Nirjala Ekadasi is the moon phase which gives the benefits of all the 24 Ekadasi's that happen in a year. This day is also called 'Bhima Ekadasi' named after one of the valiant brothers among the five Pandavas in the epic Mahabharata.
In the Mahabharata Bhima had a great appetite and was not in favor of fasting. However, he realized the significance of Ekadasi and requested the sages to provide a solution so that he could benefit from this opportunity. The answer was that Bhima would only have to fast and meditate on this one particular day in order to compensate for all the 24 Ekadasis that happen through the year. This year Nirjala Ekadasi falls on June 3rd.
As per seers, Lord Maha Vishnu took a feminine form to eliminate all vices in the Universe. This feminine form is referred to as 'Eka-Dasi'. Eka is one and Dasi refers to ten and together making eleven. Each lunar phase has a name and is associated with Lord Vishnu in the form of the Goddess.
We have arranged for special prayers to be offered at three distinctive shrines in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. These are the Nachiar temple, Oopiliappan temple and Varadaraja Temple. Offering prayers to Lord Maha Vishnu is special during Ekadasi day. There will also be special Kubera-Lakshmi rituals, both group and individual, conducted for your prosperity on this auspicious day.
On May 30, 2009
Ekadasi represents the eleventh phase of both the waning and waxing periods of the Moon. In Vedic mythology, Ekadasi represents a potent time for Karma elimination. You can experience incredible changes in your psycho-spiritual body and progress towards freedom and perfection by observing a few simple rituals on this day. Previously these rituals were only known to the ancient seers of India.According to the ancient seers, our mind passes through various energy centers during different phases of the Moon. The mind is seated in the Ajna Chakra, or the eyebrow center during the waxing phase and the heart center on the waning phase. It is very beneficial to fast on the Ekadasi day as the mind is easier to control in these centers allowing one to meditate easier, to focus and to perform all those activities which need concentration.