Paapmochani Ekadashi

This Ekadashi is said to be the last Ekadashi before the Hindu New Year begins with Chaitra Mass. This Ekadashi Tithi falls in the krishna paksha and thus precedes Amavasa or the New Moon. The New Moon that will bring with it a new year and new season and also another opportunity for the mind and soul to meet and work together as one before the senses take over and the mind seems to be racing ahead.

The Vrat Katha is a very fitting and interesting story about how the mind deceives those who have not yet attained the supreme knowledge, or in other words accepted the supremacy of the Controller or you may call it the controlling forces. The moral of this story is difficult to explain in just a few lines, as one can not understand it without first having an understanding of the matters of the mind; so rather than writing stories about the story, I thought its better to talk about the astronomical phenomenon that shapes the unique circumstances of this period in time that we glorify as Ekadashi.

Now we do know that Ekadashi in Sanskrit means Eleventh. Eleventh Day of the fortnight after a full or new moon is called Ekadashi. And the period within which the Eleventh Tithi falls, that is the one of importance for the seeker. So let us start by first understanding what exactly a tithi is.

Twice every month the Sun and the Moon align with the Earth in a straight line creating an effect we understand as 'Grahan' or Eclipse. On the day of the new moon or Amavasya, a new month begins as the moon enters the same Nakshatra occupied by the Sun. We are unable to see the moon on this day as the sun's light falling on the moon does not reach us. Then as the moon revolves around the earth, the angular distance between the sun and the moon (as observed from the earth) increases. So in a 360° Circle, one tithi changes to another when the angular distance between the sun and the moon increases by approximately 12°. This diagram from the encyclopedia of vedic science is a good illustration of how different phases of the moon relative to its position against the sun are categorized as tithis. 

The important thing to understand about tithis is that a tithi is based on the position of both the sun and the moon. And in the Lunar Month of Chaitra, the shukla pratham tithi is celebrated as Gudi Padwa or Ugadi also known as Yug-adi which signifies the beginning of a new Yuga and translates as the 'First Era'. Also celebrated as Chaitra Navaratri. It is the time of the year when Spring officially begins.

Now, we also know that the sun is the director of the soul while moon is the director of the mind in all living beings. And every month as the moon moves away from and towards the sun while revolving around the earth, it is seated in different Nakshatras, the mind too is seated in different energy centers or chakras within our body based on the influence of the moon.

There are two Chakras which are said to be the natural habitats of the mind, the ones where the mind feels at home so clarity comes easily. As Krishna Ekadashi Tithi approaches, the mind is seated in the Anahata or the Heart Chakra and when Shukla Ekadashi Tithi approaches, the mind is seated in the Ajna or Third Eye Chakra. This month the Sun is seated in Nakshatra Poorvabhadrapada, with the beginning of the new lunar month, it would move to Uttarbhadrapada Nakshatra.

There is no doubt about the fact that the moon reflects the light of the sun similarly, the mind and soul are connected. For a Yogi, or one situated in Yoga, the self controls the mind. Like the BG says in Chapter 6:

ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur

ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

That is the reason the fast for Ekadashi is observed from Sunrise to Sunrise but there are many different rules different people follow based on their own level of understanding, some start avoiding grains on the day of the Dashami Tithi itself, some fast for three days, some fast for one day, some fast from grains, some fast from all kinds of food or fruits and water. Some even fast with only one meal a day. Now with regards to timing of the fast, there are two popular schools of thought here. The Smarta and Vaishnavs. Smarta rule is simple – ekadasi should be visible at the time of local sunrise, while for the Vaishnavaites, Ekadasi should be prevailing two hours before sunrise. I think it is better to listen to your body and see what you can learn out of it rather than setting goals about what you will do. 

For me many of the fasts come as a learning opportunity about different things. I enjoy learning about the ingredients I cook with and how it affects the material body. So, rather than turning fanatic about excluding or including specific ingredients, it is better to spend these days reflecting upon the reasons why we do what we do and understand what we can do without. Fasting afterall is the means not an end.