ekaadashi tithi nirNaya

[Anand Hudli]

On Sat, 30 Nov 2002 14:33:37 -0500, Ravi <miinalochanii at YAHOO.COM> wrote:

>4. For vaishhNava-s now comes additional complexity:
>
>a. 4 ghaTika-s before sun rise is called the period of aruNodaya.
>
>b. If the first 0.5 ghaTika of this period has dashami then it is
>called vedha.
>
>c. If the first 1 ghaTika of this period has dashami then it is called
>ativedhaa.
>
>d. If the dashami occupeies the entire period (just giving away  a
>second or two before sunrise) then it is called mahaavedhaa.
>
>e. vaishhNava-s do not accept if the tithi has ativedhaa or mahavedhaa.
>This is based on texts like pancharAtra aagama etc.
>
>f. This is fundamental difference between smArta-s and vaishhNava-s.
>

There is also a set of rules for followers of the bhAgavata
sampradAya among smArtas. It is different from the smArta
method. For example, if the dvAdashI prevails at two consecutive
sunrises, then the ekAdashI fast is actually observed on the
dvAdashI day. This is the case even if the preceding ekAdashI covered
the aruNodaya of the previous day. Another scenario is when the
ekAdashI is a xayatithi, ie. does not occur at sunrise on any day. In
this case too, the dvAdashI day is the day of fasting. The general
rule about skipping the day when aruNodaya is mixed with dashamI
is also followed by bhAgavatas.

Among VaiShNavas, specifically mAdhvas, I have observed that the various
mathas do not always observe the ekAdashI on the same day. Obviously,
the rules may even be matha-specific.

Regarding fasting itself, only ekAdashI's in the bright-half of the
lunar month are fasting days for smArtas who are also gR^ihasthas.
They need not fast at all on ekAdashi's in the dark half except during
the four-month, chAturmAsya, sacred period. During these four months,
smArta householders are eligible to fast on all ekAdashI's. VaiShNavas
and bhAgavatas among smArtas should fast on all ekAdashI's including
those that fall in the dark-halves outside of chAturmAsya.

Perhaps the prevalence of fasting on pradoSha/mAsa-shivaratri, which
occurs on the 14th lunar day of the dark-half, by the more
shaiva-oriented members of the smArtas has been given consideration
in excusing them from fasting on ekAdashI's in the dark-half of a month.

Some works also assert that anyone who follows the ekAdashI vrata as a
kAmya karma, as opposed to the nityakarma, should fast on all ekAdashI
days.

Anand