Ekādaśī and Dvādaśī Vow in the Padma Purāṇa
Ekādaśī is the eleventh day of each half of the lunar month, and Dvādaśī is the twelfth. Devotees of Vishṇu fast on Ekādaśī and break the fast on Dvādaśī after pūjā. Chapters 233 and 234 of the Uttara Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa give detailed rules for this vow: how to perform the pūjā, which foods and acts to avoid, and what merit it brings.
The text declares that the Ekādaśī and Dvādaśī vow is the highest religious practice for gaining Vishṇu’s grace and moksha (liberation).
Origin
This section of the Padma Purāṇa explains where the vow came from. It says the vow began as Vishṇu’s own instruction to his devotees, given as the main way of coming close to him in the Kali Yuga, the present age.
Rules for Fasting
The full fast on Ekādaśī means:
- No food on the eleventh day
- Keeping away from all grains (especially rice), pulses and cooked food
- Some devotees take only water; others take fruit or roots
- The fast is broken on Dvādaśī (the twelfth day), after pūjā
Pūjā on Dvādaśī
On Dvādaśī, the devotee should:
- Rise early and bathe
- Worship Vishṇu with the full sixteen acts of honour (shoḍaśopacāra pūjā)
- Offer flowers, incense, lamps and food
- Recite Vishṇu’s names and stotras (hymns of praise)
- Feed Vaishṇava brāhmaṇas
- Then break the fast
Foods and Acts to Avoid
During the Ekādaśī and Dvādaśī vow, the following should be avoided:
- All grains and rice on Ekādaśī
- Honey, oil and pulses on Dvādaśī
- Other people’s food (food not first offered to Vishṇu)
- Stale food
- Onion, garlic and asafoetida (hiṅgu)
- Anger, pride, greed and hypocrisy, for the whole of the observance
Fruits of the Vow
The fruits promised for the Ekādaśī and Dvādaśī vow include the removal of all pāpa, the gaining of everything one wishes for, and in the end moksha and union with Vishṇu. It is said that whoever keeps this vow faithfully for a full year receives fruit equal to performing a great yajña.
Sources
- Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapters 233–234