Swamiye Saranam.......
Here's the story of Kaisika Ekadasi:
Long long ago, there lived a great Srivaishnavite who was fondly called
"Nampaaduvan" in Thirukurungudi, a town located near the Southern tip
of India, near Thirunelveli. He was born in a very low caste chandala
clan, however that was the only thing that was low about him and which
was totally inconsequential to a true Srivaishnavaite. He had an
unparalleled bhakthi towards the Lord in Thirukurungudi who is known as
"Nambi". Inspite of his great love for the Lord, since he was a
chandala, and since he followed the shahstra, he never entered the
temple at any point of time.
He just used to stand outside the
temple premises, sing songs for his "Nambi" in a musical format known as
"pann" and then take leave from there. This was his routine. Since his
bhakti was bestowed upon him by "Nambi", the outpurings of it were also
as sweet as the source of it. Nampaduvan used a lot of different raagas
to sing Perumal's auspicious qualities.
Nampaduvan used to
observe fasting on all ekadasis. On a karthigai dwadasi day, Nampaduvan
was as usual singing Perumal's glories and HIS valor and was proceeding
towards the temple premises and thereby thought of ending his ekadasi
viratham. Suddenly, a huge monstrous Brahmarakshasan stopped him. He
threatened Napaduvan that he would eat him alive as he was starving for a
long time. Nampaduvan did not get scared. He replied that he would
visit the temple premise, finish the ekadasi vratham that he was
observing and then return back as Brahmarakshasan's food. However,
Brahmarakshasan was least convinced as he thought that who will come
back and offer himself as food if he is set free. He did not leave
Nampaduvan as he cluthced Nampaduvan's fist tightly.
Nampaduvan
wanted to convince him so badly that he would atleast allow him to
finish his ekadasi viratham. That was his only motive to convince him
and he was totally happy to be a food for Brahmarakshas because by this
way he can end up the bonding with this world and can reach
Srivaikuntam. In order to convince Brahmarakshas, he started to make a
lot of promises like if he does not return, let this papam (sin) cast
its wrath upon him etc. So he started to list a series of papams.
Brahmarakshas was inshakaeable for the 17 papams that Nampaduvan had
listed. The 18th one shook him off which made Brahmarakshas let
Nampaduvan go. Let us see what are those and then see why Brahmarakshas
was shell shocked on hearing the 18th one:
1. If I do not return as per my promise let me get the sin of a man who is a liar.
2. Let me get the sin of a person who commits adultery, if I don’t return.
3. While eating in the company of a person if a man differentiates in
menu (i.e. serving inferior or less quantity of food to the guest), he
gets a great sin (Papam). Let me get that sin, if I don’t return.
4.
If a man donates a piece of an earth to a Brahmin and takes it back
after some time he will certainly accrue sin. Let me get that sin, if I
don’t return.
5. If a man enjoys the company of a woman during her
youthful age and subsequently rejects her when she becomes old he is
sure to get sin. Let me get that sin, if I don’t return.
6. Having
performed ablution rite (Tharpanam) on Amavasya day and then recourse
(physical relationship) to his wife the same day, he will entertain
great sin. Let me get that sin, if I don’t return.
7. Having dined
delicious dishes in the house of a host and then if a person showers
heaps of abuse on his host, he is sure to meet with great sin. Let me
get that sin, if I don’t return.
8. A man makes a solemn promise
that he would give away his young daughter in marriage to a youth but
later on breaks his promise, which would entertain sin. Let me get that
sin, if I don’t return.
9. A man is prohibited from eating without
taking bath on Shashti (the sixth day of both fortnight), Ashtami (the
eighth day), Chaturdashi (the fourteenth day) and Amavasya (the
fifteenth day of bright fortnight). Let me get that sin, if I don’t
return.
10. A man promises to donate something to another man but he
doesn’t keep up his promise. Let me get the sin of breach of promise if
I fail to come back.
11. If a person tries to allure the wife of a
friend who has helped him in manifold ways, he is sure of reaching hell.
I will get that sin, if I fail to return.
12. If a person,
afflicted by lust, enjoys the company of his revered teacher’s wife who
is responsible for his salvation; and so also the company of the wife of
a king who endows all worldly pleasure to him - he will be the worst
sinner. I will suffer that sin by not keeping up my promise.
13. A
man marries two girls without being impartial to both of them. If he
evinces greater pleasure in the company of one rejecting the other, he
is sure to accrue very great sin. Let me get that sin, if I don’t keep
up my promise.
14. If a man divorces his wife who is very chaste and
has no one to care for her, he will become a sinner. Let me be equated
to him for not returning.
15. If a man causes obstruction to the
cattle that are afflicted very much by thirst to drink water, he will
get a sin. Let me also get that sin by breaking your faith in me.
16. Killing a Brahmin, addiction to liquor, stealing gold, breaking a
vow are considered to be heinous crimes. Severe punishments are
prescribed for a sinner, who commits all these crimes. Let me suffer all
these punishments in case I fail to get back to you.
17. If some
people worship only other deities and not Sri Vasudeva who is easily
accessible to His votaries and is Omnipresent, they will get a great
sin. Let me get that sin, if I do not return.
18. Sriman Narayana is
the supreme deity. He is the inner soul for all created beings, both
sentient and insentient. He is worshipped by all karmas (i.e. by all
holy rites prescribed by the Shastras). He is to be meditated by all who
are desirous of liberation. He alone has the ability to grant
salvation. He is to be reached by all the liberated souls. Having
understood the supreme qualities of the Lord, if a man equates Him to
all other demi gods and angels who are bound by karma, He will be born
in this world again and again. Let me get that sin by breach of this
promise.
The first 17 promises did not convince the
Brahmarakshasa, but the 18th one totally convinced him about the
certainty of Nampaduvan’s return. As a Srivaishnava, after surrendering
unto HIM through an acharyan, we therefore have to understand that the
last sin is the greatest sin of all sins. Hence it is to be meticulously
avoided.
Nampaduvan went to Thirukurungudi temple premises,
sang about his Nambi. The last raaga in which he sang was the "kaisika"
raaga. After finishing the viratham, Nampaduvan was en route to meet
Brahmarakshas. On the way, he was stopped by an old man who asked
Nampaduvan "Where are you going so fast"? Nampaduvan replied that he is
going to offer himself as food for the Brahmarakshas to whom he had
promised earlier.
The old man tried to convince Nampaduvan not
to go to Brahmarakshas as he is a cannibal and can eat him alive. The
old man was trying to test the resolve of Nampaduvan. Nampaduvan replied
"I have no fear in being a food to Brahmarakshas. I have given him a
promise and I need to stand up to the promise. So kindly let me go". The
old man, who was in a disguise, was Lord Sriman Narayanan himself, let
Nampaduvan go and meet Brahmarakshas.
Nampaduvan came back and
stood in front of Brahmarakshas. Seeing it, Brahmarakshas was taken
aback because a man once held as a captive, when he comes back on his
own accord and surrenders again, then he really knows no fear.
Brahmarakshas started to realize the greatness of this great bhagavatha
and thus he remembered the curse that he had in his previous birth. In
his previous birth, he was born as Soma Sharma in a Brahmin family. He
committed a lot of blunder in his yagam and other sacrifices that he had
this curse inflicted upon him. Moreover, he developed a fatal disease
towards the latter part of the yagam that he died without completing it.
In order for him to get out of this sin, he was told that he would be
liberated when he meets a great bhagavatha of a chandala clan. After
saying this, Brahmarakshas begged Nampaduvan to give the merits of all
the songs that he had sang for Nambi.
Nampaduvan replied "I
did not sing, expecting something in return. So I cannot give the merits
to you". Then Brahmarakshas continued, "Can you please give me atleast
the merit of half of the songs that you had song". Nampaduvan refused
again. Finally, Brahmrakshas said "I want to get liberated. So can you
please give me the merit of the last song that you sang in "Kaisika"
raaga?. Nampaduvan thought for a while "If Perumal's wish is to liberate
him through me, I cannot stop. Ok. Let me give you the merit of the
last song that I sang in Kaisikia raaga".
On getting it, the
Brahmarakshas was relieved of his curse. He was born in a Brahmin family
in his next birth , at the end of which he attained Srivaikuntam. The
viratham that Nampaduvan was observing was on ekadasi day and he broke
the fast on the next Dwadasi day by singing in Kaisika ragam. So this
ekadasi came to be known as "Kaisika" ekadasi. Observing fast during
this auspicious day and thinking about Lord Sriman Narayanan is sure to
get us liberated. All these incidents can be found in Varaha Puranam,
that Sri Varaha Perumal Himself told to Sri Bhooma Devi.
gratitude!
ReplyDeletehari om