यावज्जीवं व्रतमिदं कर्त्तव्यं पुरुषर्षभ । स्वर्गतिं प्राप्तुमिच्छद्भिरत्र नैवास्ति संशयः
O best of men, this vow should be observed for one's whole life by those who wish to attain heaven; there is no doubt about this.
आपपापा दुराचाराः पापिष्ठा धर्मवर्जिताः । एकादश्यां न भुंजाना न ते यांति यमांतिकम्
Even those who are sinful, of bad conduct, and devoid of righteousness—if they do not eat on Ekadashi, they do not go to the abode of Yama.
इति तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा कंपितोऽश्वत्थपत्रवत् । भीमसेनो महाबाहुर्नत्वोवाच गुरुं प्रति
Hearing these words, Bhimasena, mighty-armed, trembled like a leaf of the Ashvattha tree, and bowed to his teacher and spoke.
भीमसेन उवाच- पितामह महाबुद्धे शृणु मे परमं वचः । युधिष्ठिरश्च कुंती च तथा द्रुपदनंदिनी
Bhimasena said: O grandsire, greatly wise, listen to my supreme words. Yudhishthira, Kunti, and the daughter of Drupada—
अर्जुनो नकुलश्चैव सहदेवस्तथैव च । एकादश्यां न भुंजंति कदाचिदपि सुव्रताः
Arjuna, Nakula, and likewise Sahadeva—all these virtuous ones never eat on Ekadashi.
ते मां ब्रुवंति वै नित्यं मा भुंक्ष्व त्वं वृकोदर । अहं तानब्रुवं तात बुभुक्षा दुःसहा मम
They always say to me, 'Do not eat, O Vrikodara.' But I tell them, 'Father, my hunger is unbearable.'
दानं दास्यामि विधिवत्पूजयिष्यामि केशवम् । भीमसेनवचः श्रुत्वा व्यासो वचनमब्रवीत्
I will give charity as prescribed and worship Keshava; hearing Bhimasena's words, Vyasa spoke.
व्यास उवाच- यदि स्वर्गमभीष्टं ते नरकं दुष्टमेव च । एकादश्यां न भोक्तव्यं पक्षयोरुभयोरपि
Vyasa said: If you desire heaven and wish to avoid a dreadful hell, you must not eat on Ekadashi, on either of the two fortnights.
भीमसेन उवाच- पितामह महाबुद्धे कथयामि तवाग्रतः । एकभक्ते न शक्नोमि उपवासे कुतः प्रभो
Bhimasena said: O grandsire, greatly wise, I speak before you: I cannot manage even one meal a day—how then can I fast, O lord?
वृकोऽपिनाम यो वह्निः स सदा जठरे मम । अतिवेलं यदाश्नामि तदा समुपशाम्यति
There is a fire named Vrika that always burns in my stomach; only when I eat excessively does it become quiet.
नैकं शक्नोम्यहं कर्तुमुपवासं महामुने । येनैव प्राप्यते स्वर्गस्तत्कर्त्तास्मि यथातथम् । तदेकं वद निश्चित्य येन श्रेयोऽहमाप्नुयाम्
O great sage, I am unable to perform even a single fast; tell me, with certainty, that one act by which heaven is attained, and I will do it as best as I can, so that I may obtain the highest good.
व्यास उवाच- वृषस्थे मिथुनस्थे वा यदा चैकादशी भवेत् । ज्येष्ठमासे प्रयत्नेन सोपोष्योदकवर्जिता
Vyāsa said: When the eleventh day (Ekādaśī) falls while the moon is in the constellation of Vṛṣa or Mithuna, especially in the month of Jyeṣṭha, one should carefully observe a fast, abstaining from water.
गंडूषाचमनं वारि वर्जयित्वोदकं बुधः । उपभुंजीत नैवेह व्रतभंगोऽन्यथा भवेत्
The wise should avoid even rinsing the mouth or sipping water; only then may one partake of food, otherwise the vow is broken.
उदयादुदयं यावद्वर्जयित्वोदकं नरः । श्रूयतां समवाप्नोति द्वादशद्वादशी फलम्
If a person abstains from water from sunrise to sunrise, it is said that he attains the merit of observing the Dvādaśī fast on both sides.
ततः प्रभाते विमले द्वादश्यां स्नानमाचरेत् । जलं सुवर्णं दत्त्वा च द्विजातिभ्यो यथाविधि
Then, in the pure morning of Dvādaśī, one should bathe and, according to rule, give water and gold to the twice-born.
भुंजीत कृतकृत्यस्तु ब्राह्मणैः सहितो वशी । एवं कृते च यत्पुण्यं भीमसेन शृणुष्व तत्
Having fulfilled his duty, he should eat together with the brāhmaṇas, being self-controlled; now, Bhīmasena, listen to the merit gained by this observance.
संवत्सरे तु याश्चैव एकादश्यो भवंति हि । तासां फलमवाप्नोति ह्यत्र मे नास्ति संशयः
Whatever Ekādaśīs occur in the year, he obtains the fruit of all of them; about this, I have no doubt.
इति मां केशवः प्राह शंखचक्रगदाधरः । सर्वान्परित्यज्य पुमान्मामेकं शरणं व्रजेत्
Thus Keśava, the bearer of the conch, discus, and mace, spoke to me: 'Abandoning all others, a man should take refuge in me alone.'
एकादश्यां निराहारस्ततः पापात्प्रमुच्यते । द्रव्यशुद्धिः कलौ नास्ति संस्कारः स्मार्त्त एव च
By fasting on Ekādaśī, one is freed from sin; in the age of Kali, there is no purity of material things, and only the prescribed rites remain.
वैदिकस्तु कुतश्चापि प्राप्ते दुष्टे कलौ युगे । किं नु ते बहुनोक्तेन वायुपुत्र पुनः पुनः
And where is the Vedic rite in this corrupt age of Kali? Why speak at length, O son of Vāyu, again and again?
एकादश्यां न भुंजीत पक्षयोरुभयोरपि । एकादश्यां सिते पक्षे ज्येष्ठेमास्युदकं विना
One should not eat on Ekādaśī, on either fortnight; especially in the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha, one should fast without water.
पुण्यं फलमवाप्नोति तच्छृणुष्व वृकोदर । संवत्सरे तु या प्रोक्ताः शुक्लः कृष्णा वृकोदर
He attains the holy fruit—listen, Vṛkodara—of all the Ekādaśīs, both bright and dark, that are prescribed in the year.
उपोषिता हि सर्वाः स्युरेकादश्यो न संशयः । धनधान्यप्रदा पुण्या पुत्रारोग्यशुभप्रदा
All the Ekādaśīs that are observed yield merit without doubt; they bestow wealth and grain, virtue, sons, health, and auspiciousness.
उपोषिता नरव्याघ्र इति सत्यं ब्रवीमि ते । यमदूता महाकायाः करालाः कृष्णरूपिणः
O tiger among men, I speak the truth to you: when Ekādaśī is observed, the dreadful, dark, huge messengers of Yama do not approach that man.
दंडपाशधरा रौद्रा नोपसर्पंति तं नरम् । पीतांबरधरा सौम्याश्चक्रहस्ता मनोजवाः
Instead, gentle ones clad in yellow garments, swift, holding the discus, approach him; those Vaiṣṇavas take him to the city of Viṣṇu at the end of his life.
अंतकालेन यंत्येते वैष्णवान्वैष्णवीपुरीम् । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन उपोष्योदकवर्जिता
Therefore, with all effort, one should observe the fast on Ekādaśī, abstaining from water.
जलधेनुं तदा दत्त्वा सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते । ततस्त्वमस्यां कौंतेय सोपवासोऽर्चनं हरेः
By giving a water-cow at that time, one is freed from all sins; therefore, O son of Kuntī, you should worship Hari with a fast on this day.
कुरु सर्वप्रयत्नेन सर्वपापप्रशांतये । स्वप्नेन मेऽपराधोस्ति दंतरागतयापि वा
Perform it with all effort for the pacification of all sins; even if there is offense in dream or by inadvertence, let it be removed.
भोक्ष्येपरेऽह्नि देवेश ह्यशनं वासराद्धरेः । इत्युच्चार्य ततो मंत्र उपवासपरो भवेत्
On the following day, O Lord of the gods, one should say, 'I will eat tomorrow, for today is the fast of Hari,' and thus, reciting this mantra, one should observe the vow of fasting.
सर्वपापविनाशाय श्रद्धा दम समन्वितः । मेरुमंदरमात्राघं स्त्रिया पुंसा च यत्कृतम्
With faith and self-restraint, for the destruction of all sins, whatever sin as weighty as Mount Meru or Mandara has been committed by a woman or a man—