Bhīma Ekādaśī
Ekādaśī is the eleventh day of each half of the lunar month, a day kept by devotees of Vishṇu with fasting and pūjā. Bhīma Ekādaśī is the Ekādaśī of the śukla paksha (bright fortnight) of the month of Māgha, when it falls under Hasta nakshatra (lunar mansion). It is honoured as the most powerful Ekādaśī for removing even the gravest pāpas, the mahāpātakas.
Bhīmasena, one of the Pāṇḍava brothers, kept this vrata (sacred observance) and was freed from his debt to his ancestors. The heart of the vrata is pūjā of a golden mūrti (sacred image) of Bhagavān Varāha, the boar avatāra of Vishṇu, with set mantras for each part of his body. The account is given in the Ācāra Khaṇḍa of the Garuḍa Purāṇa (Chapter 127).
Origin and Greatness
Long ago Bhīmasena, son of Pāṇḍu, kept this most meritorious vrata on the bright Ekādaśī of Māgha under Hasta nakshatra, and was freed from pitṛ-ṛṇa (the debt owed to one’s ancestors). The next day, the Dvādaśī (twelfth lunar day), came to be called Bhīma-dvādaśī in his honour.
The Garuḍa Purāṇa declares that no vrata can match this one in removing the four mahāpātakas, which the dharmaśāstras (texts on dharma) count as the gravest wrongs:
- Brahmahatyā: killing a brāhmaṇa
- Surāpāna: drinking intoxicants
- Svarṇa-cauryam: stealing gold
- Gurupatnī-gamanam: violating the wife of one’s guru
One guilty of any of these cannot be purified even by bathing at the holiest tīrthas (sacred places): Naimisha, Kuru, Prabhāsa, the Kālindī (Yamunā) or the Gaṅgā. Nor are dāna (giving), japa (repetition of mantras), homa (fire offering) and pūjā enough for such grave pāpas. But this Ekādaśī vrata, kept with true devotion, purifies even the worst wrongdoer.
A direct comparison is given. If the merit of giving away the whole earth were placed on one side of a scale, and the merit of offering pūjā to Bhagavān Vishṇu on this Ekādaśī on the other, the merit of the Ekādaśī would weigh more.
How the Vrata Is Kept
Preparation
A golden pratimā (mūrti) of Bhagavān Varāha is made and set on a new copper plate (tāmra-patra), placed on top of a kalaśa (sacred pot). The mūrti is covered with white silk cloth (śvetavastra). Brāhmaṇas are invited to perform the pūjā with devotion, using golden lamps and all the proper upacāras (services).
Aṅga-nyāsa: pūjā of Varāha’s body
The central rite of this vrata is the aṅga-nyāsa, a form of meditation and pūjā in which each mantra is offered to a particular part of the divine body. The nine steps are:
| Mantra | Part of the body honoured |
|---|---|
| Oṃ Varāhāya namaḥ | Caraṇa-kamala (lotus feet) |
| Oṃ Kroḍākṛtaye namaḥ | Kaṭi-pradeśa (waist) |
| Oṃ Gambhīra-ghoshāya namaḥ | Nābhi (navel) |
| Oṃ Śrīvatsa-dhāriṇe namaḥ | Vakshaḥ-sthala (chest, bearing the Śrīvatsa mark) |
| Oṃ Sahasra-śirase namaḥ | Bhujās (arms; the thousand-headed universal form) |
| Oṃ Sarveśvarāya namaḥ | Grīvā (neck) |
| Oṃ Sarvātmane namaḥ | Mukha (mouth) |
| Oṃ Prabhavāya namaḥ | Lalāṭa (forehead) |
| Oṃ Śata-mayūkhāya namaḥ | Keśa-rāśi (hair, shining like a hundred suns) |
Each mantra is recited while touching or picturing the matching part of the divine mūrti.
Jāgaraṇa (night vigil)
The devotee stays awake through the night (jāgaraṇa) and listens to Vishṇu-kathā, the sacred stories of Bhagavān Vishṇu. The Vishṇu Purāṇa is especially recommended as the most auspicious text for this night.
Completion on the Dvādaśī
On the next day (Dvādaśī):
- The devotee completes the morning snāna (ritual bath) and nitya-pūjā (daily pūjā)
- The golden Varāha mūrti honoured the day before is given as dāna to a worthy brāhmaṇa
- The devotee then breaks the fast (pāraṇa)
Phalaśruti: The Fruits of the Vrata
One who completes this vrata:
- Is freed from punarjanma (the cycle of rebirth)
- Is released from the three debts: to the pitṛs (ancestors), the devas and the gurus
- Lives the rest of this life in happiness and peace, with every wish fulfilled
The text calls this vrata “the ādi (beginning) of all vratas”: the root vrata from which all the others draw their holiness.
Sources
- Garuḍa Purāṇa, Ācāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 127