KATHMANDU, April 8: Devotees across the country observe Kamada Ekadashi on the occasion of Chaitra Shukla Ekadashi today, believing that the fast fulfills heartfelt desires.
Pandit Balmukunda Devkota, an executive committee member of the Sanatan Vidvat Parishad Nepal, stated that various Puranas and religious scriptures mention that observing this fast helps fulfill one's wishes.
Ritual bath and devotion mark Baisdhara Mela in Balaju (In Pict...
"Rishi Bashishta first narrated the significance of Kamada Ekadashi to King Dilip. Lord Krishna also explained it to Yudhishthira, as described in the scriptures," said Pandit Devkota. He added that Kamada Ekadashi is depicted as a divine fire that burns the burden of sins like dry wood.
Sharing a story from the scriptures, he described how in a city named Ratnapura, a Gandharva named Lalit and an Apsara named Lalita lived together as a loving couple. One day, while Lalit played music with other Gandharvas, he got distracted thinking of Lalita and disrupted the rhythm. A serpent named Karkotaka reported this mistake to King Pundarika, who cursed Lalit to become a demon. Lalita, upon learning this, observed the Kamada Ekadashi fast and worshiped with full devotion, ultimately liberating her husband from the curse and restoring him to his original form.
The scriptures advise observing this fast not only for personal well-being but also for the welfare of others. Observing this fast is said to absolve sins such as Brahmahatya (the killing of a Brahmin) and liberate one from ghostly or demonic states, granting fulfillment of desires across the three worlds.
The scriptures also state that simply listening to or reading the significance of Kamada Ekadashi bestows the same merit as performing a grand Vedic ritual like the Vajapeya Yagya.