Kāmikā Ekādaśī on 21.5.2025

The Glories of Kāmikā Ekādaśī

As narrated in the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa

Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said, “O Supreme Lord, I have heard from You the glories of fasting on Deva-śayanī Ekādaśī, which falls in the bright fortnight of the month of Āṣāḍha. I now earnestly desire to hear about the Ekādaśī that occurs in the dark fortnight of the month of Śrāvaṇa (July–August). O Govinda, I entreat You—be merciful to me and speak of its merits. O Vāsudeva, I offer You my humble obeisances.”

The Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, replied, “O King, listen attentively as I describe the auspicious power of this sacred fast, which absolves all sins. Once, the sage Nārada Muni posed this very question to Lord Brahmā.

‘O Lord of all creation,’ said Nārada, ‘You who are seated upon a lotus that has sprung from the waters—kindly tell me the name of the Ekādaśī that occurs during the dark fortnight of the sacred month of Śrāvaṇa. Pray, also describe the Deity to be worshipped on that holy day, the proper method of observance, and the merit it bestows.’

Lord Brahmā replied, ‘My dear son, Nārada, for the benefit of all humankind, I shall gladly relate to you everything you wish to know. Indeed, merely hearing the glories of Kāmikā Ekādaśī bestows merit equal to that of performing an aśvamedha (horse) sacrifice. Great indeed is the merit attained by one who worships and meditates upon the lotus feet of the four-armed Lord Gadādhara—He who bears the conch, disc, mace, and lotus in His hands, and who is also known as Śrīdhara, Hari, Viṣṇu, Mādhava, and Madhusūdana.

‘The blessings earned by a devotee who worships Lord Viṣṇu exclusively on this day surpass even those acquired by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges at Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), in the Naimiśāraṇya forest, or at Puṣkara, where I myself am worshipped. He who observes the fast of Kāmikā Ekādaśī and worships Lord Kṛṣṇa obtains a merit greater than that of beholding Lord Kedāranātha in the Himalayas, of bathing at Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse, or of donating the entire Earth in charity—together with its forests and oceans. The merit also exceeds that acquired by bathing in the Gaṇḍakī or Godāvarī rivers on a full moon day that falls on a Monday, when Leo and Jupiter are in conjunction.

‘Observing Kāmikā Ekādaśī bestows the same merit as donating a milch cow along with her calf and their fodder. On this most auspicious day, whoever worships Lord Śrīdhara-Viṣṇu is glorified by all the Devas, Gandharvas, Pannagas, and Nāgas.

‘Those who fear the consequences of their past misdeeds, and who are entangled in the snares of worldly sin, should at the very least observe this foremost of Ekādaśīs to the best of their ability, thereby attaining liberation. This Ekādaśī is the purest of days, the most potent for destroying sin. Lord Hari Himself once declared, “One who fasts on Kāmikā Ekādaśī acquires greater merit than one who studies all the sacred scriptures.”

‘Anyone who fasts on this sacred day and keeps vigil through the night shall never encounter the wrath of Yamarāja, the Lord of Death. Such a person shall escape future births, and indeed, many yogīs in ages past attained the spiritual realm by observing this Ekādaśī. One should therefore emulate their blessed example and faithfully observe the fast.

‘He who worships Lord Hari with leaves from the sacred tulasī plant is freed from the taint of sin. He remains untouched by sin, just as the lotus leaf, though resting upon water, is never wetted by it. He who offers a single tulasī leaf to Lord Hari accrues as much merit as one who donates two hundred grams of gold and eight hundred grams of silver. The Lord is more pleased by the offering of a single tulasī leaf than by gifts of pearls, rubies, topaz, diamonds, sapphires, gomedā stones, cat’s-eye gems, or coral. He who offers to Lord Keśava the tender mañjarīs (flowering shoots) of the tulasī plant is rid of all the sins committed in this or any other lifetime.

‘Indeed, mere darśana—beholding—of tulasī on Kāmikā Ekādaśī absolves all sins. Simply touching her and offering prayers to her eradicates all disease. He who waters the tulasī plant need never fear Yamarāja. He who plants or transplants tulasī on this day shall, in time, reside eternally with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in His divine abode. To Śrīmatī Tulasī-devī, bestower of liberation and devotional service, one should daily offer one’s obeisances.

‘Even Citragupta, the divine scribe and servant of Yamarāja, cannot measure the merit earned by one who offers tulasī-devī a ghee lamp that burns perpetually. This Ekādaśī is so dear to the Supreme Lord that the ancestors of one who offers such a radiant lamp to Lord Kṛṣṇa ascend to the celestial realms and partake of ambrosial nectar. Whoever offers a ghee or sesame oil lamp to Śrī Kṛṣṇa on this sacred day is cleansed of all sins and attains the resplendent abode of the sun-god, Sūrya, shining with the brilliance of ten million lamps.

‘O Yudhiṣṭhira,’ Lord Kṛṣṇa concluded, ‘these were the words spoken by Lord Brahmā to Nārada Muni, extolling the immeasurable glories of the Kāmikā Ekādaśī, which destroys all sin. This most sacred day nullifies even the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa or destroying a foetus in the womb. It bestows supreme merit and elevates the devotee to the spiritual realm. Whoever listens to these glories with faith becomes absolved of all sins and returns to the eternal abode of Lord Viṣṇu.’

Thus concludes the narration of the glories of the Śrāvaṇa-kṛṣṇa Ekādaśī, known also as Kāmikā Ekādaśī, from the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa.

Source: Chapter 17 of Ekādaśī: The Day of Lord Hari by Mahāmandelswar Mahant Kṛṣṇa Balarām Swāmi