Ekadashi Vrat Vidhi Vidhan | Ekadashi Vrat Rituals

Ekadashi Vrat Vidhi Vidhan

Those observing the Ekadashi fast should never consume meat, onion, Masur lentils etc. on Dashami Tithi. On the day of Ekadashi, one should not use Datun (teeth-cleaning twig) plucked from a tree in the morning. Instead of this, one should clean the mouth by chewing lemon, blackberry or mango leaves. One should purify the throat with the finger.

Keep in mind that plucking leaves from trees is prohibited on this day, hence use only the leaves that fall naturally. If leaves are not available, the mouth should be purified by gargling twelve times with pure water.

Then after taking a bath, one should go to the temple and recite Gita or listen to it from the priest etc. One should take a vow like this in front of God - "Today I will not talk to any felonious, thief or hypocritical person. I will not hurt anyone by using bitter words. I will serve and please cows, Brahmins etc. by giving them fruits and feasts.

I will keep vigil at night and do Kirtan. I will chant this twelve-syllable (Dwadasha Akshara) mantra Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevay. I will recite the names of Lord Rama, Krishna and Vishnu Sahasranama with great devotion and reverence."

After taking the vow in this way, one should meditate on Shri Hari Lord Vishnu and pray - "O Lord of the three worlds! Protect my vow. My everything is in your hands, so give me such strength that I can fulfil this vow, Lord!"

If due to ignorance you end up talking to a critic, then to get rid of this mistake, do Darshan of Lord Surya Narayan, worship Shri Hari with Dhoopa, Deepa and ask for forgiveness.

On this day, one should not sweep the house because it can cause the death of various micro-organisms like ants etc. One should not get a haircut nor speak much on the day of Ekadashi. Even unspeakable and unnecessary words come out of the mouth due to speaking too much. On the day of Ekadashi, one should donate food as per capacity, but should never take food given by someone else. One should stay away from telling lies and performing deceitful deeds.

Ekadashi mixed with Dashami is considered Vriddha, Shiva worshipers accept it, but Vaishnavas should fast only on Ekadashi mixed with Dwadashi and do Ekadashi Vrat Parana before Trayodashi arrives. The Falahari should not consume cabbage, carrot, turnip, spinach, Kulfa greens etc., but should consume nectar fruits (Amrit Phal) like mango, grapes, banana, almonds, pistachios etc. Whatever fruit you eat, you should consume it only after offering it to God. One should not eat the Tulsi leaves on this day. On the day of Dwadashi, please the Brahmins by giving them sweets, Dakshina etc and perform parikrama of them. On the death of a relative, one should observe the Ekadashi fast on that day and take Sankalpa for giving the fruit of that fast to him. The Ekadashi fast should also be observed after immersing flowers (bones) in holy Ganga and the fruit of the fast should be given to that passed being.

One should not indulge in any kind of deception considering a mere living being to be a personification of God. One should be sweet and soft while speaking. You should bless everyone even if they insult you or speak bitter words. Don’t get angry in any way by anything. Anger is the embodiment of Chandala. One should be satisfied and forgiven as being in the form of a god.

The fruit of patience is always sweet. One should speak truthful words and have compassion in the heart. A person fasting with this method achieves divine results.