Astha SangrahASTHA SANGRAHhttps://asthasangrah.comShri Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha
The Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha is the story of Aja Ekadashi in Bhadrapada's dark fortnight, in which Lord Krishna tells Yudhishthira how King Harishchandra, who lost his kingdom and sold his wife, his son and himself yet never gave up the truth, crossed beyond all his sorrows through the vow the sage Gautama taught him, regained his wife and his son restored to life, and went to heaven.
Chapter 1 · The Sorrow of Harishchandra, the Truthful King
Yudhishthira said, 'Janardana, what is the Ekadashi of Bhadrapada's dark fortnight called? I wish to hear it; tell me.' Shri Krishna said, 'O king, listen with a single mind; I will tell you in full. It is called Aja, and it destroys every sin. One who worships Hrishikesha on this day and keeps its vow has his sins destroyed, and so too by merely hearing of this vow. O king, there is nothing greater for the good of both worlds. I have told you the truth; what I say is never false.'
'Long ago there was a famous king named Harishchandra, an emperor true to his word and lord of the whole earth. When the fruit of some deed came upon him, he fell from his kingdom. He sold his wife and his son, and then he sold himself. That virtuous king became the slave of a Pulkasa, an outcaste. King of kings, holding fast to the truth, he took up the work of stripping the shrouds from the dead. Even so, that best of kings did not stray from the truth. In this way many years of that king's life went by. Then the king fell into worry and was deeply grieved: What shall I do, where shall I go, how will I be delivered? As he was thinking so, sunk in an ocean of sorrow, a sage came there, knowing the king to be in distress.'
Chapter 2 · The Sage Gautama's Counsel and the Fruit of the Aja Vow
'Brahma made the brahmins for the very purpose of helping others. Seeing that excellent brahmin, the king bowed, and standing before Gautama with joined palms, he told the story of his sorrows. Hearing the king, Gautama was moved to wonder, and the sage taught the king this vow: O king, in the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada there has come a most auspicious, merit-giving Ekadashi named Aja. O king, keep its vow, and your sin will come to an end. By your good fortune it falls seven days from now. Fast, and keep vigil at night. When its vow is kept in this way, the wiping out of your sins is certain. Best of kings, it is by the power of your own merit that I have come here. Saying this, the sage vanished.'
'Hearing the sage, the king kept that excellent vow. As soon as the vow was kept, in an instant, the king's sin came to an end. Tiger among kings, hear the power of this vow: a sorrow that would have had to be borne for many years is destroyed. By the power of this vow the king's sorrows came to an end. He was reunited with his wife, and his son came back to life. Drums sounded in heaven and flowers rained from the sky. Having regained, by the power of the Ekadashi, a kingdom free of enemies, Harishchandra went to heaven with his city and his household. O king, those who keep such a vow are freed from every sin and go to heaven. Even reading or hearing it brings the fruit of the Ashvamedha sacrifice.'
How to Read Shri Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha
On Bhadrapada Krishna Ekadashi, bathe in the morning, take the vow of fasting and worship Lord Vishnu as Hrishikesha. In the katha, the sage Gautama told Harishchandra to fast and keep vigil at night; keep the fast in the same way, stay awake at night, read or hear this katha, and break the fast the next day, Dwadashi, within the parana muhurat.
About Shri Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha
The Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha is told in two chapters. In the first, Lord Krishna tells the glory of Aja and begins the story of King Harishchandra, who lost his kingdom, sold his wife, his son and himself, became an outcaste's slave and, though set to stripping shrouds from the dead at the cremation ground, held fast to the truth. In the second, the sage Gautama teaches him the Aja Ekadashi vow, by which his sorrows end, his wife is restored, his son comes back to life and he goes to heaven with his household and his city.
This vow is kept on the Ekadashi of Bhadrapada's dark fortnight, a few days after Krishna Janmashtami. In many places it is also called Annada Ekadashi.
The Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha has no named author. It is the fifty-sixth chapter of the Uttara Khanda of the Padma Purana, in which Lord Krishna himself tells Yudhishthira the story of King Harishchandra and the sage Gautama. The text given here is a verse-by-verse translation of that chapter's 23 Sanskrit verses.
Benefits of the Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha
According to the katha, Aja Ekadashi destroys every sin, and even hearing of it destroys sin; a sorrow that would have lasted many years is destroyed by its vow, as Harishchandra's were; and reading or hearing it brings the fruit of the Ashvamedha sacrifice.
Frequently asked questions
How many chapters does the Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha have?
It has two chapters, based on the 23 verses of the fifty-sixth chapter of the Padma Purana's Uttara Khanda.
Who taught King Harishchandra the Aja vow?
The sage Gautama. He came of his own accord to Harishchandra, grieving in his slavery to an outcaste, heard his story, taught him the Aja Ekadashi vow, told him it would fall in seven days, and then vanished.
What did the Aja vow bring Harishchandra?
According to the katha, as soon as he kept the vow his sin ended and his sorrows were over; he was reunited with his wife, his son came back to life, drums sounded in heaven and flowers rained down, and having regained a kingdom free of enemies he went to heaven with his city and household.