Adhyaya 51

This chapter proclaims the foremost Ekādaśī of the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha to be Nirjalā—the intensified fast in which even water is renounced. When Yudhiṣṭhira inquires, Śrī Kṛṣṇa directs him to Vedavyāsa, who explains that in Kali-yuga the full range of Vedic duties is hard to perform, and thus Ekādaśī stands as an accessible essence of Purāṇic teaching. Bhīma, unable to endure repeated fasts because of overpowering hunger, asks for a single decisive observance that grants complete merit. Vyāsa prescribes Nirjalā Ekādaśī: no food on Ekādaśī (and no water), and on Dvādaśī one should bathe, worship, give dāna, and feed brāhmaṇas. It is declared to bestow the fruit of all Ekādaśīs, remove sin, protect from Yama’s messengers, and lead to Viṣṇu’s abode. The chapter closes by listing gifts to be offered—water-pots, substitutes for a jaladhenu or cow, clothing, sandals, and an umbrella—and notes that this observance became renowned as Pāṇḍava-dvādaśī.