Kamika Ekadashi

I decided to observe the Kamika Ekadashi fast today, so I am going to start this post with a story about the significance of the day of Kamika Ekadashi.

This is the story as told by Krishna to Yudhistir about the significance of fasting on the day of Kamika Ekadashi as mentioned in the Brahma Vaitra Purana:

In ancient times, there lived a cranky Thakur and a Brahmin. Both had a fight and the Thakur in a state of anger killed the Brahmin. Due to this, the Brahmins refused to have food. So, on feeling guilty and realizing his mistake, the Thakur asked a Muni the way to nullify his sins. On this, the Muni told him to observe the Kamika Ekadashi fast. Thakur observed the fast. Then a miracle happened when Thakur saw a dream while he was sleeping near the idol of god, god told him, "Thakur, all sins are removed and now you are free from the sin of Brahman Hatya". Therefore, this Ekadashi is considered very important for spiritual seekers, as it destroys all the negativity from consciousness and fills the mind and heart with divine light.

There is a very interesting quote in the Bhagwat Geeta that can help make sense of above story. Here is what Krishna tells Arjun during their conversation at kurukshetra before the Mahabharata yudh:

2.42-43 & 44

yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ

pravadanty avipaścitaḥ

veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha

nānyad astīti vādinaḥ

kāmātmānaḥ svarga-parā

janma-karma-phala-pradām

kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṁ

bhogaiśvarya-gatiṁ prati

bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ

tayāpahṛta-cetasām

vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ

samādhau na vidhīyate

What it means is:

Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.

In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.

The last two lines particularly explain that "Samadhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense enjoyment, nor for those who are bewildered by temporary (material) things. When the mind is fixed for understanding the self, it is called samadhi".

In Srila Prabhupada's translation of the Bhagwat Geeta, there is a nice explanation about the danger of taking words in their literal sense without understanding the underlining meaning that the original Sanskrit words were meant to convey. In a few stanzas after above the lord also says:

yāvān artha udapāne

sarvataḥ samplutoudake

tāvān sarveṣu vedeṣu

brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ

Which means:

All purposes that are served by the small pond can at once be served by the great reservoirs of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.

The bottomline being one must be intelligent enough to understand the purpose of the Vedas, without being attached to the rituals only.

Fasting or abstaining from consuming food (grains and beans in particular) is the ritual to be observed on the auspicious 11th Day of the lunar phase, also known as Ekadashi. 

My once a day evening meal for this Ekadashi looked something like this (Alu Rajgira Paratha, Sabudana Sweetpotato Khichadi and yogurt). 

Now according to many Hindu scriptures, Ekadasi and the movement of the moon is said to have a direct correlation with the human mind. It is believed that during Ekadasi, our mind attains maximum efficiency, giving the brain a better capacity to concentrate. Spiritual seekers devote the two monthly days of Ekadasi in extreme worship and meditation, owing to its favorable influence on the mind.

Religious reasons aside, these fortnightly fasts help cool the body and its organs giving respite from irregularities and dietary over-indulgences. How so?

Let us try to understand above story once again after knowing what the words represent.

The term Brahmana in these Hindu scripture has a different connotation from the Brahmana of Hindu caste system and according the scriptures:

He is called a Brahmana in whom are truth, gifts, abstention from injury to others, compassion, shame, benevolence and penance. The indications of a Brahmana are purity, good behaviour and compassion unto all creatures. Such persons are well versed in the Vedas and other scriptures and are the only ones capable of performing the religious duties (like Yajna**) perfectly.

And to kill such an individual is a big sin that warrants guilt. And guilt or emotions that have not been handled are the biggest cause of toxins forming in the body making the food we eat act against us and giving rise to health issues. Hence the fasting serves an important purpose of keeping oneself mentally fit and phyisically healthy or open for service to the Supreme in sustaining the universe.

The question then is why Ekadashi in particular and how does this story relate to kamika Ekadashi in particular?

Because human body is 80% water, its always under the influence of the moon, the full moon and new moon pull on the waters of the earth every month as is a known fact. Ekadashi is the tithi that falls exactly 4 days before the full and new moon days. And because it is believed that after a full day of fasting, it takes the body approximately four days to return to its normal fluid levels, Ekadashi fasting has its importance.

Now it is also believed that the effect of full moon is more on the physical or gross body (sthūladēha) whereas that of new moon is more on the mind. So fasting before a new moon day, ensures that there are no excess fluids in the body that can play a havok with our mind during the new moon's activities.

The procedure for this fast is quite varied and flexible as long as certain guidelines are followed. Pitta aggravating foods are completely avoided as far as I have read. Some people eat only once a day, some eat only fruits and/or milk, some avoid even water but all agree that the person observing the fast must avoid drinking too much water and also avoid eating too often, eating once a day is preferable. The idea is to limit the demands of the body and engage the mind in peaceful activities so it can digest the undealtwith emotions and release toxins from the body while gaining true knowledge from the lord.

There are many such metaphors about the practices relating to the Kamika Ekadashi katha which you can read about here.

Before you decide to judge, be reminded that most beliefs of our culture are formed off scientific principles; it becomes a superstition only when people abandon action and remain attached to the results by leaving everything to fate (the exact opposite of what is preached in the Bhagwat Geeta).

2-47. karmaņyevādhikaras te
ma phalesu kadacana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur 
ma te sango 'stv akarmani

Blame it on the prevalent institutes that layout the framework of our educational, social, political and economic policies like most intellectuals do. AIts true that all these systems put a lot of emphasis on objective knowledge and goal oriented learning, reward based motivation and basically everything that drives us to focus our attention on how the world percieves us rather than focusing on how we should be percieving the world through our five senses.

And when you in a mood for something more than blaming, accept it that all this is but an indispensable characteristic of the material world and the only way to overcome it is through awareness and knowledge of the truth. Unfortunately, no organized body, no organized practice, neither religiousness nor atheism can develop this awareness in man. This awareness starts with self-enquiry which only happens in the midst of problems. So, the easier your life becomes, the duller you are bound to get. Or another way to look at it is, the simpler your life is, the easier it becomes for you to look within (rather than look outside) yourself for the source of your problems. 

This life on earth comes with a lot of experiences. We categorize them as either good or bad, we categorize what we inherit as either gifts or obligations, that is only a matter of perception. If you stop to think why am I experiencing all this, your mind is going to throw several explanations, most of which will be formulated from the impressions you have collected within this lifetime or perhaps from your previous lives (if & when every word in the Geeta is to be believed). So, the impressions you form in your head are important, they will shape your thinking and attitude and thus also the quality of the life you live now or the lives you live hereafter.

It is then upon you to separate fact from fiction and myth from reality. Let me tell you about one such belief (it is upon you how you choose to categorize it - only if you need to).

Ayurveda, believes that when you eat your pranic body opens up and absorbs the elements in your environment. So eating with evil people increases evil in you, while eating with sages will increase your desire for knowledge. You need to understand this metaphor before believing every word and getting judgemental about who you choose to share your meals with. 

Eating on specific days of the week or during specific phases of the moon will help you absorb energy at different frequencies. And when you do not eat on specific days, you help move the information stored in your subconscious mind (relating to deities that rule the particular day) towards the conscious mind. Ekadashi is ruled by Mars (mangal graha) so fasting on Ekadashi is said to help one overcome anger.