Shloka 17
Yama’s Journey to Brahmaloka
Ekadashi–Dvadashi Mahatmya in the Rukmangada Cycle
ब्राह्मणो नैव हंतव्य इत्येषा वैदिकी स्मृतिः । एकादश्यां न भोक्तव्यं पक्षयोरुभयोरपि ॥ १७ ॥
brāhmaṇo naiva haṃtavya ityeṣā vaidikī smṛtiḥ | ekādaśyāṃ na bhoktavyaṃ pakṣayorubhayorapi || 17 ||
“A brāhmaṇa is never to be slain”—this is the Vedic injunction preserved in smṛti. Likewise, on Ekādaśī one should not eat, in either fortnight, waxing or waning.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in dialogue)
Vrata: Ekādaśī-vrata
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It links two core dharma principles: protecting a brāhmaṇa (as a Vedic ethical injunction) and observing Ekādaśī fasting, emphasizing restraint and sanctity as foundations for religious merit.
Ekādaśī discipline is presented as a concrete vow (vrata) that supports purity and steadiness of mind—key supports for sustained Vishnu-bhakti, even though Vishnu is not explicitly named in this line.
It reflects calendrical/ritual practice tied to the lunar tithi system—Ekādaśī occurring in both pakṣas—an applied aspect of jyotiṣa-style time-reckoning used for vrata observance.