Adhyaya 40

This chapter names the Ekādaśī in Pauṣa’s dark fortnight (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa) as Saphalā and proclaims Ekādaśī superior to sacrifices, pilgrimages, and other vows. It enjoins worship of Nārāyaṇa/Hari with seasonal fruits—coconut, areca, citron, pomegranate, āmalakī, and the like—along with incense and lamps, stressing especially dīpa-dāna and a night vigil (jāgara) with Vaiṣṇavas. A redemption tale follows: Luṃpaka, a sinful prince cast out for vice and sacrilege, becomes a forest thief. On Saphalā, tormented by cold and hunger near a sacred aśvattha linked with Vāsudeva, he inadvertently keeps vigil and offers gathered fruits at the tree’s base, praying to please Hari. Viṣṇu accepts the vigil and fruit-offering as true devotion; a heavenly voice grants him kingship and restored honor. The chapter concludes that hearing, reading, or observing Saphalā yields great merit, likened to the Rājasūya.