Member-only story
Utthana Ekadasi
The Day the Gods Awake
There is a lovely, almost 700-page book entitled Ekadasi Svarupa Darshana, issued by ISKCON, that is the most detailed text I’ve found on Ekadasi, the fast observed by many Hindus during the eleventh day of the waxing and waning moon according to the lunar calendar. Each Ekadasi has its own lore and significance, and this book beautifully captures this. I’ll be sharing gems from this book, along with my own reflections, on each Ekadasi.
And so it is only fitting to start with Utthana Ekadasi, the day when the Devas arise from their four-month nap which coincides with Chaturmasya. Chaturmasya is a four-month period of retreat and fasting observed by Hindus during the rainy season, when even sadhus retire to one place for study and sadhana.
As Ekadasi Svarupa Darshana notes,
The importance of following Chaturmasya-vrata is stated in all the shastras. To follow this vrata is not only of paramount importance for the sadhaka. It is to be followed by everyone, by all family members and by all souls in all species of life. All the shastras proclaim that everyone should follow Chaturmasya.
Bharata & The Baby Deer
Many of us are familiar with the story of Bharata from the Srimad Bhagavatam. There is an interesting connection between him and Utthana Ekadasi, though, that you may not be aware of.
To recap, Bharata was a great king who, later in his life, retired to the forest and engaged in mantra recitation (japa), fasting, and performing penance. He achieved high spiritual attainment and was seemingly on the cusp of moksha, but near the end of his life, Bharata became excessively attached to a baby deer.
When meditating, Bharata would wonder how the baby deer was faring, whether it was lonely or hungry, whether it was sleeping or playing. He became so attached to the baby deer that his last thought before dying was about the deer. As a result, Bharata became a deer in his next life.
There are two lessons we should learn from this: