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Varuthini Ekadashi

“Hiranmayena patrena satya syapi hitam mukham, tattvam pusanna pavrnu satya dharmaya drstaye”
The ultimate truth or knowledge of Brahman is hidden behind your golden disc. With your illuminating grace, may the truthful devotee be able to see what is concealed.
This hymn praises the Sun and is from the Isha Upanishad. Varuthini Ekadashi precedes Mesha Sankranti that takes place on 14th April. It also precedes the Amavasya tithi where Surya and Chandra meet in Ashwini Nakshatra (a nakshatra that falls under the fire sign Mesh Rashi). While the Rashi is ruled by Mars, the Nakshatra is ruled by Ketu and the Sun is said to be exhalted or most powerful when in this nakshatra. 

 So, this Sankranti is about purification and strength. The strength of wisdom and knowledge and religion too. True religion can liberate and purify one but true religion also suffers when in the hands of the weak. So, this time of the year is an opportunity to get wiser and strengthen one's faith in the Supreme.

 As the Bhagwat Geeta says in Chapter 4:
न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिह विद्यते ।
na hi jñānena sadṛśaṃ pavitramiha vidyate |

‘There is nothing so purifying as wisdom in this world’
And as the Kena Upanishad says:
आत्मना विन्दते वीर्यम्
ātmanā vindate vīryam

‘Strength comes from (the knowledge of) the Atman.’
Atman is the Soul and the Sun is Atmakarak. And this Sankranti is the beginning of a new Solar Year or Souramana Ugadi. As it is nearly the end of Spring and almost the beginning of Summer so a day before and after this ekadashi, ingredients like Urad Dal, Masoor Dal, Chickpeas, Spinach and Honey are advised to be avoided.

 An interesting metaphoric line in the Vrat Katha says:

 The merit one achieves by donating a great amount of gold during a solar eclipse at Kurukshetra is gained by one who observes this one EkAdasii with love and devotion, and certainly attains his goals in this life and the next. In short, this EkAdasii is pure and very enlivening and the destroyer of all sins.

 Better than giving horses in charity is giving elephants, and better than giving elephants is giving land. But better still than giving land is the giving of sesame seeds, and better than that is giving of gold. Still better than giving gold is giving food grains - for all the forefathers, demigods (devas), and human beings become satisfied by eating grains. Thus there is no better gift of charity than this in the past, present or future.

 Still better than all these charities is teaching spiritual knowledge to the ignorant. Yet all the merits one can attain by performing all these acts of charity are attained by one who fasts on the VarUthinii EkAdasii.
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