Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11
Ekādaśī Vrata-Vidhi and the Galava–Bhadrashīla Itihāsa
Dharmakīrti before Yama
एकादशी महापुण्या विष्णोः प्रियतमा तिथिः । संसेव्या सर्वथा विप्रैः संसारच्छेदलिप्सुभिः ॥ ११ ॥
ekādaśī mahāpuṇyā viṣṇoḥ priyatamā tithiḥ | saṃsevyā sarvathā vipraiḥ saṃsāracchedalipsubhiḥ || 11 ||
Ekādaśī ist höchst verdienstvoll, die Viṣṇu liebste Tithi. Sie soll jederzeit von Brāhmaṇas und von allen, die die Fesseln des Saṃsāra durchtrennen wollen, verehrt und eingehalten werden.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: Ekādaśī-vrata
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It declares Ekādaśī as Viṣṇu’s most beloved tithi and presents its observance as a direct aid for severing saṃsāra—worldly bondage—thereby linking ritual discipline with liberation-oriented dharma.
By calling Ekādaśī “to be served/observed” (saṃsevyā) as dear to Viṣṇu, the verse frames devotion as loving alignment with what pleases the Lord—regular vow-observance becomes an act of bhakti that purifies and redirects life toward Viṣṇu.
It relies on calendrical discipline centered on the tithi system (lunar day reckoning), a practical ritual application closely connected with Jyotiṣa (Vedic astronomy/astrology) for correctly identifying Ekādaśī for vrata practice.