Ekadasi is the eleventh lunar day (Tithi) of the shukla (bright) or krishna (dark) paksha (fortnight) respectively, of every lunar month in the Hindu calendar (Panchang). In Hinduism and Jainism, it is considered spiritually beneficial day. Scriptures recommend to observe an (ideally waterless) fast from sunset on the day prior to ekadasi until 48 minutes after sunrise on the day following ekadasi. In vedic timekeeping, a tithi (also spelled thithi) is a lunar day, or the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the moon and the sun to increase by 12°. Tithis begin at varying times of day and vary in duration from approximately 19 to approximately 26 hours. ... The Hindu calendar is of two types: the solar calendar or the saura māna the lunisolar calendar or the chāndra māna Both are described in this article. ... Hinduism (Devnāgari: ), also known as Sanatana Dharma () and Vaidika Dharma - ) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Indo-Aryan religion of the Vedas, and is generally regarded as the oldest major religion still practiced in the world today [1]. The term Hinduism is an amorphous concept... Pre-Kushana Ayagapatta from Mathura Jainism (pronounced in English as //), traditionally known as Jain Dharma (जैन धर्म), is a religion and philosophy originating in the prehistory of South Asia. ... Fasting is the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food and in some cases drink, for a period of time. ... A red sunset panorama Sunset, also called sundown in some American English dialects, is the time at which the Sun disappears below the horizon in the west. ... Sunrise over the sea Sunrise, also called sunup in some American English dialects, is the time at which the first part of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. ...

Meaning of Ekadasi

Ekadasi is a Sanskrit word, which means 'the eleventh'. It refers to the eleventh day of a fortnight belonging to 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 food. This is how it is usually understood. In fact, the fast is only a practical expression and a symbol of something else that we are expected to do, which is of special significance to our personality.

Astronomy and astrology

We belong to the solar system — a huge family of which the sun is the head and the planets are the members. The sun guides the activities of this family including us. We are involved in the laws operating in this system. This is used in astrology. Astronomy studies the movements of planets and stars and astrology the effects on the contents of the system. The Ekadasi observance is an astrological phenomenon and it is observed due to this relation we have with some of the planets in the system. Presentation of the solar system (not to scale) The solar system comprises the Earths Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravitationally bound to it. ... For other uses, see Sun (disambiguation). ... A planet (from the Greek πλανήτης, planetes or wanderers) is a body of considerable mass that orbits a star and that produces very little or no energy through nuclear fusion. ... Astrology refers to any of several systems, traditions or beliefs in which knowledge of the apparent positions of celestial bodies is held to be useful in understanding, interpreting, and organizing knowledge about human affairs and events on earth. ... Lunar astronomy: the large crater is Daedalus, photographed by the crew of Apollo 11 as they circled the Moon in 1969. ...

The Sun

The sun is said to influence the centre of our personality; hence the sun is called Atmakaraka, the soul-influencer of the human body (Sanskrit 'karaka': doer, manipulator, director). In the Rig_Veda the sun is identified with the soul of the universe as well as the soul of the individual. While the different limbs of our body and different parts of our system are supposed to be influenced by different planets, the sun is capable of influencing the entire being. If there is no sun, we feel the difference - our digestion becomes sluggish and our psychical state is also influenced. For other uses, see Sun (disambiguation). ... The Rig Veda ऋग्वेद (Sanskrit ṛc praise + veda knowledge) is the earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas. ...

The Moon

The moon is supposed to influence the mind. The mind is also made up of material substance. It is the subtle portion of the material substance of our food. The subtle essence of the food, not only directly taken through the mouth but through all senses, contribute to the make up of the mind or the mind-stuff. Mind 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 moon. Ekadasi is particularly relevant to this relation of moon and mind. Bulk composition of the moons mantle and crust estimated, weight percent Oxygen 42. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ...

Mind

How, is Ekadasi related to the movement of moon and mind? We have certain psycho-physical and psychological centres called Chakras in the body, or rather in the astral body. The moon influences the Chakras and ultimately the mind. The mind moves through these Chakras. When this takes place consciously, it is called Yoga. When the moon waxes or wanes, the mind is vehemently influenced. Mentally challenged people are very affected on the full-moon and new-moon days. The sun influences the moon and the moon influences the earth. The moon's movement tells upon the movement of the mind through the Chakras. In Hinduism and its spiritual systems of yoga and in some related eastern cultures, as well as in some segments of the New Age movement—and to some degree the distinctly different New Thought movement—chakra is thought to be an energy node in the human body. ... Yoga is a family of ancient spiritual practices that originated in India, where it remains a vibrant living tradition and is seen as a means to enlightenment. ...

Another important aspect is the seat of the mind which is also twofold. You may be living in many houses, of which one or two are your own. Svasthana means 'one's own place.' Two Chakras belong to the mind - Ajna in the waking state and Anahata in deep sleep. Ajna is the sixth primary chakra according to the Indian Tantric tradition (Shakta). ... Anahata is the fourth primary chakra according to the Hindu Yogic and Tantric (Shakta) traditions. ...

If the mind concentrates in the brain, it is active and one cannot sleep because it refuses to go down. If the mind is midway between Ajna and Anahata, it is dream state. In other Chakras it is extrovert. In the two fortnights 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 of ancients and this has to be taken advantage of by sadhakas. 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. Sadhakas 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. Vaishnavism is the branch of Hinduism in which Vishnu or one of his avatars (i. ...

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 digests the blood circulation is accelerated towards the digestive organs and blood flow to the head gets decreased. One feels sleepy and the thinking practically ceases. Hence, there is no advantage in burdening the physical system on days when one wants to practice Yoga. The abbreviation FAST may have several meanings, depending on context: Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope – The world largest single dish radio antenna in southwest China. ... Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind, often formalized into a specific routine. ...

The energy of the whole system gets distributed equally if a particular limb is not given any inordinate work. In fasting the energy is equally distributed as there is no digestion. 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.

Body

Apart from all these, there is a necessity to give the physiological system some rest once a while. It may be overworked due to a little overeating or indiscrimination in diet. These irregularities get rectified in one day. Thus the observance of Ekadasi has many advantages — physical, astral, spiritual — and because this day has connection with the relation of the mind with its abode together with the moon, one feels helped in meditation and contemplation.

See also

• Vaikunta Ekadasi
• Shabbat

Vaikunta Ekadasi, the Ekadasi of Vaikunta (the abode of the Vishnu) falls on the 11th day of the Sukla Paksha (the waxing phase of the moon) of the Dhanur (Margazhi in Tamil terminology) month - the ninth of the Hindu Lunar Calendar. ... Shabbat (שבת shabbāt, rest Hebrew, or Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. ...

External links

• Ekadasi - background, references, etc. (Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition)
• VCAL Vedic Calendar Program (freeware). Calculates Ekadasis (and other dates) for any location in the world.

Hinduism | Hindu festivals | Hindu calendar
Pongal | Holi | Ugadi | Rama Navami | Krishna Janmaashtami | Onam | Ganesh Chaturthi | Vaisakhi | Navratri | Durga Puja
Vijayadashami | Dasara | Diwali | Thaipusam | Maha Shivaratri | Ekadasi | Vaikunta Ekadasi | Mahalakshmi vrata | Raksha Bandhan | Bhai-Dooj/Bhau-Beej

Ekadasi Calendar http://www.gosai.com/chaitanya/indexh.html Hinduism (Devnāgari: ), also known as Sanatana Dharma () and Vaidika Dharma - ) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Indo-Aryan religion of the Vedas, and is generally regarded as the oldest major religion still practiced in the world today [1]. The term Hinduism is an amorphous concept... List of Festivals in India Hindu Makar Sankranti, Kite Flying Day, Winter festival Baisakhi Mahashivratri Holi Gudi Padwa Ram Navami Guru Purnima Gokul Ashtami Karthikai deepam Pongal Raksha Bandhan, Rakhi, Sacred Thread tied by sister on Brothers hand Onam Ganesh Chaturthi Durga Puja Dussehra or Daserra Diwali Diwali Amvasaya... The Hindu calendar is of two types: the solar calendar or the saura māna the lunisolar calendar or the chāndra māna Both are described in this article. ... File links The following pages link to this file: Swastika Wikipedia:Todays featured article/May 2005 Wikipedia:Todays featured article/May 1, 2005 ... Pongal (பொங்கல் in Tamil), also called Sankranti in Karnataka (ಸ೦ಕ್ರಾ೦ತಿ in Kannada), is an Indian harvest and a thanksgiving festival. ... Celebration of Holi Holi (Hindi: होली) or Phagwah (Bhojpuri) is an annual Hindu spring festival, predominantly celebrated in North India and Nepal. ... // Introduction Ugadi (literally - the start of an era) is the new years day for the people of the Deccan region of India. ... Rama Navami falls on the ninth day of a Hindu lunar year (or Chaitra Masa Suklapaksha Navami). ... Krishna Janmaashtami, also known as Krishnaashtami, Gokulaashtami, Srikrishna Jayanti, Sree Jayanthi or sometimes merely as Janmaashtami, is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. ... Onam ഓണം, the foremost festival among the cultural repertoire of Malayalees, falls in the harvest season of August- September. ... Ganesh Chaturthi is the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha. ... Vaisakhi (Punjabi: , , also known as Baisakhi) marks the beginning of the new Spring year and the end of the harvest in India. ... Navratri, Navaratri or Navaratra is a Hindu festival of worship and dance. ... A priest worshipping a contemporary idol of Durga, shown riding her lion and attacking the demon Mahisasur. ... Vijayadashami is a festival celebrated across India. ... Dasara, also called Navaratri, is among the most important festivals celebrated in Southern India. ... Diwālī or Dīpāvali (also transliterated Deepavali; Sanskrit: row of lights) is the Hindu Festival of Lights. Diwali festival symbolises the victory of good over evil and the lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. ... Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai, mostly by the Tamil community. ... Maha Shivratri or Shivaratri (Night of Shiva) is an Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month Phalguna in the Hindu Calendar. ... Vaikunta Ekadasi, the Ekadasi of Vaikunta (the abode of the Vishnu) falls on the 11th day of the Sukla Paksha (the waxing phase of the moon) of the Dhanur (Margazhi in Tamil terminology) month - the ninth of the Hindu Lunar Calendar. ... MahaLakshmi vratha is a sacred day in Hinduism. ... Raksha bandhan or Rakhi is a Hindu festival to signify and extend the brother-sister relationship. ... Bhaubeej/Bhau-Beej (in Marathi) or Bhai-Dooj (in Hindi) or Bhai Beej (in Gujarati) is a festival or ceremony performed by Hindus on the second day after Diwali, which is the second day of the new year. ...