Bhādraśīla and the Ekādaśī Fast

Bhādraśīla was the young son of Gālava Maharshi. From childhood he worshipped Bhagavān Vishṇu and kept Ekādaśī (the eleventh day of each half of the month). He remembered his past life. In that life he was a king named Dharmakīrti who had fallen into adharma, yet one Ekādaśī fast, kept without knowing it, saved him.

The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa gives this account as a talk between father and son on the bank of the Narmadā.

Gālava Maharshi and his son Bhādraśīla

The great ṛshi Gālava lived for many years on the bank of the Narmadā. The place was a forest full of many kinds of trees, visited by elephants and bears, and served by siddhas, cāraṇas, gandharvas, yakshas and vidyādharas. It was sweet with the smell of roots and fruits (kandamūla-phala) in plenty.

A son was born to Gālava, a remarkable boy named Bhādraśīla. His name means “one of good character”.

From his childhood Bhādraśīla made small images of Vishṇu out of clay. He worshipped them each day, even if only for a short time, and he urged his playmates to do the same. He turned even his playtime into the Ekādaśī vrata (vow). He made a saṅkalpa (a resolve) and said: “This is Ekādaśī. I offer this vrata to Hari.” His playmates learned from him. Together they made clay images of Śrī Hari and worshipped them. All his conduct was guided by nishkāma Hari-bhakti, devotion to Hari without any wish for reward.

Gālava saw this unusual nature in his child. He embraced him with joy and asked: “O Bhādraśīla, your character is truly good (bhadra-śīla). Your conduct is hard even for yogīs. How did such understanding, so far from worldly ways, arise in a child? Even with the company of good people (sat-saṅga), devotion to Bhagavān Vishṇu does not arise without good deeds done in a past life (pūrva-janma-sukṛta). Tell me where this wisdom comes from.”

Bhādraśīla’s past life as Dharmakīrti

Bhādraśīla had knowledge of his past birth (pūrvajanma-jñāna). He told his former life.

“O father! In my last birth I was a king of the Soma-vaṃśa named Dharmakīrti. My guru was Dattātreya Maharshi. I ruled for nine thousand years. In the beginning I did many good acts. But as time went on, I became swollen with aiśvarya-mada (the pride of wealth and power), and I gathered many acts of adharma. I fell into the company of pāshaṇḍas (those who reject the Veda) and slowly gave up the path of the Veda (Veda-mārga). Through my delusion I broke up many yajñas. The people of my kingdom followed their king and also drifted into adharma. A sixth of their pāpa came to me.”

“Sunk in these faults, I once went on a long hunt in the forest. I killed many animals. When evening came I was alone on the bank of the Revā (the Narmadā). My army had not been able to follow me. I was tormented by hunger and thirst. Near the river I met some people who were keeping the Ekādaśī vrata. I was alone and had no other food, so I joined them and passed the night without eating. I had walked wearily all day, and I sat awake through the night (jāgaraṇa). I did this not from devotion but from tiredness and hunger. At the first light of dawn, I died.”

Before Yamadharmarāja

“The Yamadūtas, terrible with fangs and weapons, bound me and brought me to Yamadharmarāja. Dharmarāja called Citragupta and asked him to weigh my deeds and give a judgment.”

“Citragupta thought for a long time and then said: ‘O Dharmarāja! This man is indeed one who lived in pāpa. But on the Ekādaśī tithi (lunar day) he went without food (nirāhāra) and stayed awake on the bank of the Revā. Even though this happened by accident, by the power of the Ekādaśī fast all his pāpa has been destroyed.'”

“When Dharmarāja heard Citragupta’s judgment, he rose from his throne and bowed to the ground before me, a man who had kept Ekādaśī without even knowing it. Then he called all his dūtas (messengers) together and gave them a great teaching.”

Yamadharmarāja’s orders to his dūtas

“Bring me those who live in pāpa and who shun dharma. But do not bring:

Those who are devoted to the pūjā of Vishṇu, who are devotees, who are grateful (kṛtajñas).
Those who keep the Ekādaśī vrata and have won over their senses.
Those who always say: ‘Nārāyaṇa! Acyuta! Hare! Kṛshṇa! Vishṇo! Padmeśa! Padma-janapita! Śiva! Śaṅkara!’
Those who give all their karma to Nārāyaṇa, those who have devotion to Hari, those who follow good conduct (sadācāra).
Those who serve the guru, those who give to worthy people (sattva-pātra-dāna), those who protect the helpless, those who chant the name of Hari.
Those who keep away from the company of pāshaṇḍas, those who are devoted to brāhmaṇas, those who find joy in the company of good people.
Those who honour guests (atithi-pūjā), those who see Śiva and Vishṇu with equal eye, those who work for the good of the world (loka-upakāra).

But do bring to me:

Those who turn away from the Ekādaśī vrata, those of fierce temper.
Those who are devoted to speaking ill of others, those who are attached to village gossip, those who envy the noble.
Those who covet the wealth of a brāhmaṇa, those who turn away from devotion to Vishṇu.”

Liberation and rebirth

“After I heard Yama’s judgment, I thought of all the pāpa I had done, and deep repentance (paścāttāpa) arose in me. By that very remorse, and by hearing the words of dharma, all my remaining pāpa was destroyed in an instant. I became bright like a thousand suns. I reached Hari-sārūpya (a form like Hari’s), and Yamadharmarāja himself bowed before me.”

“In a hundred divine vimānas I was taken to the parama-pada of Śrī Mahāvishṇu. There I enjoyed all divine pleasures for thousands of crores of kalpas. Then I stayed in Indra-loka for hundreds of crores of kalpas. From there I came down to the human world and was born in your line of devotees of Vishṇu. And I remembered all this through knowledge of my past life.”

“The small act that saved me was done without knowledge and without intention. If an accidental Ekādaśī fast gives such a measureless fruit, what will it give to one who keeps it with full faith (śraddhā) and devotion? That is why I keep the Ekādaśī vrata with full care, and I worship Bhagavān Vishṇu at each pūta (session of worship). Those who keep Ekādaśī with faith will reach Vishṇu-loka, the source of the highest joy (ānanda).”

Gālava Maharshi heard this account and embraced his son with great joy. He said: “You have been born in my line. My life is fulfilled.” Then he taught Bhādraśīla the whole vidhi (method) of the pūjā of Hari.

The rules of the Ekādaśī vrata

The same chapter of the Nārada Purāṇa gives detailed rules for Ekādaśī.

On Ekādaśī of both the bright half (Åukla paksha) and the dark half (kṛshṇa paksha) of the month, one must not eat.
For the full fruit of the fast (upavāsa-phala), one stays without all food on the night of daśamī (the tenth day), on Ekādaśī (both meals) and on the night of dvādaśī (the twelfth day). That makes four meal-times in all.
Even the mahāpātakas (the great pāpas) take their home in food (anna) on the day of Hari. To eat food on that day is the same as wishing for all pāpa.
On the morning of daśamī: get up early, clean the teeth (dantadhāvana), and bathe (snāna). Worship Hari with sandal paste, flowers, incense, lamp and food offering (gandha-pushpa-dhūpa-dīpa-naivedya). On Ekādaśī day keep without food and with control of the senses (indriya-jaya). Sleep at night in the presence of Nārāyaṇa.
On dvādaśī: bathe and perform the pūjā of Janārdana. Offer the vrata with this mantra: “O Puṇḍarīkāksha! I keep this fast and will eat on dvādaśī. O Acyuta! Be my protector.”
Keep the night awake (jāgaraṇa) with dance, song, music and listening to the Purāṇas (nṛtya-gīta-vādya-purāṇa-śravaṇa).
On dvādaśī: bathe Hari with the five nectars (pañcāmṛta-snāna) and then with milk (kshīrābhisheka).
Feed brāhmaṇas and perform the five great yajñas (pañcamahāyajñas). Then eat in silence with the family.

The text gives these comparisons: Gaṅgā is the greatest tīrtha; the mother is the greatest guru; Vishṇu is the greatest deva; going without food is the greatest tapas; Ekādaśī is the greatest vrata.

Sources

Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Poorvardha, Chapter 83

Bhādraśīla and Ekādaśī