The Glories of Kamika Ekadasi (from the Brahma-Vaivarta Purana)

The saintly King Yudhishthira Maharaj said,

“O Supreme Lord, I have heard from You the glories of fasting on Deva-sayani Ekadasi, which occurs during the light fortnight of the month of Ashadha.

Now I would like to hear from You about the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Shravana (July–August).

O Govindadeva, please be merciful to me and describe its glories.

O Supreme Vasudeva, I offer my most humble obeisances unto You.”

The Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna, replied,

“O King, please listen attentively as I describe the auspicious influence of this sacred fast (vrata) day, which removes all sins.

Once, Narada Muni asked Lord Brahma about this very topic.

‘O regent of all beings,’ said Narada, ‘O you who sit upon a lotus born from water, please tell me the name of the Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of the sacred month of Shravana.

Please also tell me which Deity is to be worshipped on that holy day, the process one must follow to observe it, and the merits it bestows.’

Lord Brahma replied,

‘My dear son Narada, for the benefit of all humanity I shall happily reveal everything you wish to know.

Just hearing the glories of Kamika Ekadasi grants merit equal to that obtained by performing a horse sacrifice.

Indeed, great merit is attained by one who worships and meditates upon the lotus feet of the four-armed Lord Gadadhara, who holds a conch shell, disc, club, and lotus in His hands, and who is also known as Shridhara, Hari, Vishnu, Madhava, and Madhusudana.

The blessings received by a devotee who worships Lord Vishnu exclusively far exceed those gained by taking a sacred bath in the Ganges at Kashi (Varanasi), in the forest of Naimisharanya, or at Pushkara—the only place on earth where I, Brahma, am formally worshipped.

One who observes Kamika Ekadasi and worships Lord Shri Krishna achieves even greater merit than one who:

• Has darshan of Lord Kedarnath in the Himalayas,
• Bathes at Kurukshetra during a solar eclipse,
• Donates the entire Earth in charity, including its forests and oceans,
• Bathes in the Gandaki River (where the sacred Shaligrams are found), or the Godavari River on a full moon (Purnima) day that falls on a Monday, when the zodiac sign Leo (Simha) and Jupiter (Guru) are in conjunction.

Observing Kamika Ekadasi bestows the same merit as donating a milk cow along with her auspicious calf and their feed.

On this supremely auspicious day, anyone who worships Lord Shridhara-deva (Vishnu) is glorified by all the devas, Gandharvas, Pannagas, and Nagas.

Those who are fearful of their past sins and are deeply immersed in materialistic life should at least observe this foremost of all Ekadasis to the best of their ability and thus attain liberation.

This Ekadasi is the purest of all days and the most potent for eliminating sins.

O Narada, Lord Shri Hari Himself once said,

“One who fasts on Kamika Ekadasi attains much more merit than one who studies all the Vedic and spiritual scriptures.

Anyone who fasts and remains awake throughout the night on this sacred day will never experience the wrath of Yamaraja, the Lord of Death.

It is seen that whoever observes Kamika Ekadasi is freed from the cycle of birth and death. Many devoted yogis of the past attained the spiritual realm by observing this fast with sincerity.”

One should therefore follow in their blessed footsteps and strictly observe a fast on this most auspicious Ekadasi.

Whoever worships Lord Shri Hari with Tulsi leaves is freed from all sinful reactions.

Indeed, such a person remains untouched by sin, just like a lotus leaf remains untouched by water.

Offering even a single Tulsi leaf to Lord Hari grants the same merit as giving away 200 grams of gold and 800 grams of silver in charity.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is more pleased by the offering of a single Tulsi leaf than by opulent offerings of pearls, rubies, topaz, diamonds, sapphires, cat’s-eye gems, lapis lazuli, gomeda stones, and coral.

Offering newly sprouted manjari buds from the Tulsi plant to Lord Keshava absolves all sins committed in this or any previous life.

Even having darshan of Tulsi on Kamika Ekadasi removes all sins.

Touching her and praying to her removes all kinds of diseases.

One who waters Tulsi Devi need never fear Yamaraja.

One who plants or transplants Tulsi on this sacred day will ultimately reside with Lord Shri Krishna in His eternal abode.

To Srimati Tulsi Devi, who bestows liberation through devotional service, one should therefore daily offer full obeisances.

Even Chitragupta, the divine secretary of Yamaraja, cannot calculate the merit gained by offering Tulsi Devi a perpetually burning ghee lamp.

So dear is this Ekadasi to the Supreme Personality of Godhead that all the forefathers of a person who offers such a ghee lamp to Lord Krishna ascend to the heavenly planets and drink divine nectar.

Whoever offers a ghee or sesame oil lamp to Shri Krishna on this day is freed from all sins and enters the abode of Surya, the Sun God, with a body that shines like ten million lamps.

This Ekadasi is so powerful that even if someone is unable to fast, by simply following its prescribed practices, they are elevated to the heavenly planets along with their forefathers.

O Maharaj Yudhishthira,” Lord Shri Krishna concluded,

“These were the words spoken by Prajapati Brahma to his son Narada Muni concerning the incalculable glories of Kamika Ekadasi, which destroys all sins.

This sacred day cancels even the gravest sins—such as the killing of a Brahmana or the death of an unborn child in the womb—and promotes one to the spiritual world.

If someone commits such sinful acts but later hears the glories of Kamika Ekadasi with faith, they can be relieved of the karmic reactions.

However, one must not intentionally commit sins with the hope of nullifying them by simply hearing about this Ekadasi. Such deliberate wrongdoing is an abominable offense.”

Whoever hears the glories of Kamika Ekadasi with faith becomes freed from all sins and returns to the eternal abode of Lord Vishnu—Vaikuntha.

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Shravana Krishna Ekadasi, also known as Kamika Ekadasi, from the Brahma-Vaivarta Purana.