Saphal Ekadashi Fast

Legend

There once lived a king who had 4 sons. The eldest son of the king was very sinful. He gambled and used the services of prostitutes. When the sinner had almost squandered everything he had, he began to insult wise men and sacred people. Seeing all this, the king decided that his son had lost his mind and banished him from his kingdom, forbidding any of his relatives from helping him.The outcast son went to live in the forest, during the day he ate raw meat, and at night he stole in his father’s kingdom. One night it was very cold in the forest, the sinner could not sleep and practically froze to death. He only recovered by noon the next day, but since he was weakened by the cold he could not catch any animals and eat. He could only collect some fruits that had fallen to the ground, but he could not eat them and put them next to him under the tree, under which he lay the previous night.The following night the eldest son could not sleep either. This happened during the great Saphal Ekadashi fast. Thus, he unintentionally observed the whole fast. The gods liked this, so the next morning, when the Ekadashi day ended, they sent him a divine horse and said that he was now free from his past sins and ordered him to go to his father’s kingdom and take over the rule.So he did, the father, seeing how his son had changed, was very happy and made the returned son king. Since then, the behavior of the former sinner changed, and he ruled justly and successfully for many years and subsequently passed the kingdom to his son.

Benefits

From a spiritual point of view, those who observe the Saphal Ekadashi fast achieve recognition in this life.From a physiological point of view, the benefit of conducting the Saphal Ekadashi day is as follows: a vacuum is formed in the digestive tract under the influence of hunger, counteracting the lunar attraction, and when exiting the fast on the following day, there is a powerful removal of toxins from the body.

Correct Observation- Do not sleep all night;

• Offer fresh fruits to Lord Narayana;
• Meditate on this Lord.

List of prohibited foods

• Legumes;
• Meat;
• Fish;
• Eggplants;
• Cabbage;
• Eggs;
• Spinach;
• Garlic;
• Tomatoes and tomato sauces;
• Onions;
• Mushrooms;
• Asafoetida;
• Sea salt;
• Vegetable oil (except olive oil);
• Honey.Fried and fatty foods cannot be eaten immediately after the end of the fast.

List of Allowed Foods- Fruits;

• Dried fruits;
• Vegetables and root vegetables (except beets);
• Dairy products;
• Nuts (except betel);
• Water.Taking homeopathic medicines is not considered a violation of the fast.

Contraindications

Entry and Exit Dates and Times for Different Cities