The Significance of Ekadasi
Divine Life
Society Publication: Chapter 21 –
Spiritual Import of Religious Festivals by Swami Krishnananda
(A talk given on the 17th of January, 1970,
on the request of devotees)
Ekadasi is a Sanskrit word, which means 'the eleventh'. It refers to the eleventh day of a fortnight in a lunar month. There are two fortnights in a lunar month – the bright and the dark. So, Ekadasi occurs twice in a month, in the bright fortnight and the dark fortnight. The special feature of Ekadasi, as most people know it, is a fast – abstinence from diet.
The Ekadasi observance is an
astrological phenomenon and it is observed due to the relation we have with
some of the planets in the system. The entire personality of ours is
tremendously influenced by the movement of planets. The gravitational pull of
planets has an influence on us.
The sun is said to influence
the center of our personality; hence the sun is called Atmakaraka. He is the
soul-influencer of the human body. In the Rig-Veda, the sun is identified with
the soul of the universe as well as the soul of the individual. The different
limbs of our body and different parts of our system are supposed to be
influenced by different planets. Karaka is doer, manipulator, director.
The moon is supposed to
influence the mind. The mind is also made up of material substance. The mind is
not spiritual, but material. How is mind matter? The subtle essence of the
food, not only directly taken through the mouth but through all senses,
contributes to the make-up of the mind or the mind-stuff. Mind is material in a
subtle sense, like a mirror which is made of earth material only, though it
shines. Only the mirror is able to reflect light, and not the brick, though it
is also made of the earth material. Mind is material in this sense. It is very,
very subtle and is made up of everything that we take. So, matter influences
matter. Planets are not spiritual bodies, and yet they influence the mind. The
mind's presiding deity is the moon. Ekadasi is particularly relevant to this
relation of moon and mind. The moon influences the mind in its orbital relative
movement with reference to other planets and us.
How is Ekadasi related to the
movement of moon and mind? We have certain centers, called Chakras, in the
body. The Chakras are nothing but energy-centers which whirl in some direction,
as water whirls in a river. Chakra is a wheel or circular motion. They form in
a spiral shape. They are not physical, but are psychophysical and
psychological. These Chakras are neither in the mind nor in the body; they are
in the astral body. The moon's influence physically on the body has an
influence on the Chakras, which tells upon the mind ultimately. The mind moves
through these Chakras. The passage of the mind is through these Chakras, up and
down. When this operation takes place consciously, it is called Yoga. When done
unconsciously by the mind, it is just influence.
When the moon waxes or wanes, the mind is
vehemently influenced. So people who are not normal in their minds become very
disturbed on the full moon and new moon days. You cannot see the moon's
influence on the earth because it is solid, but it can be seen on the ocean
which is liquid. The moon influences the whole earth, and its influence is
visible on the large body of waters in the sea. This happens due to the twofold
pressure of the relation of the earth and moon. The sun influences the moon and
the moon influences the earth. When the influence occurs automatically, we are
instruments in the hands of Nature. When it is done consciously, we are said to
practise Yoga. The moon's movement tells upon the movement of the mind through
the Chakras.
Another important aspect is
the seat of the mind, which is also twofold. Svasthana means 'one's own place'.
The mind has several abodes or centers of energy called Chakras, of which two
are its own. The seats of the mind in this personality of ours are: 1. the
subtle spot in the astral body corresponding to the center of the two eyebrows,
in waking, and 2. the heart, in the state of deep sleep. If it is in the brain,
it is active and you, then, do not get sleep, because it refuses to go down. If
the mind is midway between the center of the eyebrows and the heart, it is the
dream state. So, there is a twofold center of the mind – the Ajna Chakra, or
the center between the eyebrows, and the Anahata Chakra, or the heart. In both
these centers, the mind feels at home and is at ease, because it is nearer to itself. In other centers
it is extrovert. In the Ajna and the Anahata Chakras it finds itself at home.
In the two fortnights, in its movement, it finds
itself at the Ajna Chakra and the Anahata Chakra on the eleventh day. Since
these two Chakras are its own abode, the mind is at home here, i.e., it gets
concentrated and collected easily. This has been the experience given out by
our ancients, and this has to be taken advantage of by Sadhakas. You are
capable of concentration when the mind is naturally in its home. The mind
cannot be concentrated when it is out of tune, but when it is in its location
it is easy of contemplation. So, the Ekadasi day in both fortnights is the
occasion when the mind finds itself in its place – in the bright fortnight in
the Ajna Chakra, and in dark fortnight in the Anahata Chakra. Seekers and Yogis
take advantage of these two days and try to practise deep meditation. Vaishnavas
treat Ekadasi as a very holy day and also observe a fast on that day.
Fast and meditation! What
connection have they? There is really no intrinsic connection between fast and
meditation, but there is some advantage in keeping the body light and the stomach
free from excessive metabolic function. When the stomach is given the duty of
digestion, doctors will tell you that blood circulation is accelerated towards
the digestive organs, on account of which blood circulation to the head gets
decreased after food is taken and so you feel sleepy and the thinking faculty
practically ceases to function. Hence, there is no advantage in giving the
physical system work on days you want to do Yogic practice. Thus, Ekadasi has
also a spiritual significance.
Fast is supposed to cause
buoyancy of feeling, and not fatigue. So people who are sick and cannot observe
a total fast take milk and fruits, etc. People who are perfectly healthy and
are confident, observe a complete fast. This helps in control of mind and will.
Apart from all these, there is
a necessity to give the physiological system some rest once in a while. It may
be overworked due to a little overeating or indiscrimination in diet. These irregularities
unconsciously done during the fourteen days get rectified in one day. Thus the
observance of Ekadasi has many advantages, physical, astral and spiritual, and
because this day has connection with the relation of the mind with its abode
together with the moon, you feel mysteriously helped in your meditation and
contemplation – mysteriously because you cannot know this consciously. But you
can feel this for yourself by observing it.
In India everything is
interpreted spiritually. Every river is a deity. Every mountain is a god.
Everything is holy, dedicated to the Divine. Everything is presided over by a
particular god – Gramadevata, Grihadevata, etc. Everywhere is God. The idea
behind all this is that we have to feel the presence of God in everything and
everywhere. In space and in time, in everything, there is God. Time is God.
Directions are God. Thus the very objects become embodiments of God. This is
India's religious sidelight, which is profoundly meaningful in life.
Excerpts from:
The
Significance of Ekadasi - Chapter 21 –
Spiritual Import of Religious Festivals by Swami Krishnananda
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