Friday, July 12, 2019

Devshayani Ekadashi Muhurat and Significance

Read the importance of Devshayani Ekadashi 2019 Vrat and find out its Muhurat and Puja Vidhi. Also, know why the holy month of Chaturmas is not considered auspicious to initiate any new task.


The day eleven of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashada is known as Devshayani Ekadashi. It is also named as Maha Ekadashi, Shayani Ekadashi, Ashadi Ekadashi, Padma Ekadashi, Devpodhi Ekadashi, Toli Ekadashi, and Hari Sayana Ekadashi. As per the Hindu mythology, it is believed that Lord Vishnu chooses to go to sleep for a long duration in Ksheer Sagar on this day. Hence, this day is considered to be auspicious to appease Lord Vishnu. The sleep of the Lord is called Yoga-Nidra, which lasts for four months. This year, Devshayani Ekadashi is celebrated on Friday, 12 July, 2019.

Lord Vishnu is awakened in the period when the Sun enters the Libra zodiac sign. The day of waking up from this deep sleep is called Devutthana Ekadashi. Hence, the sleeping period that lasted for four months of Lord Vishnu is called Chaturmas in Sanatan Dharma. It has been mentioned in Padma Purana that, the person who wishes for liberation must observe the fast of Devshayani and Devutthana Ekadashi.


Ashadhi or Devshayani Ekadashi 2019 
Ashadhi Ekadashi Parana Muhurat 
From 06:32:03  to 08:17:48 13, July 2019
Timings
1 Hour 45 Mins
End of Hari Vasar
On 06:32:03 13, July 

Note: This Muhurat is applicable for New Delhi only. To know Ashadhi Ekadashi Muhurat for your city, click here.

Chaturmas


Lord Vishnu goes to bed from Ashadh Shukla Paksha Ekadashi and wakes up directly on the Kartik Shukla Paksha Ekadashi. Hence, the four month’s sleeping period of Lord Vishnu is called Chaturmas. According to Hinduism, when Lord Narayan sleeps in this period, people should not perform any auspicious task such as marriage, Griha pravesh, and Mundan rituals etc.

If someone performs an auspicious task during this period, then they don’t receive the blessings of Lord Vishnu in those tasks. It has also been observed that due to the arrival of monsoon and presence of clouds in these months, the radiance of the sun and moon also diminishes, due to which the person cannot obtain their blessings in that work. 

Devshayani Ekadashi or Ashadhi Ekadashi Vrat Muhurat & its Importance


According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, this Ekadashi has special significance. It is believed that while observing this fast, a person can not only fulfil all of his desires but can also eradicate his/her sins. Due to the effect of this fast, one can achieve salvation. Therefore, the tradition of worshipping Lord Vishnu has great importance on this day. 


Devshayani Ekadashi Vrat Vidhi


As there is an auspicious time or Muhurat for Devshayani Ekadashi fast, in the same way, it is also recommended to follow a Puja Vidhi to get auspicious results from this fast. The Vrat Vidhi to observe this fast is given below: -
  • Those who fast on this day should wake up early in the morning and wear clean clothes after taking a fresh bath.
  • Taking a bath in holy rivers has a great significance on this day.
  • If this is not possible, then you can start with the rituals after purifying the house with Gangaajal and then purifying yourself.
  • After this, place an idol of Lord Vishnu in the temple and worship it with great devotion.
  • After the Puja, listen to the whole story of the fast and after that perform the aarti and distribute the prasad.

Things to Remember during Chaturmas 


In this period of Chaturmas, which lasts for four months in the Hindu religion, some tasks are strictly prohibited. So, let's read the Do’s and Don’ts which should be strictly adhered to during the time of Devshayani Ekadashi:
  • If you want a good voice and melodious tone, then avoid eating jaggery in this period.
  • Do not use oil in any way to achieve longevity and parenthood.
  • Regular intake of milk is considered beneficial for early growth in offsprings
  • Avoid eating honey, radish, pointed gourd (paraval), and eggplant (brinjal) in vegetables.
  • Try to sleep on the floor and avoid using the bed.
  • Avoid all kinds of snacks and spicy foods.

Hindu Mythology - Why Does Lord Vishnu Sleep for Four Months?


According to the Vamana Purana, during the mythological period, Bali, the King of Asuras, had taken control of all the three Lokas with his force and strength. In such a situation, Indra Dev was nervous after witnessing the arrogance of King Bali. Hearing the prayers of all the Deities, Lord Vishnu took the Vamana Avatar and went to king Bali’s palace for begging. Firstly, Lord Vishnu (as Vaman) asked for three paces of land. King Bali agreed to his wish and Vamana covered the Earth in one step and covered the sky in the second step. Now, there was nothing left to measure the third pace of land, so, Raja Bali asked him to put the third step on his head and this way, gods got rid of Raja Bali. 

At the same time, Lord Vishnu was very pleased with this charity of King Bali and he offered him to ask for a boon because of his sacrifice and Raja Bali in turn asked for Vishnu ji’s permanent survival in patala. God Vamana gifted him the boon and in this way, he became a resident of the Patala. In such a situation, after witnessing Lord Vishnu's fate, the Gods of heaven and Goddess Laksmi became very worried. 

Goddess Lakshmi reached to King Bali, disguised as a poor woman to bring her husband, Lord Vishnu back to heaven. After which she made King Bali her brother and tied him Rakhi. Thus, he took the pledge of bringing the Lord Vishnu back from the Patala. In this way, Lord Vishnu gave a boon to Raja Bali, that he would reside in the patala loka from the period of Ashadh Shukla Paksha Ekadashi to Kartik Shukla Paksha. This period of his stay in Patala Loka is considered as a Yoga-Nidra, due to which auspicious tasks were not supposed to be commemorated for four months.

We hope that this article based on Devshayani Ekadashi proves to be helpful for you. AstroSage wishes you all the success in life!

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