Shravana Upavasa (Shravanopasa / fasting) facts, importance & significance
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Just before going to “Shravana Upavasa (Shravanopasa / fasting) facts, importance & significance“, let us have a brief some brief information.
Upavasa (fasting) on the ‘Shravana (nakshatra)’ Ekadashi day – Somebody who doesn’t celebrate the ‘Ekadashi Upavasa Vrata’ (fasting) on the Shravana nakshatra.
That person would accumulate huge amount of the bad Karmas and he / she will become ‘mandha buddhi’ (dull minded). The Shravana Dwadashi will fall on the ‘Bhadrapada’, ‘Magha’ and ‘Phalguna’ masas (months) only.
Having food in others’ house – On the dashami and dwadashi days, one should never ever have food in somebody else’s house and it would also accumulate lots of bad Karmas. Here one may get a question that, during the Shravana Dwadashi period one has to do two days of continuous Upavasa (fasting)?
Dwadashi Vrata is a Vishnu Vrata. That day (Dwadashi day) if someone does the Parana and if completes the Upavasa Vrata, wouldn’t that be considered as the completion of the Vrata?
– Since Lord Sri Vishnu is the Devata for the Dwadashi, similarly for the Shravana nakshatra also Lord Sri Vishnu himself is the Devata.
Thus, if one does the Upavasa (fasting) on the Dwadashi (with Shravana Nakshatra) along with the Ekadashi day (means total of two continuous days), that Dwadashi’s Parana Vrata is not broken –
Remember Parana shouldn’t be done on this Dwadashi day, instead on the Trayodashi day Parana has to be done (please consult a correct Vaishnava Brahmana to know more about this).
Other works on the Upavasa Vrata day – The meaning of “Upavasa” is that one should stay away from the banned things and should always think and only do the works which will make Lord Sri Vishnu happy. No bhoga (luxury, lust etc.) things should not be done on the Upavasa (fasting) day.
Only the things related to Lord Sri Vishnu should be done like reading about the Sanatana Dharma granthas (especially related to Lord Sri Vishnu), listening the pastimes of Lord Sri Hari (Rama, Krishna) etc.
In all these three days one should avoid over eating, applying oil on any part of the body, sleeping during day time, drinking lots of water etc.
On the Great Ekadashi day, one should not have the teertha more then once (remember only teertha can be taken that too only once and that too very very limited), violence, enmity, talking untruth, eating taambula (beetle leaves), sleeping during day time, sambhoga, gambling, are all completely forbidden.
If one does the gargling on the Ekadashi day (Dwadasha / 12 times) it is considered as brushing the teeth on the Ekadashi day –
On the three days (Dashami, Ekadashi and Dwadashi days) one should not eat food too much – that is, on Dashami day one should eat only once, on Ekadashi day complete fasting and also on the Dwadashi day only once food has to be taken.
If someone dies on the Ekadashi day, the Shraddha of that person should be done on the Dwadashi day (please consult a correct Vaishnava Brahmana to know more).
During the Dwadashi day, if one can’t do the Parana sadhana because of the some unexpected reasons, then that person can have some water to complete the Vrata.
(Remember the Ambarisha Maharaja’s story – When Durvasa Muni comes to meet Ambarisha Maharaja unexpectedly, at the time Ambarisha Maharaja consumes little bit of water to complete Vrata).
There are different types of upavasas / fastings as given below:
‘ekabhukta‘ (here eka means one, bhukta means leaving – this means leaving one time’s food)
‘dravaahaara‘ (here drava means liquid and ahaara means food – this means having only liquid foods)
‘phalaahaara‘ (here phala means fruits and ahaara means food – this means having only fruits)
‘vihitaahaara‘ (here vihita means allowed and ahaara means food – this means having only allowed foods)
‘mitaahaara‘ (here mita means limited and ahaara means food – this means having only limited food)
‘niraahaara‘ (here nira means not at all having and ahaara means food – this means having nothing – including water). The other name of ‘niraahaara’ is ‘nirjala’ means doing upavasa even by not consuming a drop of water.
Among the above said upavasas (fasting) doing the ‘niraahaara or ‘nirjala’ upavasa is the best and this will ultimately yield us the best fruits.
(Just for example – If a student studies through out the year in the right way, then that student will get very very good marks or may be 100 out of 100)
(Similarly someone studies only half means, that student will get average marks and also a student who studies nothing or very little means that student get just pass marks or he / she may get failed in the examination also.)
(Remember if we need to be more closer means we need to perform our Dharma’s duties properly, rightly, with full bhakti, with full respect, then only we will get more and more marks, otherwise we will get marks as per our qualification and capacity. Everything is left to us.)
Names of different Ekadashis are as below:
Maasa / Month – Shukla Paksha
Chaitra – Kaamadaa | Vaishakha – Mohini | Jyeshtha – Nirjala | Ashaada – Padmaa (Shayanaikaadashi) | Shravana – Putradaa | Bhadrapada – Jayanti, Parivartini | Aashveeja – Paapaankushaa |
Kartika – Prabhodini | Margashirshaa – Utpannaa, Mokshadaa | Pushya – Putradaa | Maagha – Jayaa | PhalGuNa – Amalikaa | ADhika – Padmini |
Maasa / Month – Krishna Paksha
Chaitra – Paapamochinee | Vaishakha – Varoothini | Jyeshtha – Aparaa | Ashaada – Yogini | Shravana – Kaamikaa | Bhadrapada – Ajaa |
Aashveeja – Indiraa | Kartika – Ramaa | Margashirshaa – Pavitra, Utpatti | Pushya – Saphalaa | Maagha – ShaTtilaa | PhalGuNa – Vijayaa | ADhika – Paramaa, Paapavimochini |
To get more knowledge about Ekadashi, visit this link: What is Ekadashi fasting meaning and importance
Continue reading about Lord Rama and Ramayana from here : Lord Rama and Ramayana information, facts, significance, importance, etc.
Continue reading about Lord Krishna and Mahabharata from here : Lord Krishna and Mahabharata information, facts, significance, importance, etc.
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