SRI VAIKUNTHA EKADASI (1.1.2015 )
Sri Vaikuntha Ekādaśī is a day dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishṇu . This day falls in the month of Mārgaśira or Margazhi in Tamil ( November-December ) in the Hindu calendar .
Lord Vishṇu is the sustainer of the creation . The word ‘Viṣṇu’ means “vyāpnoti viśvaṃ yaḥ” – the one who pervades the world . He is also the preserver of dharma . The purānas describe how Lord Viṣṇu manifests in the world to preserve dharma , when unrighteousness becomes rampant . In the Bhagavad Gita ( Chapter 4 , Verse 7 ) , the Lord says :
“ O Bhārata (Arjuna) ! Whenever there is a decline in right living and an increase in wrong living (everywhere), I bring Myself into being (assume a physical body) . ”
The ten manifestations , daśāvatāras , of Lord Viṣṇu that the purānas describe are : Matsya (fish) , Kūrma (tortoise) , Varāha (boar) , Narasiṃha (lion-man) , Vāmana (dwarf) , Paraśurāma , Rāma , Kṛṣṇa , Buddha and Kalki ( yet to manifest ) .
Lord Viṣṇu is depicted in a reclining posture asleep on the serpent Ādiśeṣa . In this posture , he represents the creation in unmanifest form . The coiled serpent , Ādiśeṣa , symbolizes the latent power of the creation . When the creation is to become manifest , Brahmā arises from Viṣṇu’s navel and begins the process of creation .
Goddess Lakshmi , the consort of Lord Viṣṇu , represents wealth and prosperity , the sustaining power of the creation . Thus , Lord Viṣṇu is also called Śrīman – the one who holds all wealth and prosperity .
Lord Viṣṇu is invoked in a śāligrāma , which is a stone obtained from the River Gandaki in Nepal . Śāligrāma is also the name of a sacred place of pilgrimage in the Himalayan ranges where the River Gandaki originates . The śāligrāma stone contains marks of the Sudarshana cakra (disc) , a weapon Lord Viṣṇu holds in his hands .
Om Namo Narayanaya !
Sri Vaikuntha Ekādaśī is a day dedicated to the worship of Lord Vishṇu . This day falls in the month of Mārgaśira or Margazhi in Tamil ( November-December ) in the Hindu calendar .
Lord Vishṇu is the sustainer of the creation . The word ‘Viṣṇu’ means “vyāpnoti viśvaṃ yaḥ” – the one who pervades the world . He is also the preserver of dharma . The purānas describe how Lord Viṣṇu manifests in the world to preserve dharma , when unrighteousness becomes rampant . In the Bhagavad Gita ( Chapter 4 , Verse 7 ) , the Lord says :
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati bhārata |
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham ||
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham ||
“ O Bhārata (Arjuna) ! Whenever there is a decline in right living and an increase in wrong living (everywhere), I bring Myself into being (assume a physical body) . ”
The ten manifestations , daśāvatāras , of Lord Viṣṇu that the purānas describe are : Matsya (fish) , Kūrma (tortoise) , Varāha (boar) , Narasiṃha (lion-man) , Vāmana (dwarf) , Paraśurāma , Rāma , Kṛṣṇa , Buddha and Kalki ( yet to manifest ) .
Lord Viṣṇu is depicted in a reclining posture asleep on the serpent Ādiśeṣa . In this posture , he represents the creation in unmanifest form . The coiled serpent , Ādiśeṣa , symbolizes the latent power of the creation . When the creation is to become manifest , Brahmā arises from Viṣṇu’s navel and begins the process of creation .
Goddess Lakshmi , the consort of Lord Viṣṇu , represents wealth and prosperity , the sustaining power of the creation . Thus , Lord Viṣṇu is also called Śrīman – the one who holds all wealth and prosperity .
Lord Viṣṇu is invoked in a śāligrāma , which is a stone obtained from the River Gandaki in Nepal . Śāligrāma is also the name of a sacred place of pilgrimage in the Himalayan ranges where the River Gandaki originates . The śāligrāma stone contains marks of the Sudarshana cakra (disc) , a weapon Lord Viṣṇu holds in his hands .
Om Namo Narayanaya !
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