Apara Ekadashi of Jyeshtha Krishna

Verse 1 (padma.6.50.1)

युधिष्ठिर उवाच- ज्येष्ठस्य कृष्णपक्षे तु किं नामैकादशी भवेत् । श्रोतुमिच्छामि माहात्म्यं तद्वदस्व जनार्दन

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca- jyeṣṭhasya kṛṣṇapakṣe tu kiṁ nāmaikādaśī bhavet śrotumicchāmi māhātmyaṁ tadvadasva janārdana

Yudhishthira said: Which Ekadashi falls in the dark fortnight of Jyeshtha? O Janardana, I wish to hear its glory - kindly tell me.

Verse 2 (padma.6.50.2)

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच- साधु पृष्टं त्वया राजन्लोकानां हितकाम्यया । बहुपुण्यप्रदा ह्येषा महापातकनाशिनी

śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca- sādhu pṛṣṭaṁ tvayā rājanlokānāṁ hitakāmyayā bahupuṇyapradā hyeṣā mahāpātakanāśinī

Sri Krishna said: O king, you have asked well, out of concern for the welfare of the people. It bestows abundant merit and destroys the gravest sins.

Verse 3 (padma.6.50.3)

अपरा नाम राजेंद्र अपरा पुत्रदायिनी । लोके प्रसिद्धितां याति अपरां यस्तु सेवते

aparā nāma rājeṁdra aparā putradāyinī loke prasiddhitāṁ yāti aparāṁ yastu sevate

O lord of kings, its name is Apara, which also grants a son. Whoever observes Apara attains renown in the world.

Verse 4 (padma.6.50.4)

ब्रह्महत्याभिभूतोऽपि गोत्रहा भ्रूणहा तथा । परापवादवादी च परस्त्री रसिकोऽपि च

brahmahatyābhibhūto'pi gotrahā bhrūṇahā tathā parāpavādavādī ca parastrī rasiko'pi ca

One overwhelmed by the sin of killing a brahmin, one who has slain his own kinsmen, one who has killed an unborn child, one who slanders others, and even one who takes pleasure in another's wife -

Verse 5 (padma.6.50.5)

अपरा सेवनाद्राजन्विपाप्मा भवति ध्रुवम् । कूटसाक्ष्यं कूटमानं तुलाकूटं करोति यः

aparā sevanādrājanvipāpmā bhavati dhruvam kūṭasākṣyaṁ kūṭamānaṁ tulākūṭaṁ karoti yaḥ

O king, by observing Apara he certainly becomes free of sin. Whoever bears false witness, uses false measures, cheats with the scales,

Verse 6 (padma.6.50.6)

कूटवेदं पठेद्यस्तु कूटशास्त्रं तथैव च । ज्योतिषी गणकः कूटः कूटायुर्वैदिको भिषक्

kūṭavedaṁ paṭhedyastu kūṭaśāstraṁ tathaiva ca jyotiṣī gaṇakaḥ kūṭaḥ kūṭāyurvaidiko bhiṣak

who teaches the Veda in corrupted form and corrupts the scriptures too, who is a false astrologer, a false calculator, a false physician of longevity, and a false healer,

Verse 7 (padma.6.50.7)

कूटसाक्ष्य समायुक्तो विज्ञेया नरकौकसः । अपरा सेवनाद्राजन्पापैर्मुक्ता भवंति ते

kūṭasākṣya samāyukto vijñeyā narakaukasaḥ aparā sevanādrājanpāpairmuktā bhavaṁti te

and whoever is bound up with false testimony - such persons are held to be dwellers of hell. Yet, O king, by observing Apara even they become freed of their sins.

Verse 8 (padma.6.50.8)

क्षत्त्रियः क्षात्रधर्मं यस्त्यक्त्वा युद्धात्पलायते । स याति नरकं घोरं स्वीयधर्मबहिष्कृतः

kṣattriyaḥ kṣātradharmaṁ yastyaktvā yuddhātpalāyate sa yāti narakaṁ ghoraṁ svīyadharmabahiṣkṛtaḥ

A kshatriya who forsakes his warrior's duty and flees from battle goes to a terrible hell, cast out from his own dharma.

Verse 9 (padma.6.50.9)

अपरा सेवनात्सोऽपि पापं त्यक्त्वा दिवं व्रजेत् । विद्यावान्यः स्वयं शिष्यो गुरुनिंदां करोति च

aparā sevanātso'pi pāpaṁ tyaktvā divaṁ vrajet vidyāvānyaḥ svayaṁ śiṣyo guruniṁdāṁ karoti ca

By observing Apara he too, casting off his sin, attains heaven. A learned disciple who himself slanders his own teacher,

Verse 10 (padma.6.50.10)

स महापातकैर्युक्तो निरयं याति दारुणम् । अपरा सेवनात्सोऽपि सद्गतिं प्राप्नुयान्नरः

sa mahāpātakairyukto nirayaṁ yāti dāruṇam aparā sevanātso'pi sadgatiṁ prāpnuyānnaraḥ

being joined to the gravest sins, goes to a dreadful hell. By observing Apara that man too attains a good destiny.

Verse 11 (padma.6.50.11)

महिमानमपरायाः शृणु राजन्वदाम्यहम् । मकरस्थे रवौ माघे प्रयागे यत्फलं नृणाम्

mahimānamaparāyāḥ śṛṇu rājanvadāmyaham makarasthe ravau māghe prayāge yatphalaṁ nṛṇām

O king, listen to the glory of Apara, I shall tell it to you. The fruit that men obtain at Prayaga in the month of Magha, when the sun stands in Makara [Capricorn],

Verse 12 (padma.6.50.12)

काश्यां यत्प्राप्यते पुण्यमुपरागे निमज्जनात् । गयायां पिंडदानेन पितॄणां तृप्तिदो यथा

kāśyāṁ yatprāpyate puṇyamuparāge nimajjanāt gayāyāṁ piṁḍadānena pitṝṇāṁ tṛptido yathā

the merit that comes from bathing at Kashi during an eclipse, the satisfaction given to the ancestors through the offering of pindas at Gaya,

Verse 13 (padma.6.50.13)

सिंहस्थिते देवगुरौ गौतम्यां स्नातको नरः । कन्यागते गुरौ राजन्कृष्णवेणी निमज्जनात्

siṁhasthite devagurau gautamyāṁ snātako naraḥ kanyāgate gurau rājankṛṣṇaveṇī nimajjanāt

the fruit for a man who bathes in the Gautami [Godavari] when Jupiter is in Leo, or, O king, who bathes in the Krishnaveni when Jupiter is in Virgo,

Verse 14 (padma.6.50.14)

यत्फलं समवाप्नोति कुंभकेदार दर्शनात् । बदर्याश्रमयात्रायां तत्तीर्थसेवनादपि

yatphalaṁ samavāpnoti kuṁbhakedāra darśanāt badaryāśramayātrāyāṁ tattīrthasevanādapi

the fruit obtained by the sight of Kumbha [the Kumbha-mela sites] and Kedara, that which comes from serving that sacred place on the pilgrimage to Badarikashrama,

Verse 15 (padma.6.50.15)

यत्फलं समवाप्नोति कुरुक्षेत्रे रविग्रहे । गजाश्व हेमदानेन यज्ञं कृत्वा सदक्षिणम्

yatphalaṁ samavāpnoti kurukṣetre ravigrahe gajāśva hemadānena yajñaṁ kṛtvā sadakṣiṇam

the fruit obtained at Kurukshetra during a solar eclipse, the fruit obtained from giving elephants, horses, and gold, and performing a sacrifice with due gifts to the priests -

Verse 16 (padma.6.50.16)

तादृशं फलमाप्नोति अपरा व्रतसेवनात् । अर्धप्रसूतां गां दत्वा सुवर्णं वसुधां तथा

tādṛśaṁ phalamāpnoti aparā vratasevanāt ardhaprasūtāṁ gāṁ datvā suvarṇaṁ vasudhāṁ tathā

just such a fruit is obtained by observing the vow of Apara. Even the fruit that a man obtains by giving a half-calved cow, gold, and land,

Verse 17 (padma.6.50.17)

नरो यत्फलमाप्नोति अपराया व्रतेन तत् । पापद्रुमकुठारीयं पापेंधन दवानलः

naro yatphalamāpnoti aparāyā vratena tat pāpadrumakuṭhārīyaṁ pāpeṁdhana davānalaḥ

that too comes from the vow of Apara. This vow is an axe to the tree of sin, and a forest-fire to the fuel of sin.

Verse 18 (padma.6.50.18)

पापांधकारतरणिः पापसारंग केसरी । बुद्बुदा इव तोयेषु पुत्तिका इव जंतुषु

pāpāṁdhakārataraṇiḥ pāpasāraṁga kesarī budbudā iva toyeṣu puttikā iva jaṁtuṣu

It is like the sun to the darkness of sin, and like a lion to the deer of sin. Like bubbles upon water, like insects among living beings,

Verse 19 (padma.6.50.19)

जायंते मरणायैव एकादश्या व्रतं विना । अपरां समुपोष्यैव पूजयित्वा त्रिविक्रमम्

jāyaṁte maraṇāyaiva ekādaśyā vrataṁ vinā aparāṁ samupoṣyaiva pūjayitvā trivikramam

without the vow of Ekadashi, beings are born only to die. Whoever observes the fast of Apara and worships Trivikrama [Vishnu],

Verse 20 (padma.6.50.20)

सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तो विष्णुलोके महीयते । लोकानां च हितार्थाय तवाग्रे कथितं मया । पठनाच्छ्रवणाद्राजन्गोसहस्रफलं लभेत्

sarvapāpavinirmukto viṣṇuloke mahīyate lokānāṁ ca hitārthāya tavāgre kathitaṁ mayā paṭhanācchravaṇādrājangosahasraphalaṁ labhet

becomes freed from every sin and is honored in the realm of Vishnu. I have told you this only for the welfare of the people. O king, by merely reading or hearing it, one obtains the fruit of donating a thousand cows.