Astha SangrahASTHA SANGRAHhttps://asthasangrah.comShri Apara Ekadashi Vrat Katha
The Apara Ekadashi Vrat Katha is the glory of Apara Ekadashi in Jyeshtha's dark fortnight, in which Lord Krishna tells Yudhishthira that this vow frees one even from sins such as killing a brahmin, false witness and reviling one's teacher, and that its fruit equals that of the great tirthas and gifts.
Chapter 1 · The Sins Apara Frees One From
Yudhishthira said, 'Janardana, what is the Ekadashi of Jyeshtha's dark fortnight called? I wish to hear its glory; tell me.' Shri Krishna said, 'O king, you have asked well, for the good of the people. It gives great merit and destroys the gravest sins. King of kings, its name is Apara, and it gives boundless fruit. One who keeps Apara gains renown in the world. O king, even one weighed down by the killing of a brahmin, one who has killed his own kin, one who has killed a child in the womb, one who speaks ill of others and one who lusts after another's wife is surely made free of sin by keeping Apara. One who bears false witness, cheats in measure and weight, recites a false Veda or a false shastra, who is a false astrologer and reckoner, who is a false Ayurvedic physician: such people are to be known as dwellers in hell. O king, by keeping Apara even they are freed from their sins.'
'A kshatriya who abandons the warrior's dharma and flees from battle falls from his own dharma and goes to a terrible hell. By keeping Apara, even he leaves his sin behind and goes to heaven. A disciple who, having gained learning himself, reviles his teacher is burdened with the gravest sins and goes to a fearful hell. By keeping Apara, even that man attains a good end.'
Chapter 2 · A Fruit Equal to Tirthas and Gifts
'O king, now hear the glory of Apara; I will tell you. The fruit people gain at Prayag in Magh when the sun is in Capricorn, the merit gained by a dip at Kashi during an eclipse, the fruit of one who satisfies the ancestors with pinda offerings at Gaya, of one who bathes in the Godavari when Jupiter is in Leo, and, O king, the fruit of a dip in the Krishnaveni when Jupiter is in Virgo, the fruit of seeing Kedar in Kumbha, of the pilgrimage to Badarikashrama and of serving that tirtha, the fruit of giving elephants, horses and gold at Kurukshetra during a solar eclipse and of performing a sacrifice with its fees: such a fruit one gains by the vow of Apara. The fruit a person gains by giving a cow in the midst of calving, gold and land, he gains too by the vow of Apara.'
'It is an axe to the tree of sin, a forest fire to the fuel of sin, the sun to the darkness of sin and a lion to the deer of sin. Like bubbles on water and tiny insects among creatures, those without the Ekadashi vow are born only to die. Fasting on Apara and worshipping Lord Trivikrama, a person is freed from every sin and honoured in Vishnu's world. I have told you this for the good of the people. O king, reading and hearing this brings the fruit of giving a thousand cows.'
How to Read Shri Apara Ekadashi Vrat Katha
On Jyeshtha Krishna Ekadashi, bathe in the morning, take the vow of fasting and worship Lord Vishnu as Trivikrama (Vamana), as the katha says. Fast through the day, read or hear this glory, and break the fast the next day, Dwadashi, within the parana muhurat.
About Shri Apara Ekadashi Vrat Katha
The Apara Ekadashi Vrat Katha is told in two chapters. In the first, Lord Krishna lists the sins Apara frees one from: killing a brahmin, killing a child in the womb, slander, false witness, cheating in measure and weight, fleeing from battle and reviling one's teacher. In the second, he says its fruit equals the merit of Prayag, Kashi, Gaya, the Godavari, Kedar, Badarikashrama and Kurukshetra, and calls Apara an axe to the tree of sin.
This vow is kept on the Ekadashi of Jyeshtha's dark fortnight, and in many places it is also called Achala Ekadashi. This chapter of the Padma Purana contains no story; the tale of King Mahidhwaj, who became a ghost after his younger brother killed him, which is sometimes attached to this Ekadashi, is not part of this text.
The Apara Ekadashi Vrat Katha has no named author. It is the fiftieth chapter of the Uttara Khanda of the Padma Purana, in which Lord Krishna himself tells Yudhishthira the glory of this vow. The chapter has no story, only the vow's glory. The text given here is a verse-by-verse translation of its 20 Sanskrit verses.
Benefits of the Apara Ekadashi Vrat Katha
According to the katha, Apara gives boundless fruit and brings renown in the world; even sins such as killing a brahmin, false witness and reviling one's teacher are destroyed by it; its fruit equals the merit of tirthas such as Prayag, Kashi, Gaya and Kedar; and reading or hearing it brings the fruit of giving a thousand cows.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a story for Apara Ekadashi?
The fiftieth chapter of the Padma Purana's Uttara Khanda, which is the glory of Apara, tells no story. In it Lord Krishna himself tells Yudhishthira which sins this vow frees one from and which tirthas and gifts its fruit equals.
Why is it called 'Apara'?
In the katha Shri Krishna says that its name is Apara and that it gives boundless (apara) fruit; one who keeps it gains renown in the world.
In which form should the Lord be worshipped on Apara Ekadashi?
The katha ends by saying that one who fasts on Apara and worships Lord Trivikrama is freed from every sin and honoured in Vishnu's world. Trivikrama is Lord Vishnu as Vamana, who measured the three worlds in three strides.