First of all I offer my unlimited
obeisances to the lotus feet of my Guru Maharaja. Begging for his blessings, I hope to
post something of value.
My Param Gurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja, in the book, Vaisnava Etiquette, instructs, "Among all vows undertaken by Vaisnavas, Ekadasi (11th day after the new moon and 11th day after the full moon during which we fast from grains and beans) is is most important day for everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, varna, society, male, female, child, old must observe this vow.
Many people from around India came to Vrindavan today to perform parikrama, as it is auspicious to circumambulate the Dham on this holy day. It is not unusual to see parents carrying their small children on parikrama, too, since so many Indians understand the value for their young ones (see pic below). Today this mother walked 10 km (6.2 miles) holding her baby-- and if you do not think that is enough of an austerity, she is also doing this barefoot! This fortunate child has the opportunity to build her sukrti (spiritual credit) from a very early age... Guru Maharaja has said that our first guru in life is our mother. If she has strong values and character, we stand a good chance of following suit. And vice versa holds true as well.
Also, my Guru Maharaja tells us that we are not even human if we do not chant at least 16 rounds of Hare Krishna Mantra each day, and furthermore he says we are not Vaisnava if we do not follow Ekadasi. So these two things are so important. Just how important is Ekadasi? Krishna Himself tells us:
"If anybody follows this vrata with devotion [doing it for the pleasure of Sri Krishna], then he will get the result of performing all sacrifices and all other penances. Therefore there is no comparing Ekadasi with anything else."
Click here for the Vaisnava calendar, which lists days of Ekadasi. First select your Time Zone and then click "Get Calendar":
My Param Gurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja, in the book, Vaisnava Etiquette, instructs, "Among all vows undertaken by Vaisnavas, Ekadasi (11th day after the new moon and 11th day after the full moon during which we fast from grains and beans) is is most important day for everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, varna, society, male, female, child, old must observe this vow.
Many people from around India came to Vrindavan today to perform parikrama, as it is auspicious to circumambulate the Dham on this holy day. It is not unusual to see parents carrying their small children on parikrama, too, since so many Indians understand the value for their young ones (see pic below). Today this mother walked 10 km (6.2 miles) holding her baby-- and if you do not think that is enough of an austerity, she is also doing this barefoot! This fortunate child has the opportunity to build her sukrti (spiritual credit) from a very early age... Guru Maharaja has said that our first guru in life is our mother. If she has strong values and character, we stand a good chance of following suit. And vice versa holds true as well.
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| Mother taking her baby on Ekadasi day parikrama |
ekadas vratam yestuh krtam bhakti samanvite
taih ca yajna krta sarve vratani saphalani ca
(Padma-purana, 22.63)
Click here for the Vaisnava calendar, which lists days of Ekadasi. First select your Time Zone and then click "Get Calendar":
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