Adhyaya 23

Vyāsa presents King Kocaraśa and Queen Suprājñā as exemplary Vaiṣṇavas devoted to Ekādaśī. Keeping the discipline of Daśamī, they hold a midnight vigil with song and dance, incense, lamps, tulasī, and congregational praise. The brāhmaṇa Śauri marvels at their rare purity and asks its cause. Suprājñā reveals a former sinful birth as a courtesan, bound to the immoral Nityodaya, and explains how Ekādaśī—through afflicted, even unintended fasting, lamp-lighting, night vigil, and remembrance of the divine Name—burned away their sins. In Yama’s realm, Citragupta confirms Ekādaśī’s power; Yama/Dharmarāja honors and releases them, sending them toward Viṣṇu’s abode. The chapter then teaches the two postmortem paths: a blissful, ornamented way for the virtuous and a vast, torment-laden way for sinners, culminating in a catalog of hells and punishments. It reaffirms Ekādaśī as the supreme vow and ends with the royal couple’s final ascent to Hari.