Adhyaya 52

Yudhiṣṭhira asks Śrī Kṛṣṇa which Ekādaśī occurs in the dark fortnight of Āṣāḍha. Kṛṣṇa proclaims it to be Yoginī Ekādaśī, a supreme vow that destroys great sins and bestows fruits leading to liberation. Its power is shown through a Purāṇic tale. Hemamālī, a flower-bearing attendant connected with Kubera’s worship of Śiva, neglects his duty out of attachment to his wife. Enraged that the appointed time is missed, Kubera curses him with eighteen kinds of leprosy, separation, and banishment. Though afflicted, Hemamālī retains memory by the residual merit of Śiva-worship, reaches the Himālaya, and approaches the sage Mārkaṇḍeya. After a truthful confession he is instructed to observe the Yoginī-vrata; when performed properly, his leprosy is removed. The chapter concludes that its merit equals feeding 88,000 brāhmaṇas, and that hearing or reading this account frees one from sins.