The Hindu calendar has 2 different lunar phases. One is Shukla Paksha or waxing phase, when the moon keeps growing bigger and brighter each day. The other is Krishna Paksha or waning phase, when the moon grows smaller each day after reaching fullness (Poornima). Each phase lasts 15 days. The 11th day in each phase is Ekadashi. Hence, there will be 2 Ekadashis in one month. Ekadashi means the 11th lunar day or Tithi in each fortnight of the 2 lunar phases. There are 24 Ekadashis in a year, but in a leap year, there will be 26.
Ekadashis are very holy days by both Hindus and Jains. Supposedly, one can be free of all sins just by hearing the names of all the Ekadashis. Ekadashi is associated with Lord Vishnu, so Hindus worship Vishnu on this day. Devotees observe a fast which starts at sunrise on Ekadashi tithi and ends at sunrise, the next day. Most devotees do not take water or food during the fast. Those who cannot undertake a complete fast can take fruits or milk. Grains, beans, and rice are not consumed on Ekadashi days. Both Ekadashis in a month have the same tithi, so they are equally auspicious.
What is Utpanna Ekadashi?
Utpanna Ekadashi or ‘Uttpatti Ekadashi’ as it is also called, falls on the ‘Ekadashi’ (11th day) of the Krishna Paksha (the waning lunar phase) during Margashirsha (Nov-Dec) month of the Hindu calendar. Hindu devotees beginning the Ekadashi vrat/fast must start with Utpanna Ekadashi. It is the belief that Utpanna Ekadashi can help one to be free of all the sins committed in both present and past lives.
Utpanna Ekadashi commemorates Lord Vishnu’s victory over a demon called Mura. Also, legends claim that Ekadashi, who was a Goddess, was born on this day. In north India, this Ekadashi is celebrated in Margashirsha month, but in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, Utpanna Ekadashi falls in Kartik month. In the Malayalam calendar, it is the month of Vrischikam or Thulam. In the Tamil calendar, it falls in the months of Karthigai or Aippasi. The main deities who are worshipped during Utpanna Ekadashi are Lord Vishnu and Goddess Ekadashi.
Utpanna Ekadashi 2022 falls on November 20, a Sunday.
Utpanna Ekadashi Rituals
The day before Utpanna Ekadashi, or the 10th day of Krishna Paksha, one should clean one’s teeth well in the afternoon and have a sattvik meal before sunset. However, not all people may follow this.
The Utpanna Ekadashi fast begins at dawn and lasts until the sunrise of ‘Dwadashi’. On this day, rice, all forms of pulses, and grains should not be eaten.
People awake before sunrise on Utpanna Ekadashi day. They have a bath in a holy river or lake or pond, if possible. During the bath, they smear mud on their bodies and chant a prayer to Mother Earth.
They worship Lord Krishna on this day during the ‘Brahma Muhurat’. After the morning ablutions, devotees worship Goddess Ekadashi and Vishnu. They also make and offer special Bhog to the deities. People also chant Vedic Mantras and devotional songs, as it is auspicious. Devotees should not sleep during the day on Ekadashi and Dwadashi (the next day).
It is also a tradition to offer donations to Brahmins, as well as poor people. One can donate money, food, clothes, or other essentials, as per one’s capacity.
Legend behind Utpanna Ekadashi
The demon Mura was giving a lot of trouble to the gods. When the Gods approached Lord Vishnu for help, he engaged the demon in battle. But he was unable to kill him, as Mura had many mystical powers. After all his divine weapons failed to kill Mura, Vishnu wrestled with the demon for a thousand years, but the demon could not be defeated. Exhausted, Vishnu went to Badarikashrama, where he took shelter in a cave called Himavati. He decided to rest for a while and recover his strength.
But Mura located the cave and prepared to kill the sleeping Vishnu. Suddenly, a young maiden with many weapons and a radiant complexion emerged from Vishnu’s sleeping form. After a vigorous battle, the maiden killed Mura. When Vishnu woke up, he asked the maiden who she was. She replied that she was his inner power or Shakti. A pleased Vishnu told her to ask him for a boon.
The maiden replied that whoever observed a fast on the day of her appearance would be absolved of all their sins. If they observed a complete fast, taking no food or water for a whole day, they would be able to enter Vaikunta, Vishnu’s abode, after death. Those who had a meal in the evening, avoiding grains and beans, should get half the benefits of the complete fast. Those who had a mid-day meal should get half the benefits of the one who ate an evening meal. She also requested that all those who fasted, irrespective of the duration of their fast, should gain blessings of wealth, spiritual progress, and salvation.
Vishnu agreed to all her demands and also named her Ekadashi. He also said that Ekadashi fasting would be more meritorious than all other fasts.
Significance of Utpanna Ekadashi
The importance of Utpanna Ekadashi is mentioned in many Hindu scriptures like the ‘Bhavishyottara Purana’ where it is revealed during a conversation between Lord Krishna and King Yudhisthira. The merit of observing Utpanna Ekadashi can be compared to that of making donations on holy days like ‘Sankranti’ or taking a holy bath in sacred rivers like the Ganges. The belief is that those who observe Utpanna Ekadashi will be liberated from their sins and attain Moksha or salvation. They will also reach Vaikunta, the abode of Lord Vishnu, after they die. The glory of the Utpanna Ekadashi is even said to exceed the glory of donating 1000 cows, sacrifice of horses for Ashwamedha Yagna, and even getting the darshan of Lord Vishnu himself. The fast on Utpanna Ekadashi is equivalent to fasting for Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. So Hindus observe the Utpanna Ekadashi vrat with great devotion.
