupada Sarasvati Thakura would often state how rarely harikatha is obtained. Harikatha is not available everywhere. It is not easy to avail yourself of the benefits of listening to harikatha. People would rather insult, torture, taunt, and hate you than make you listen to harikatha. They will offer you name and fame. Who will protect you from these anarthas?
After some time, you may be of the firm conviction, “Now I will only engage myself in bhajan.” Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura states in his Madhurya Kadambini how all the conditioned souls are affected by four main anarthas. What are they? They are Svarupa brahma, Asat trsna, Hrdaya daurbalya, and aparadha. Sat svarupa, para svarupa, viroddhi svarupa, and maya svarupa are the different forms of your spiritual and material forms. But, you do not know of them. The four types of anarthas are further classified into four more types. Hence, there are sixteen forms of anarthas. When you persevere and engage yourself in bhajan, then utsahamayi will affect you.
You will then think, “I will do this. I will do that. I will cross hills. I will cross oceans. I will do everything by myself. I will be victorious by my own self.” Why will you think as such? Energy will be instilled in you, but this will be uncontrolled. As a result, you will think, “I will do this and that.” Then you will jump into any situation you find tasteful. You would rather participate in musical festivals, parties, programs, and making announcements glorifying yourself than engaging yourself in bhajan. You will lose yourself in attending many meetings and will find yourself not having any time to engage in bhajan. This is utsahamayi. Ghanatarala refers to how you speak of the conclusions of bhakti with firm conviction, but after some time, find yourself to be dry. You will then gradually have nothing; you would have exhausted your balance of bhakti. Being hopeless, you will think, “What can I do now? Okay, I will engage in bhajan. Whatever little possessions I have, I will distribute.” You will water a tree with the little water you have. You will then have no water to drink. Therefore, utsahamayi and ghanatarala will take turns affecting you.
Visaya sanghara is the anartha characterized by many forms of visaya. You may always talk for the happiness of materialists. To please them, you may tell them, “I will go with you to all holy places. We will go by car. I will speak harikatha to you all the way and help you. In the afternoon, we will have lunch in a hotel or a motel.” You would rather eat at these places than honoring mahaprasad. Being engrossed in visayi-sanga, you will lose the priceless treasure of kirtana and harikatha.
You will then think, “Oh this gentleman is good! This lady is good!” You will then be bound to them. You will talk to them and find yourself increasingly attached and attracted to them. Consequently, you will become their servant and slave.
Visaya sanghara, and Taranga rangini are prominent anarthas. Taranga rangini refers to the waves of material desires crashing against each other in your heart. They will afflict you one by one. What will you then do? You will then think, “Should I engage myself in solitary bhajana like a Babaji? Or should I preach and engage myself in this form of bhajan?” You will constantly be thinking about what lies in your best interest. Utsahamayi, ghanatarala, visaya sanghara, and taranga rangini are the different forms of prominent anarthas. Being affected by them, you will not think what is right or wrong; you will act impulsively. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura states how the conditioned souls are uncontrolled. How can they completely serve God? To this effect, he narrates a story from the Purana.
Vamanadeva went to the palace of Bali Maharaja to ask for bhiksa. He glorified Bali Maharaja’s guru-bhakti. Vamanadeva spoke of how Bali Maharaja won everyone’s heart by his guru’s mercy. He conquered heaven, and the seven lower planetary systems consisting of Tala, Atala, Talatala, Vitala, Rasatala, Patala, etc. Indeed, he conquered many abodes. He had the demigods kicked out of their abodes. Why did the demigods become powerless? They disobeyed their guru. Therefore, they found themselves completely powerless before the might of Bali Maharaja. Their guru, Brhaspati, disappeared from their midst. On being left by their guru, the demigods incessantly wept.
They collectively petitioned Visnu for His help.
Visnu replied, “What can I do? You disobeyed your guru; therefore, you lost everything. The demons have guru-bhakti. Their gurudeva has always been the object of their respect. You demigods have no faith in your guru. You have no love for him. Hence, you have lost everything. All of you are proud of being enjoyers. So, you can only blame yourselves for losing everything. You demigods didn’t show appropriate respect to your gurudeva. But, the demons headed by Bali Maharaja duly worship their guru, Sukracarya. Acarya Sukra gives everything to his disciples. This is guru’s power. Okay, I will go beg for Bali Maharaja’s guru-bhakti.”
Thus, Visnu Himself, went to Bali Maharaja’s abode to beg for his guru-bhakti. But could the Lord possibly beg? He knew that gurudeva empowers his disciple with three features of transcendence — sandhini-sakti, samvit-sakti, and hladini-sakti. Bhakti, bhakta, and Bhagavan are sat-cit-ananda maya. Bali Maharaja followed the three gradations of devotion.
Lord Visnu thought, “Hence, I will only beg three steps of land from him. With one step of mine, I will take his guru-bala, his cit-bala. If he offers his guru-bhakti as a form of bhiksa to Me, then I will duly receive it from him. With My next step, I will take his cit-jnana, the manifestation of samvit-sakti. With My third step, I will take ananda-sakti, hladini-sakti, svarupa-sakti’s tendency. I will take kriya-sakti’s mercy on him. Bali Maharaja always engages himself in giving charity. He is not short of resources. So, I will steal his kriya-sakti. Then his power will be nullified.”
God is very clever. He went and begged for three steps of land for Bali Maharaja. On seeing the Lord, Bali Maharaja said, “You are Vamana. Being of a little stature, your brain is also small. Therefore, You only ask for three steps of land. Your feet are also small. You are a small baby Vamanadeva. Hence, I wish to give You half of my country. Indeed, I wish to give You my entire country. I will give You everything.”
Vamanadeva replied, “No, no. I am a batu-brahmana; only three steps of land in enough for Me. I don’t need anymore!”
At that time, Bali Maharaja’s sister Vrndavali took notice of Vamanadeva’s beauty. Ladies are defeated by two factors in their lives — children and young men. Even if a lady is old, she will look at a young man and think of him as a rasagulla. She will always think of him. This is the weakness of ladies. If they can control these tendencies, then they can control everything. On seeing a baby, ladies will take the baby on their laps and caress it. They will smell the baby’s head, kiss it, play with the baby, and give the baby some chocolates. This is the weakness of ladies.
When Vrndavali saw this boy, she thought, “If this boy will be my son, how lucky I will be.”
God said, “Yes. If anybody likes to have Me as a son, then I will become their son.”
ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manusyah partha sarvasah
– Srimad Bhagavad-gita 4.11
[All of them – as they surrender unto Me – I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.]
Vrndavali then served Vamanadeva mentally in many ways. She decorated Him with many ornaments. She decorated Him with ankle bells, crown, cloth, and many such paraphernalia.
She eagerly thought, “I wish to take this boy on my lap and give Him my breast milk. How happy I will be when I will see Him drinking milk to His heart’s content.” Thinking in this way, she offered many kinds of manasi-puja and seva to the boy. God accepted her service.
On Bali Maharaja’s side, Vamanadeva started to measure the three steps—sat, cit, and ananda. Vamanadeva stole the cit-bala, cit-jnana, and cit-sakti of Bali Maharaja. Bali Maharaja was now bereft of all possessions. He was then bound by snakes and made to lie on the ground. On seeing her brother humiliated, Vrndavali became very angry.
She thought, “How cruel this little boy is! Who is He? I will catch this boy and feed Him poison. Then He will understand the pain I am feeling.”
God replied, “Yes. I will accept your offering.”
All should not think that I only insult ladies. This is not my proposal and program. Ladies are happy and joyful during some time, but at the next minute they become like a thunderbolt. They are affected by a raging anger fire. Vrndavali thought, “I will burn this little boy. Or I will feed Him, poison and kill Him. I wish to smash this boy. Who does He think He is? Where has He come from? He has no idea of who I am! I am Vrndavali! I possess all mystic power. I will manifest many forms and I will catch this boy anyhow. How could He dare defeat my brother. I am Maha-maya svarupini. This boy has no idea of who I am.”
Hence, the svarupa of ladies changes during the three times of the day — morning, afternoon, and evening. But I don’t speak of all ladies to be this way. Bhagavati-devi, manjaris, and the gopis are also ladies. So, I don’t insult all ladies. I only repeat the statements of the sastras. Raksasi, demon-ladies are of this nature. Not all ladies are bhutini, pretini, and brahma-raksasis. I don’t consider all ladies to be of one nature.
The name of this Ekadasi is Papamocani. Papini, sakini, dakini, bhutini, pretini, raksasi, and brahma-raksasis are moving everywhere at all times. They wish to attract bhaktas, devotees. But, Ekadasi-devi appeared as the embodiment of the Lord’s eleven senses. The Lord has invested all power in her. Anybody who respects her, and offers themselves to her and who takes shelter of her lotus feet will never be attracted to Maya-devi’s and Kali Maharaja’s soldiers. It is not possible for them to be attracted to the external potency. We just heard from Pujyapad Srauti Maharaja of how Krta-raksasi emerged from the dreadlock of Durvasa Rsi and ran to kill Ambarisa Maharaja. But how could she touch the saintly king? She was a papini composed of raging fire. But, her fire was useless on the king.
If any bhakta tries to do bhajan and guru-seva aiming to cross over maya, then many anarthas like labha, puja, pratistha, nisiddhacara, kutinati, jiva-himsa, and aparadha try to enter and acquire the bhakta’s heart. This Ekadasi is called Papamocani.
Ekadasi-devi proclaims, “I will help the conditioned souls remain unaffected by any form of sin that may trouble them. I am ready to fight. No sin will dare torment those who have taken shelter of me. I will cleanse and purify the souls of all sins. I will defeat any form of sin that will try to enter the bhakta’s hearts. I will give the bhaktas ekadasa-bhava and siddha-pranali. I will give the souls the tendency to serve God. From early morning to evening, I will help the souls engage in the sixty-four limbs of bhakti. I will protect them from the thirty-two seva-aparadhas and ten nama-aparadhas. I will also protect them from dhama-aparadha, vaisnava-aparadha, and any form of aparadha. I will protect them from all unfavorable conditions.”
By taking shelter of Ekadasi-devi’s lotus feet, all will have a transcendental guardian. But by not following Ekadasi-devi, the sublime presence of this transcendental guardian will be absent. Then you will be srnkhala; you will be free of all responsibilities. You will be useless. After Gaura-purnima, Ekadasi-devi appears in this form. Why? Gaura gives harinama. By starting nama-sankirtana, bhakti, mukti, and siddhi will be present near you. Asta-siddhi, nava-niddhi, and other forms of mystic prowess will also stand near you with folded hands. But if you misuse the potency instilled in you by Ekadasi-devi, then you will lose everything. Therefore, Ekadasi-devi gives transcendental guidance, advice, and inspiration. She provides good programs and facilities.
Artha, wealth gives paramartha, spiritual benefit; but it can also make way for anarthas. By sincerely chanting harinama, you will be able to appropriately pray to Nama Prabhu. As a secondary result, many mundane objects will come near you. But if you accept them, you will lose what you have accrued in your spiritual life. For instance, a student gradually progresses through the different grades in school. But, if he thinks, “I am just wasting time going to school. Instead, I will work and make money.” The student then leaves school to look for a job.
Another student says, “I am not leaving school. I will work after I finish high school.”
Among the students, another one says, “No, no. I am not leaving school. After I finish high school, I will join a medical college and become a doctor.”
Now, the student who left school when he was in the fourth grade makes ten dollars every hour. The student who finished high school makes twenty dollars an hour. He cleans pots, cuts vegetables in a hotel and works as a gardener for a living. The student who became a doctor makes thousands of dollars every ten minutes. He writes a prescription and charges twenty-thousand dollars.
So, how will your tapa and japa be perfect within a moment? You take harinama and diksa from Gurudeva and stay with Vaisnavas for a day. Later, you boldly proclaim, “I am a Vaisnava. I am a Vaisnavi. There is no need of sadhu-sanga for me. Nor is there a need for me to follow bhakti. There is no need for me to follow any rules and regulations. I am now a qualified Vaisnava!”
To substantiate his claims of being a Vaisnava, he will adorn himself with a big tilaka on his forehead. His saffron cloth will be outrageously effulgent. He will also have a danda and kamandalu. He will have some cars provided to him by his many followers. Many musical festivals and meetings will be arranged and he will then say, “I am very famous.” But in reality, he doesn’t possess even a trace of bhakti. Therefore, you may perform austerities. But do so in good association. Learn everything, follow and practice what you have learnt.
yanhara darsane mukhe aise krsna-nama
tanhare janiha tumi 'vaisnava-pradhana
– Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila 16.74)
[Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "A first-class Vaisnava is he whose very presence makes others chant the holy name of Krsna."]
As a result of your sincere practice of bhakti, anyone who comes near you will automatically follow everything. There is no need to control them; there is no need to enforce any rules and regulations on them. You will not have to bother yourself with ordering them; you will not lose sleep either. But, if you yourself cannot follow bhakti, how will others follow what you have to say? If you don’t practice what you preach, can you expect others to practice what you preach to them?
Therefore, it is said:
apani acari dharma jivere sikhaya
apani na kaile dharma sikhana na jaya
[One must teach dharma to the jivas by personally practicing it. If one does not practice, he should not teach others.]
Firstly, you must practice what you preach. Therefore, Papamocani Ekadasi protects the souls from their erring nature. She tells them, “Don’t do this! Don’t follow this!” One by one, she bestows the ekadasa-bhavas on the jivas. Everybody knows the origin of her appearance. They know the pastime that serves as the basis for her appearance. One name of Krsna is Murari—He who killed the demon named Mura. God had a desire to kill this demon, but it was not possible for Him to do so on His own. When He grew tired from fighting the demon, He rested. Then Ekadasi-devi manifested from His body. She killed the demon and prayed to the Lord.
She asked, “How can I serve You, my Lord?”
Krsna sends Ekadasi-devi to cleanse the bhaktas of any remaining sins they may have. He tells her, “You must please go and help them.” Ekadasi-devi is more affectionate than any mother. She is therefore called bhakti-janani; she is the mother of bhakti. If anyone doesn’t follow Ekadasi-devi, if they don’t choose to listen to her glories, or understand who she really is, then who can protect them? They have no relationship with the Lord, owing to their bogus nature. Therefore, Gaudiya Vaisnavas are very serious in following the rules and regulations of bhakti. Even if you follow bhakti a little, you will be assured of all protection. You will be eternally protected and provided for. Nobody will be able to cause you any harm. You will be serious in your bhajan. You will sincerely follow the limbs of bhakti.
All are very lucky to be following Ekadasi. Where are we present now? We are in Navadvipa-dhama. We are near the lotus feet of Guru-pada-padma, Gaurahari, and Nityananda Prabhu. The bank of the Ganga is a stone’s throw from where we are. We are most fortunate to take a bath in her waters every day. Mahaprabhu would weep as He would chant harinama in front of Tulasi-devi. Hari-sankirtana should be the aim of our lives. Prajalpa and nisiddhacara should be avoided at all costs. Kutinati and jiva-himsa must also be forsaken. You must never harbor any feelings of jealousy against others. If you find someone to be famous, then you must think, “Yes. This is very good. I am happy for him.”
You must also think, “Am I a senior authority? No. I am the lowest of all. Why? I have no bhakti. I must give everyone the appropriate respect.” You must be trnad api sunica and amanina manad; you must be humble and respect everyone appropriately without demanding any respect for yourself. As a result of your sincerity, you will find yourself to be the repository of all good qualities. Ekadasi-devi will decorate you with all sublime characteristics. Then you will understand on how you can serve the Lord in the most appropriate way. A pure mood will enter your heart. Throughout the year, Ekadasi-devi appears with different names while being adorned with a specialty that is unique to her name. Her glories are limitless.
The name of the previous Ekadasi was Dhatri Ekadasi, Amlaki Ekadasi. On that day, I explained what a Dhatri means. Many Ekadasis like Saphala Ekadasi, Moksada Ekadasi, and other Ekadasis have since passed. All of you must remember Ekadasi-devi’s glories and specialties. If you follow Ekadasi-devi, then it is for your benefit. But if you choose to act otherwise, then ‘haribol.’ Rather, ‘horrible’ would be a more apt word to describe your decision of acting otherwise. Instead of chanting, “Hare Krsna,” you will chant, “Ghare Krsna.” You will say, “Krsna is in my house. He is the householder. I am Radha and my lover is Krsna.” This mundane nature will enter your heart. Then a playing program will be arranged between your lover and you. As a result, children will be born. But your insanity will not stop there.
Pointing to your child, you will say, “He is Prabhupada.”
Hence, your brain will be defeated by maya’s influence. Instead of having ekadasa-bhava manifest in your heart, you will have trayodasa-bhava manifest in your heart. To gratify your senses, you will decide to go to the hill station. But in actuality, you would have made the path to hell wide open for yourself. Therefore, your much accumulated sins will not go on their own.
You may think, “I will engage in giving charity; I will organize many sacrifices; I will engage in many activities to counter all the various forms of sins.” But, will sins go by these endeavors of yours? They will never go. Pious activities will also not go. It is impossible to perform bhajan while you still have a stock of pious merits and sins clinging on to you. It is imperative to cleanse yourself of all pious merits and sins, then your mind will never be defeated by maya. If pious merits persist, you will have many desires of name, fame, and respect boiling over in your heart. They will incessantly disturb you.
Taking notice of the suffering of the conditioned souls, Krsna tells Ekadasi-devi, “The conditioned souls have amassed many sins. You must go and clean them of all their misgivings.”
Ceto darpana manjanam, the consciousness of the conditioned souls will be duly cleansed by Ekadasi-devi. Bhava maha davagni nirvapanam—the miseries caused by the blazing fire of material existence will also be stopped. Being embodied, the souls suffer much pain caused by the material body. In that state, how can they chant harinama? People torture and cause harm to each other, so how will they chant while being troubled by many problems?
To alleviate the pain of the conditioned souls, Krsna tells Ekadasi-devi, “You must go and help these suffering jivas.”
On being requested by her Lord, Ekadasi-devi descends to this world to help the jivas, the conditioned souls. All are very lucky; indeed, your luck is inestimable for you have taken the shelter of a Sad-Guru. You have come near Sad-Guru, Sad-Parampara, and Sad-Vaisnavas. By their harikatha, Guru and Vaisnavas instruct us on how to proceed in the realm of devotion. All are very lucky to be under the shelter of Hari, Guru and Vaisnavas. But, if you don’t follow your guardians, then you remain bogus. Then nothing will be achieved in the realm of devotion. Therefore, today, we should very seriously pray to Ekadasi-devi.
In a mood of humility, you should say, “Ekadasi-devi, I am an offender. Despite my shortcomings, how can I achieve pure bhakti?”
You should sing:
Amara jivana sada pape rata,
nahiko punyera leça
parere udvega diyachi je kato
diyachi jivere klesa
Nija sukha lagi’ pape nahi dori’
doya-hina svartha-paro
para sukhe duhkhi, sada mithya-bhasi
para-duhkha sukha koro
You should think, “How wretched I am! My nature disgusts me. I always busy myself in giving pain to others. I clap my hands and dance when I see everyone unhappy. I cheat people by being duplicitous. I speak to people in a concealed manner, hiding my real intentions. Externally, I dress like a sadhu, but on the inside, I am like a cruel snake. I behave like a demon.”
Being duplicitous is not Vaisnavism or bhakti. The programs of bhakti are very pure and clean. Therefore, I often quote a small English verse, “Neat and clean, fresh and green. White and quiet, then everything is right.”
Gaura Premanande! Hari Haribol!
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