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Vaikunthha Ekaadasi

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praveen

Life is a dream
Staff member
Vaikunthha Ekaadasi occurs every year on the 11th day of the waxing fortnight in the month of Maargazhi.Its significance arises mainly from the Tiruvaaymozhi festival which was first introduced in Sreerangam by Thirumangai Aazhvaar.It was resurrected into its present form by Raamaanuja during the 12th century A.D.After the destruction by Muslim invaders in the 13th and 14th centuries it was again organised by the Vijayanagara rulers and SriVedaanthadeSika at Srirangam.Since then this festival is being celebrated annually in all major vaishNavaite shrines.


Raamaanuja wished to make people learn and practise the tenets of VaishNavism as taught by Nammaazhvaar and others by observing this festival and participating in it.During the first ten days starting from new moon day the songs of Aazhvaars are recited by the Arayars in front of the Lord. during the daytime.Hence it is called pakalpaththu.(ten days when the festival is conducted during daytime).

The thousand verses of Nammaazhvaar which culminate in his attainment of moksham or liberation on the Vaikunthha Ekaadasi day are recited during the nighttime during the second half of the festival called Iraappaththu .
Vaikunthha Ekaadasi is believed to be the day on which Lord Ranganaathha came out of Vaikunthha through the Vaikunthha vaasal or gate which remains closed during the rest of the year,received Nammazhvaar on the tenth day after itand led him to His abode.That is how Sreerangam came to be known as BhoolokavaikunThham.Its temple architecture is closely patterned after the description of VaikunThha in the VishNupuraaNa of sage ParaaSaraand the VaikunThhagadya of Sri Raamaanuja.Every one who goes along with Him and passes through this gate on that day, it is believed, will similarly attain liberation and reach the feet of the Lord.This is the reason why people throng the VaikuNTha vaaSal on the Vaikunthha Ekaadasi day.
 
there is another interesting tradition about vaikuntha ekaadasi. normally Lord parthasarathy at triplicane sports a moustache. he is the only god in divya deshams who sports a moustache. but during vaikunta ekaadasi, the moustache is shaved off from the lord's face!!
 
Dear Suresh:
Thank you for that tidbit about Lord Parthasarathy in Tiruvallikeni. It is interesting! Do you know why He has a moustache and why they shave it off for Vaikunta Ekaadasi?
 
I just enquired with my mom and this is what she had to say:

During this time, there is a 15 day festival during which time they give a oil bath to all the deities.

It is during this time they remove the moustache.

this is the best translation i could do for this...
probably needs a better research.

if someone else knows better, please share it with us :)
 
sir - you will not believe it! but inspite of living in triplicane since 1975, i do not know exact reasons behind this tradition! i am also eager to know. i will consult fellow bramins in and around our area and come back soon with more details!!!
 
sir - you will not believe it! but inspite of living in triplicane since 1975, i do not know exact reasons behind this tradition! i am also eager to know. i will consult fellow bramins in and around our area and come back soon with more details!!!

Didnt know you live in Triplicane.
Cool :) sent you a private message.
 
Are there Maadhva Brahmins around here? Cuz I need some clarifications, and only they can help. Praveen, are you one?:nod:
 
No, i am not. But feel free to ask your question. i am sure even if we are not one, we could ask our friends or look it up somewhere :)
 
I meant the green ones packed neatly in polythene bags.. all you gotta do is .. just go and pick it up and hand it to him :)

if you really need green sundakkai that badly.. let me know .. i will arrange to send it across to you .
 
sir - since Lord parthasarathy was in the battle field assisting arjuna, he sports a moustache unlike gods of other divyadesams. praveen says it is customary among orthodox people to remove hair on face whilst taking oil bath. may be this is why the moustache on the lord's face is removed during vaikunta ekadasi, when he is given an oil bath.
 
as i was saying to Suresh,
Amongst ancient Egyptians, it is a custom to remove body hair during rituals.

maybe its the same thing followed here.

according to one "Samaskaram"

Hair is seen as an adornment. By shaving the
head, the person confronts his or her bare ego.
It teaches humbleness and devotion.
Shaving the head can also be seen as an act of
humility for adults
though this is debated
 
Out of curiosity, how do Ekadashi and Sandhyavandanam interoperate? Strict Ekadashi fasting involves not eating a morsel of food or taking a sip of water till a specific time on Dvadashi. The Srimadbhagavatam has the example of Maharaja Ambarisha who broke his fast with water, wherefrom one might infer that he hadn't drunk water during his fast. Sandhyavandanam obviously involves achamanam. Do practising brahmanas leave out Sandhyavandanam on this day or is it exempt from the zero drop of water rule?
 
'upa-vaasam' is spending time near the god. it is not fasting unto death. taking upa - ahaar(like fruit or liquid diet like milk) is not a tabboo. some cult gurus are rolling out their imagination among the educated yet gullible brahmins. the ideas not to swalling one's own saliva or even a drop of water is absurd. it is khsudra form of worship(vama marga worship by inflicting injury to the body like ravana beheading himself). Giving breif rest to digestive system (rebooting) without oil or heavy cooked foods. read original valmiki ramayan in which Rama was asked to do upavasa the previous day before proposed crownprince entroning by Vasistha. best practices are being lost/adultrated and middlemen between original texts modern readers are selling themselves and thier whims.
 
sirs - abstaining totally from solid foods and consuming only liquid foods is the highlight and beauty of upavaasams. medically also, this is good for health.
 
Thank you

Neemani ji and NARAS ji, your responses are appreciated. Iskcon has a page on ekadashi which asks one not to overdo the fast. It also clarifies that achamanam is exempted.

http://www.iskcon.com/basics/ekadasi.html

Your point on there being no dearth of "hum bhi koi sadhu va vidvan se kam nahin" style interpreters these days is well taken. In this case though, I think there is a Shastric precedent(nirjala ekadashi). The point, as you stressed, is however to not push it beyond one's abilities. I think it is fine to do phalaahara as well. My question was from a theoretical standpoint.
 
sirs- the main reason why liquids are allowed during upavaasam is perhaps because without intake of water you cannot perform 'aachamanam'.
 
Festivals

Sir,

Navarathri festival commences from Friday, the 12th October,07. Saraswathi
puja falls on 20.10.07 and Vijayadasami on sunday the 21st October.

During the festival days, it is advisable to do paarayana of " Devi
Mahaathmiyam ". In addition , devotees chant 'Lalitha Sahasranamam'
and some read ' Soundarya Lahari '.
 
Vaikuntha Ekadasi

Mr.Administrator,

I think the title can remain as ' Festivals ' or ' Hindu Festivals'
since there are many festivals and my friends may write on the
various festivals.
 
is it true that if anyone dies on this day , he/she goes straight to vaikunta?

I heard EVRamasamy (aka periayr by his followers) and saddam hussein died on that day
 
Vaikunta ekadasi

Sir,
Enough info is given in this thread about this. I can quote a slogam :

ஏகாதஸீ ஸமம் கிஞ்சித்
பாவனம் ந ச வித்யதே
ஸ்வர்க மோக்ஷப்ரதா
ஏஷா ராஜ்ய புத்ரப்ரதாயினீ.

Of all the vridams, none is equal to ekadasi vradam in conferring boons
like good children, status etc.
 
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