Ekadasi and Dwadasi on Festival days

[Indalur-ranga]

Dear Swamin

Adyen Dasan. Hope everything is fine at your end. I noticed that both Ekadasi and Dwadasi are coming on Bogi and Pongal days. How do we celebrate it with regard to Thaligai and eating. We cannot eat anything on Ekadasi day. On Dwadasi day should we do Paranai Thaligai or Pongal pandigai Thaligai.

Please clarify.

Krupa Adyen.

Dasan Indalur Ranga

[bmbcAdmin]

Dear Swamin

Adyen Dasan. Hope everything is fine at your end. I noticed that both Ekadasi and Dwadasi are coming on Bogi and Pongal days. How do we celebrate it with regard to Thaligai and eating. We cannot eat anything on Ekadasi day. On Dwadasi day should we do Paranai Thaligai or Pongal pandigai Thaligai.

Please clarify.

Krupa Adyen.

Dasan Indalur Ranga

Dasan,
Ekadasi gets its own preference on whatever day it comes even in theetu.
But due to Ekadadasi on Bhogi day,
Many are prefer to relax Ekadasi Vradham to take 'sojji' (rice broken in to pieces)
for one time meals to celebrate Bhogi Panddigai.

On Dwadasi day,
Acharyals given instructions to keep the pongal paanai between 7 and 8 am
and the Tarpanam can be done immediately after Aradhanam and dwadasi paaranai should be done
by 8.30 am itself.

See a separate post made by me in detail about this few days back.
NVS

[Indalur-ranga]

Dear Mama

Adyen Dasan. Thanks for the clarification. It is more clear now what needs to be done.

Regards

ranga

[kgopalan37]

The following informs us as to why we need to avoid grains on Ekadashi days.





It is stated in the Padma Purana:



bhuyo-bhuyo drdha vani sryatam syata janah

na bhoktavyam na bhoktavyam na bhoktavyam harer dine



“O human beings, please listen, I tell you repeatedly with steadfast determination, please never eat any grains on the Day of Lord Hari (Ekadasi day, the Lord’s appearance day like Janmastami day etc.). Please never eat any

food grains even by mistake on the Day of Lord Hari. Please do not eat grains on the Day of Lord Hari even if forced or compelled to do so.”







The reason to not eat food grains on Ekadasi is stated in the Vrihan Naradiya Purana thus:



yani kani ca papani brahma hatyadikani ca

annam asritya tiathanti samprapte hari vasare



“Every type of sin in this world, including the grievous sin of killing a Brahmana, reside in food grains on the Day of Lord Hari (Ekadasi and other fasting days). If grains are eaten on fasting days sins enter the body of that human being.”



The Hari Bhakti Vilasa states:



brahmacari grhastho va vanaprastho ‘thava yatih

ekadasyam hi bhunjano bhukte go-mamsam eva hi



“Whether a person is Brahmachari (unmarried celibate student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprasthi (retired, elderly), Sanyasi (renounced person) or any other social order, if they eat food grains on Ekadasi, they acquire the same sin as that received by eating cow’s meat.”



The Skanda Purana also states:



matr ha pitr has caiva bhratr ha guru has tatha

ekadasyas tu ya bhunkte visnu-lokac cyuto bhavet



“Those who eat grains on Ekadasi and on the Day of Lord Hari (including Janmastami, Gaura Purnima etc.) obtain the sin equal to killing one’s own mother, own father, own brother and own Guru; and they cannot reach the spiritual world, which is why one should never eat grains on fasting days.”



One may think or say that fasting on Ekadasi days and the Lord’s appearance days are meant only for Vaisnava devotees and not for worshippers of Lord Siva or Durga etc. But the Padma Purana informs such people:



na saiva na ca saurohasaun na sakta gana sevakah

yo bhunkte vasare visnor jneyah pasvadiko hi sah



“Whether one is a follower of Lord Siva, the goddess Durga, Kali, Surya (sungod), Ganesa, Bhairava or any other demigod, they should avoid eating grains on the fasting days of Lord Hari (Ekadasis and other fasting days of

Lord Hari). If one does not rigidly follow this rule and eats grains on fasting days they are considered worse than an animal.”



The Brihan Naradiya Purana states:



brahma-hatyadi papanam kathancin niskrtir bhavet

ekadasyat tu yo bhunkte niskrtir nasti kutracit



ekadasi fasting regulations.



“By rigidly following religious and ritualistic processes one may become free from grievous sin like killing a Brahmana, but it is impossible to eliminate the sins of those who eat grains on Ekadasi days.”



It is written in the Skanda Purana that Lord Yamaraja (superintendent of hell) told his messengers not even to go near the immediate three generations of those who fast on Ekadasi days, even if they are lowborn and full of sin

. But even if a pious person is learned in the four Vedas and performs rituals and is pure, but eats grains on Ekadasi days, they must be taken to hell to suffer. (The correct Ekadasi days are calculated each year and printed as a

calendar and can be gotten upon request). If grain filled prasadam is given to a person on a fasting day it should be kept for consumption on the next day, but should not be consumed on the fasting day. Only fruits, roots (such

as potatoes, sweet potatoes, tapioca, sago etc.) water, milk products, nuts, rock salt, Singhara flour, Kutu flour, Sama Rice (found in the Indian grocery stores) and prescribed medicines can be consumed on fasting days.

Fasting on Ekadasis began in Satyayuga and everyone followed fasting rules then.

[bmbcAdmin]

Dear Gopalan Sir,
Thank you for your detailed explanation,
Kindly make it as a New Post, if you have already posted it, please give me the link to share to others.
Thank you,
Dhanyosmi.