Issue 3

Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi Mar/27/99 We have described the importance of timing elsewehere in this Website. Therein we defined thithi and pointed out the worship procedures that are ideal during certain thithis. Even the not so scientifically inclined amongst us are well aware of the gravitational influences of the moon on the earth especially during new moon and full moon days. The scientifically inclined know that perturbations in the sun's environment can seriously affect us on the earth. An example was the major satellite system malfunction in the US in 1998 which was triggered by solar storms according to the experts. Thus celestial bodies have influence over us here on earth. The Siddhas and rishis have known this for a long time. Since a thithi is part of a lunation cycle, the gravitational influence of the celestial bodies on the earth vary from thithi to thithi. The Siddhas, who are masters of the secrets of the universe, know this well and they used this knowledge to classify worship procedures that should be performed and eating habits that should be followed during each thithi. Thus each thithi has its own special spiritual characteristics. This is the spiritual secret behind thithis and this is why spiritual aspirants need to keep track of thithis (which is easy to do with the spiritual calendar provided in this Website). Not only should they keep track of thithis, but they must also follow the prescriptions of the Siddhas on each thithi. Ékadasi Ékadasi is the eleventh thithi during each phase of the moon. The special characteristics of this thithi are that it's an ideal day for the worship of Sri Narayana and the observance of fasting. Peace of mind and tranquility are very easy to achieve if one follows the Ékadasi worship procedure. But there's more to Ékadasi than just that. 24 to 25 Ékadasis occur each year. While all Ékadasis provide rich spiritual benefits to the aspirant, each Ékadasi provides certain unique spiritual benefits that can only be got on that day during the entire year. In other words, each Ékadasi is unique in its own right and hence sincere aspirants can't afford to miss even a single Ékadasi. If they do, they will have to wait an entire year before the same Ékadasi rolls around the next time. So it's not very smart to miss Ékadasis if you have serious spiritual aspirations. Does Ékadasi have anything to offer for the materially minded? But of course! Here's one. Perform abishékam for the deities using coconut water and honey on Ékadasi day. The result will manifest as kaarya siddhi, that is, your endeavors won't go to waste; they will bear fruit. Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi occurs in the Panguni maasam (mid March to mid April). Kaamam means improper desire. Improper desires are not just sexual desires. Desires arising out of greed are improper too. So also are desires which don't make sense, like a middle class person desiring a Rolls Royce. And it goes without saying that covetousness of any kind is improper too. These improper desires are at the root of sin. The need to satiate one's desires makes one trangress bounds which should never be crossed thereby leading to severe bad karma. Imagine how many can get hurt in one's rampage to have his or her desires satisfied. On the other hand, when one can't get the object of his or her desire, the result is rage. Because of rage, one can do serious damage to others and thereby accumulate a lot of bad karma again. Thus improper desires, whether they are satisfied or not, lead to bad karma. And of course the very goal of spirituality is the eradication of bad karma, not the accumulation of it! Thus it's easy to conclude that spiritual aspirants should get rid of improper desires. This is of course easy to say and not so easy to do! Improper desires don't just go away because we want them to go away. Only divine grace can drive them away and thus free us their evil tentacles. How can one receive the divine grace that puts an end to improper desires? By observing Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi (Mar/27/99)! This is the speciality of Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi. This is the unique spiritual benefit that we alluded to earlier in this article. Another special feature of Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi is that it happens to be a day which is ideal for enhancing the divine energies in temples. This is typically done through the installation of new deities and through the kumbha abishékam temple ceremony. Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi (Mar/27/99) is one of the days in the year which is best suited for these spiritual activities. If the kumbha abishékam ceremony can't be conducted because of lack of resources, then noodhana ashta bandhana marundhu paste application ceremony must be conducted. Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi is an ideal day for this ceremony too. It's also ideal for the conduct of the thiru manjana abishékam ceremony. Yet another speciality of Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi is that it's an appropriate day for the renewal of kula dévata worship. Kula dévata (family deity) and ishta dévata (personal deity) worship are very important daily activities which must never be neglected. But if one has neglected them, Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi (Mar/27/99) is an ideal day for renewing this worship. Fasting Vow on Ékadasi As mentioned earlier in the article, the Ékadasi day is ideal for the observance of the vow of fasting. Those observing the Ékadasi vow should start the fast just before the onset of the Ékadasi thithi, that is, during Dasami thithi itself. They should conclude the fast just after the onset of Dvaadasi thithi, thus fasting throughout Ékadasi. Now, what do we mean by fasting? Well, fasting comes in all shapes and sizes! At the one extreme is the fast wherein the aspirant doesn't even swallow the saliva in his mouth during the entire duration of the fast! At the other extreme is the fast wherein the aspirant consumes two meals as usual and substitutes snacks or fruits for the third meal. Obviously the former is a lot harder than the latter! One can imagine the many variations in between these two extremes. For example, there are those who subsist just on water mixed with some thulasi or vilvam leaves. There are others who forego rice (or whatever their staple grain is) and subsist on other food items. Still others eat only one meal in place of the usual three and observe a fast during the rest of the time. Some consume two meals and fast otherwise. Some fast during the day and eat only at night. Some do it the other way around. Thus there are many variations in observing the Ékadasi vow of fasting. Of course, the resulting spiritual benefit is commensurate with the sincerity and severity of the fast. A rule of fasting is that you shouldn't continue the fast if you begin to crave food or if you just can't seem to fast any more. In other words, fasting shouldn't be forced. You should be able to do it joyfully. It should come naturally and you should be able to fast with a calm, serene mind. It's this kind of serene fasting that strengthens you both physically and spiritually. Why, this serence fasting can even reveal God to you! But on the other hand, forcing the fast can lead to trouble. What if you are just not able to fast in a serene way? Worry not. Pray unceasingly for the ability to fast so that you may progress spiritually. Ask for this ability in all sincerity and God will certainly grant it to you. All you need to do is submit to the divine grace and take the first step towards God. The merciful Lord will do the rest. Observe Fast But Feed the Poor! There's an erroneous notion that because Ékadasi is a day of fasting, this applies to the poor as well and thus one should suspend poor feeding activities on Ékadasi day. In the Kali Yuga, when most of humankind doesn't observe the Ékadasi fast, can one suspend poor feeding? It's ludicrous to even consider it. By all means, feed the poor on Ékadasi day. You may desist from feeding those observing the Ékadasi fast, but please do not suspend feeding the poor on this day. Not feeding the poor will lessen the spiritual benefits you accumulate by observing Ékadasi. Fasting Vow on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi The Siddhas have suggested a special procedure for observing Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi (Mar/27/99). It involves following a certain procedure during the entire paksham (a 15 day phase from Prathamai thithi to Pournami thithi) in which Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi occurs as the eleventh day. This is called Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi paksha pooja (Mar/17/99 to Mar/31/99). Though this worship procedure may seem a bit difficult at first, it's one which can purify both the body and the soul and bless you with immeasurable spiritual progress. The main feature of this procedure is that one should eat only a certain eatable of one's own choice on each of these 15 days. For example, you may choose to subsist on milk on Prathamai thithi, bananas on Chathurthi thithi, potatoes on Sapthami thithi. Whatever food item you choose for a certain day, you must consume that item alone and nothing else during that entire day. This is the key element of the Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi paksha pooja fasting procedure of the Siddhas. Of course, you could forego one or two of the main meals each day if you want. As we said before, the resulting spiritual benefit is commensurate with the sincerity and severity of the fast. Those who observe the Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi paksha pooja will find that their endeavors which were riddled with obstacles over the years will now succeed easily and bear fruit. The Lord in Seated Posture On Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day (Mar/27/99), it's important to have a vision of the Maha Vishnu form in seated posture. So visit those temples in which Sri Narayana is in this posture. For example, Sri Narasimha and Sri Hayagreeva generally offer us visions of Their divine forms in the seated posture and so visits to temples which house these deities is a good idea on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day. We have included pictures of both the Narasimha and Hayagriva divine forms in this article. A vision of Sri Varadaraja in Thiru Nedungalam near Trichy (in the state of Tamil Nadu in the south of India) has been prescribed on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day. In Kancheepuram near Madras (in the state of Tamil Nadu in the south of India), Sri Krishna grants us a vision of His divine form in the seated posture in the Pandava Dhootha Krishna temple. Sri Krishna deities in the seated posture are quite rare and thus a vision of this deity on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day (Mar/27/99) is extremely special. The vision of Sri Krishna in this temple on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day will resolve all problems arising from enmities with friends, relatives, colleagues and business partners. Whether it's a money problem or an inheritance matter or land ownership misunderstandings or a long standing case in the courts, Sri Pandava Dhootha Krishna will solve it for you if you have a vision of His divine form on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day. This is a Siddha solution for humankind. The Lord in Four Postures Another special spiritual exercise on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day is seeing the Lord in four different postures, namely, standing, sitting, reclining and walking postures. The Lord blesses us with these four postures in Kancheepuram and Kumbakónam in the state of Tamil Nadu in south India. These four postures can also be seen in Thiru Neermalai near Madras. The Lord blesses us in these four postures as Sri Neer Vannan (Sri Rama), Sri Narasimha, Sri Ranganatha and Sri Trivikrama (Sri Ulagalandha Perumaal) respectively. Make sure you see the Lord in these four forms on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day (Mar/27/99). If due to unforeseen circumstances you're not able to see these four forms of the Lord in the temple, you can see them on this page. There are many families who don't have a roof over their heads. Then there are those families who can't find decent housing even though they can afford it. And then there are those who want to own their own house, but just can't seem to make it happen. People in these predicaments should observe the Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi paksha pooja as prescribed by the Siddhas and see the Lord in His four different postures on Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi day (Mar/27/99). They should offer chakkarai pongal, which pleases Sri Narayana, to the Lord and then distribute it to the poor. If they follow this procedure with faith and sincerity, Sri Narayana Himself will show them the way. This is the word of the Siddhas. Om Salutations to Sri Narayana. Om Salutations to Sri Maha Vishnu. Om Salutations to Sri Maha Lakshmi. Om Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. Om Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Hayagreeva. Om Salutations to Sri Vishnu Trivikrama. Appendix 1: Timing Make sure you determine the exact time period during which Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi is in effect in your timezone. You can do this by using the spiritual calendar provided in this Website. The exact time span of Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi is the time period during which Ekadasi thithi is in effect. Here are the times for three different timezones. om Timezone Sarva Kaamadha Ékadasi From To US West Coast Mar/26/99 11:42 hours Mar/27/99 11:29 hours India Mar/27/99 01:12 hours Mar/28/99 00:59 hours Singapore Mar/27/99 03:42 hours Mar/28/99 03:29 hours Refer to the spiritual calendar for other timezones.