Vaishaakham

Vaishaakham
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This year Vaishakha maasam started on April 27th and last day is May 25th. This month is all the more auspicious to worship Vishnu Bhagavan because four of the Dasha Avatars happened in this month- Koorma, Narasimha, Parashurama and Balarama. It is a month for daana (charities), yajna, vratha and punyasnaanam. Annadaanam or giving food to the needy is the most important of all the daanams.

 

There is a story in Padmapurana illustrating the greatness of Vaishakham. There was an Ayurveda physician in the village of Bhadravathi who had five children. Name of the fifth son was Dhrushtabuddhi meaning one who derived pleasure in doing adharmam and hurting people. He was very evil minded. His family members and the villagers put up with him for sometime and when they were fed up with his evil deeds and they sent him to a nearby forest to live there by himself.

 

He lived in the thick forest for a while and because of some good deeds he had done in his previous janma, he happened to meet Kaundinya Maharshi. Maharshi was coming back to his hermitage after taking bath in river Ganga. When maharshi was walking by, a drop of Ganga jalam from his body or clothes fell on Dhrushtabuddhi. This happened in the month of Vaishakhamand because of the auspiciousness of this period, this one drop of Ganga jalam was enough to nullify lot of his paapaas. Because of that, Dhrushtabuddhi realized his mistakes (thid drop of Gangajalam straightened his vakrabuddhi) and asked Kaundinya maharshi about atonement for his past evil deeds. Kaundinya told him to observe the Shuklapaksha ekadshi in the Vaishakha maasam called Mohini ekadashi and said that his sincere prayer after fasting on that Ekadshi  would remove all his paapaas. He said that Mohini Ekadashi vratham could remove paapam as big as Mahameru mountain.

 

Dhrushtabuddhi observed the Mohini Ekadashi vratham with utmost bhakthi and attained Vishnulokam.

 

"Vishnau prasannathaam yaathe kim asaadhyam?" What is not possible with the blessings of Vishnu Bhagavan?

 

Let Vishnu Bhagavan bless us to start Maanasa vratham (surface only good thoughts in the mind), Vaachikavratham (drop only good words from our mouth), and kaayikavratham ( do only good deeds) in this auspicious month and continue through out our life!

 

Sreekrishnaarpanamasthu