कुरुक्षेत्रेषु यद्दत्तं निष्फलं नैव जायते । तद्वच्च द्वादशीदत्तं भवेद्देवर्षिसत्तम
Whatever is given at Kurukṣetra never becomes fruitless; likewise, O best of the sages, what is given on Dvādaśī bears the same result.
महादेव उवाच- एकस्मिन्समये पुत्र गतोऽहं विष्णुसन्निधौ । तत्र पृष्टं मया पूर्वं माहात्म्यं द्वादशीभवम्
Mahādeva said: Once, O son, I went into the presence of Viṣṇu; there, I previously asked about the greatness of the origin of Dvādaśī.
नारद उवाच कीदृशी स्यान्महादेव महाद्वादशिका परा । तस्या व्रते फलं कीदृग्वद सर्वेश्वर प्रभो
Nārada said: What is the nature, O Mahādeva, of the supreme Mahādvādaśī? Tell, O Lord of all, what is the fruit of its observance?
शिव उवाच- इयमेकादशी ब्रह्मन्महापुण्यफलप्रदा । ऋक्षयोगैश्च संयुक्ता कर्त्तव्या मुनिसत्तमैः
Śiva said: This Ekādaśī, O Brāhmaṇa, bestows the great fruit of merit; it should be observed by the best of sages, being joined with the proper lunar constellations and yogas.
जया च विजया चैव जयंती पापनाशिनी । सर्वपापहराश्चैताः कर्त्तव्याः फलकांक्षिभिः
Jaya, Vijaya, and Jayantī, destroyers of sin, are renowned as removers of all sins; those who desire results should observe them.
एकादश्यां यदा ऋक्षं शुक्लपक्षे पुनर्वसुः । नाम्ना सा च जया ख्याता तिथीनामुत्तमा तिथिः
When, on the eleventh lunar day in the bright fortnight, the moon is in the constellation Punarvasu, that day is called Jaya, the best among lunar days.
तामुपोष्य नरः पापान्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । यदा च शुक्लद्वादश्यां नक्षत्रं श्रवणं भवेत्
By observing a fast on that day, a person is freed from sins—there is no doubt of this; and when, on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight, the star Śravaṇa occurs,
विजया सा समाख्याता तिथीनामुत्तमा तिथिः । सहस्रगुणितं दानं यस्यां वै विप्र भोजनम्
That day is called Vijaya, the foremost of lunar days; on it, giving gifts or feeding Brahmins yields a thousandfold result.
होमस्तथोपवासश्च सहस्राधिफलप्रदः । यदा च शुक्लद्वादश्यां प्राजापत्यं हि जायते
Likewise, performing fire offerings and fasting on that day bestows a thousand times the merit; and when, on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight, the constellation Prajāpatya arises,
जयंती नाम सा प्रोक्ता सर्वपापहरा तिथिः । सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्वल्पं वा यदि वा बहु
That day is known as Jayantī, the lunar day that removes all sins; whether the sin is small or great, accumulated over seven births,
प्रक्षालयति गोविंदस्तस्यामभ्यर्चितो ध्रुवम् । यदा वै शुक्लद्वादश्यां पुष्यं भवति कर्हिचित्
Govinda, when worshipped on that day, certainly washes away such sin; and whenever the constellation Puṣya falls on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight,
तदा तु सा महापुण्या भविता पापनाशिनी । यो ददाति तिलप्रस्थं नित्यं संवत्सरं प्रति
Then that day becomes supremely meritorious and a destroyer of sin; whoever gives a measure of sesame daily for a year,
उपवासं च यस्तस्यां करोत्येतत्समं स्मृतम् । तस्यां जगत्पतिर्देवस्तुष्टः सर्वेश्वरो हरिः
Or whoever observes a fast on that day—these are considered equal in merit; on that day, the Lord of the universe, Hari, is pleased.
प्रत्यक्षतां प्रयात्येव तत्रानंतफलं स्मृतम् । सगरेण ककुत्स्थेन नहुषेण च साधितः
He appears directly to the devotee, and the reward is said to be infinite; Sagara, Kakutstha, and Nahuṣa attained success by it.
तस्यामाराधितः कृष्णो दत्तवानखिलं भुवि । वाचिकान्मानसाद्वापि कायजाच्च विशेषतः
On that day, when Krishna was worshipped, he granted all things on earth; by words, by thought, or especially by bodily acts,
सप्तजन्मकृतात्पापान्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । तामेकां समुपोष्याथ पुण्यनक्षत्रसंयुताम्
One is freed from sins committed over seven births—of this there is no doubt; by observing a single fast on that day, joined with an auspicious star,
एकादशीसहस्रस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः । स्नानं दानं जपो होमः स्वाध्यायो देवतार्चनम्
A person attains the merit of a thousand Ekādaśī fasts; bathing, giving, recitation, fire offering, self-study, and worship of deities,
यत्तस्यां क्रियते किंचित्तदक्षयफलं स्मृतम् । तस्मादेषा प्रकर्तव्या यत्नेन फलकांक्षिभिः
Whatever is performed on that day is said to yield inexhaustible results; therefore, those who desire rewards should carefully observe it.
पंचमेनाश्वमेधेन यदि स्नातो युधिष्ठिरः । पर्यपृच्छत धर्मात्मा कृष्णं यदुकुलोद्वहम्
Having bathed after performing the fifth Aśvamedha, the righteous Yudhiṣṭhira questioned Krishna, the scion of the Yadu dynasty.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच- उपवासस्य नक्तस्य त्वेकभुक्तस्य मे प्रभो । किं पुण्यं किं फलं तस्य ब्रूहि सर्वं जनार्दन
Yudhiṣṭhira said: O Lord, what merit and what result comes from fasting, from eating only at night, or from taking a single meal? Tell me everything, O Janārdana.
श्रीभगवानुवाच- हेमंते चैव संप्राप्ते मासे मार्गे च शोभने । कृष्णपक्षे च या पार्थ द्वादशी तामुपोषयेत् । दशम्यां चैकभक्तश्च शुद्धचित्तो दृढव्रतः
The Blessed Lord said: When winter arrives, in the auspicious month of Mārgaśīrṣa, O Pārtha, one should fast on the twelfth lunar day of the dark fortnight; on the tenth day, one should eat only once, with a pure mind and firm resolve.
नक्तं चैव तथा ज्ञात्वा दशम्यां नियतः सदा । दिवसस्याष्टमे भागे मंदीभूते दिवाकरे
One should also know to eat only at night on the tenth day, always with self-control, when the sun has passed into the eighth part of the day and its light has waned.
नक्तं च तद्विजानीयान्न नक्तं निशिभोजनम् । नक्षत्रदर्शनान्नक्तं गृहस्थस्य विधीयते
One should know that 'night' does not mean eating at night; for householders, 'night' is prescribed as the time when stars are visible.
यतेर्दिनाष्टमे भागे रात्रौ तस्य निषेधनम् । ततः प्रभातसमये कृत्वा च नियमं व्रती
For an ascetic, eating is prohibited during the eighth portion of the day at night; after that, at dawn, the vow-holder should perform discipline.
मध्याह्ने च तथा पार्थ स्नानं शुचिः समाचरेत् । अधमं कूपके स्नानं वाप्यां स्नानं च मध्यमम्
At midday, O Partha, the pure one should bathe; bathing in a well is inferior, in a pond is middling.
तडागे चोत्तमं स्नानं नद्यां स्नानं ततः परम् । पीड्यंते जंतवो यत्र जलमध्ये व्यवस्थिते
Bathing in a lake is superior, and in a river is even higher; where creatures are pressed together in the water.
तत्र स्नाने कृते पार्थ पापं पुण्यं समं भवेत् । गृहे चैवोत्तमं स्नानं जलं चैव विशोधयेत्
When one bathes there, O Partha, sin and merit become equal; bathing at home is also best, and one should purify the water.
तस्मात्तु पांडवश्रेष्ठ गृहे स्नानं समाचरेत् । अश्वक्रांते रथक्रांते विष्णुक्रांते वसुंधरे
Therefore, O best of the Pandavas, one should bathe at home; on earth trodden by horses, chariots, and by Vishnu.
मृत्तिके हर मे पापं यन्मया पूर्वसंचितम् । क्रोधलोभौ परित्यज्य चैकचित्तो दृढव्रतः
O clay, take away the sin that I have accumulated previously; abandoning anger and greed, with single-mindedness and firm resolve.
नालापेतांत्यजं चैव तथा पाखंडिनो नरान् । मिथ्यावादरतांश्चैव तथा ब्राह्मणनिंदकान्
One should avoid those who speak ill, as well as hypocrites; those devoted to false speech, and those who revile Brahmins.