Jyeshta Ekadasi – A Special 11th Moon for Lord Vishnu

Jyeshta Ekadasi is the day when the 11th waxing moon coincides on the Jyeshta Nakshatra. Jyeshta is the star ruled by Mercury and Lord Vishnu is the overlord of this planet. Lord Vishnu, the Sustainer of the Universe, the God of Wealth, manifested on the lunar day Ekadasi and He is the “Super Soul” that lives in the heart of all living entities.

By offering your sincere devotion, you will gain Lord Vishnu’s blessings for a prosperous and happy life.

The Waxing 11th Moon falls on the same day as the Jyeshta Nakshatra, once in a year and this is the day when special Abhishekam’s are offered to Lord Vishnu with specific rituals at Thirukannamangai Temple in Tamil Nadu. In this temple, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu share the inner sanctum. Blessings here are for a 200% life of prosperity from the Goddess of Wealth and spirituality from Lord Vishnu.

Hari Sayana Ekadasi

Ekadasi is the term for the 11th Moon phase important to Lord Vishnu. This particular upcoming 11th Moon is also called ‘Hari Sayana Ekadasi‘ as after performing several miracles in the universe, Lord Vishnu reclines on the cosmic serpent Adi Sesha and falls asleep in the cosmic Ocean of Milk. ‘Hari‘ is another name for Vishnu and ‘Sayana‘ means sleep.

Lord Vishnu is the preserver and protector of creation. He is the embodiment of mercy and goodness, the all-pervading power that preserves the universe.

Lord Vishnu sleeps in the Ocean of Milk. Amrita, the Divine nectar of immortality and Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort and the Goddess of wealth, both emerged by churning this ocean of milk. In one of His incarnations as Krishna, Lord Vishnu was brought up by parents who tended cows and He was a cowherd himself. Moreover, Milk and ghee were His staple foods in that incarnation.

Milk is the purest of all foods provided by nature and offering it to Lord Vishnu will give you his purest blessings in return.

Significance of Thirukannamangai Temple

Thirukannamangai Temple is the place where Vishnu is said to have found and reunited with His consort, Goddess Lakshmi after She incarnated on Earth as a village girl. Lakshmi puts forward a condition on the marriage, that She would only marry Him if He ensured that She will be taken care of materially. Vishnu agreed to the condition and they got married. In this temple, there is not just one main deity. Lakshmi and Vishnu share the inner sanctum with neither of them being centered.

This represents beautifully the 200% life as Lakshmi here represents the material and Vishnu the ‘Supersoul‘ or the spiritual.