Jayaśarman and Kāmalā Ekādaśī
Kāmalā Ekādaśī is the Ekādaśī (the eleventh day of the lunar fortnight) of the bright half of the intercalary month, called adhika-māsa or Purushottama month. Chapter 62 of the Uttara Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa shows its power through Jayaśarman, a brāhmaṇa’s son whom his family had left. Lakshmī herself appeared to him on this Ekādaśī.
Jayaśarman is left by his family
A brāhmaṇa named Śivaśarman lived in Avantī (Ujjain) with his five sons. The youngest was Jayaśarman. He was hurtful to others, and his misconduct made his father leave him. His kinsmen and relatives left him too. He had nowhere to go and nothing to live on. The force of his own bad deeds drove him into a very distant forest.
He reaches Harimitra’s āśrama
By good chance he came to a famous holy place. Bhagavān Kṛshṇa says this was because some puṇya (merit) of his was still left. Thin with hunger and with a sad face, he bathed at the Triveni, the meeting of three rivers. Weak from hunger, he went about looking for the āśramas of ṛshis (seers).
He came to the āśrama of the ṛshi Harimitra during the Purushottama month. This is the extra month that comes round from time to time, and it carries the name Purushottama (best of persons), a name of Bhagavān Vishṇu. There he heard brāhmaṇas telling an account from the Purāṇas that destroys pāpa (sin). He listened with devotion to the account of Kāmalā Ekādaśī, the Ekādaśī of the bright half of the Purushottama month. It is very auspicious and gives joys and moksha (liberation).
The fast and Lakshmī’s coming
After he had heard it, Jayaśarman kept the Kāmalā Ekādaśī vow at that time. He fasted in the lonely temple together with the others who had gathered there. When night came, Lakshmī came down and stood before him. She said: “O brāhmaṇa, through the power of the Kāmalā Ekādaśī I shall give you a vara (boon).”
Jayaśarman was bewildered and overcome at the sight of her. He asked who she was. Was she Indrāṇī, or Bhavānī, or a gandharva woman, or a kinnarī, or the wife of the Moon or the Sun? He had never seen or heard of anyone like her.
Lakshmī told him that she had come from Vaikuṇṭha, sent by the Deva of devas himself. She had come because of the power of the Kāmalā vow that Jayaśarman had just kept near the ṛshis at Prayāga. She promised that through her favour men of his family line would be born in the future and would gain a good place in life. Then she vanished.
Lakshmī’s teaching on Kāmalā Ekādaśī
Before she left, Lakshmī also taught about the Kāmalā Ekādaśī itself. She said that this month is the best of months, as Garuḍa is the best of birds. The Dvādaśī (twelfth day) of this month is among days as the Gaṅgā is among rivers. Even the devas now wish to be born in Bhārata so that they can keep this vow. Groups of devas such as Brahmā always honour those who devoutly worship Bhagavān Vishṇu in this month. Those who are absorbed in repeating the names of Bhagavān Vishṇu, those who tell of his qualities and those who worship him are the fortunate ones in the Kali Yuga.
The Kāmalā Ekādaśī also comes in the dark half of the Purushottama month for those with particular observance requirements. Both Ekādaśīs of the intercalary month are of this highest kind.
The return
After Lakshmī blessed him, Jayaśarman became rich. He went back to his father’s house.
Sources
- Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 62