In Indian mythology, Vaikunta Ekadasi, the 11th lunar phase in the waxing cycle (Shukla Paksha) in the lunar month of Margashirsha is said to be the day when Vishnu wakes up from his deep slumber, & the doors to Vaikuntha open. Vaikuntha is loosely translated in English as heaven but it is the realm where Vishnu & his consort, Laxmi reside; their home so to say
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I know it sounds something from a sci-fi or a fantasy novel. Let’s ponder the layers of hidden meaning behind this
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In Margashirsha, the full moon occurs in the starspace of Mrigashira in Gemini. The plane of the galaxy passes through the Gemini-Sagittarius axis from our vantage on Earth. Therefore, there’s a big potential for creative transformation around this time. This Ekadasi is also pretty close to winter solstice or Uttarayana, when the Sun changes its course in our sky & begins moving northward. Many traditions celebrate the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere as return of light or birth of Sun. Since winter solstice is based on the relationship between Sun & Earth’s motions, it was probably harder to precisely know the moment of winter solstice. Ekadasi’s or 11th lunar phase of each month is considered auspicious for spiritual practices because the mind is ready to receive & connect with higher energies. The waxing phase of the Moon feels particularly good for growing connections with the divine as opposed to the waning phase. Therefore, one may speculate that in order to celebrate Uttarayana, Vaikuntha Ekadasi was chosen. Fasting on this day is considered equivalent to fasting on all 23 Ekadasi. It is also said that the amrita (elixir of life) emerged from the churning of milky ocean on this day. This day is celebrated on a large public scale with millions of devotees gathering in MahaVishnu temples of southern India, namely, Srirangam Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Tirupati Temple, & Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. In fact, the whole month of Marghazi is celebrated as auspicious in the Tamil culture where in breathing the air as the Sun is rising is considered to be healing as well as spiritually purifying. In this month at the crack of dawn, Tamil women draw geometric designs on their front porch with rice batter, called kolum while Tamil men play nadaswaram (a 3-part instrument) on temple streets – to facilitate their exposure to rays of the rising Sun. Tamil culture also celebrates classical music & dance this month. Biologically speaking, exposure to early morning Sun is optimal for the body to naturally produce Vitamin D – especially in the winter months when access to Sunlight is limited
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Practical things you can do during this time:
- Simply bathe in rising sunlight
- Do pranayama while facing the rising Sun (preferably outdoors)
- Perform Surya Namaskar facing the rising Sun (preferably outdoors)
- Offer water to the Sun
- Chant Shri Rama Rama Rame a-i ti Rame Rame ManoRame,
Sahasra-Naama Tat-Tulyam Raama-Naama Vara-anane
- Chant/Listen to Vishnu Sahasranaamam
Sending you love, light & blessings this Vaikuntha Ekadasi,
~ Malini
