Yogini Ekadashi Vrat Katha

Yogini Ekadashi falls in the Krishna Paksha of the Ashadha month, just before the four sacred months of Chaturmas begin, and is considered one of the most meritorious Ekadashis - said to grant relief from disease, suffering and separation from loved ones. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

This katha appears in the Skanda Purana, narrated by Lord Krishna to Yudhishthira when he asked about the merit of the Ekadashi falling in Ashadha Krishna Paksha.

In the heavenly city of Alkapuri, ruled by Kuber, the lord of wealth, there lived a gardener named Hemamali. Every single day, Hemamali would go to the sacred Manasarovar lake, gather the finest and most fragrant flowers, and bring them to Kuber's court in time for Kuber's daily worship of Lord Shiva.

Hemamali was married to a beautiful wife named Vishalakshi. One day, absorbed in her company, he lost track of time and arrived late at Kuber's court, without the flowers needed for that day's worship of Shiva.

Kuber, angered that his worship had been disrupted, and sensing that Hemamali had spent the time in pleasure rather than duty, cursed him in fury: "You took such joy in the company of your wife that you forgot your service to Lord Shiva. Therefore be parted from her, descend to the mortal world, and suffer there afflicted with a severe disease of the skin."

Instantly, Hemamali fell from the heavens to the earth, his body wracked with a painful, disfiguring illness, separated from his beloved wife and stripped of his celestial position. He wandered in anguish through forests and villages, shunned by others because of his condition, tormented in body and mind.

One day in his wanderings, Hemamali came upon the ashram of the great sage Markandeya, renowned for his wisdom and long life by the grace of Lord Shiva. Falling at the sage's feet, Hemamali tearfully told his story and begged for a way out of his suffering.

Moved by compassion, sage Markandeya told him of the Yogini Ekadashi, observed in the Krishna Paksha of Ashadha month, and instructed him to keep this fast with complete faith and devotion to Lord Vishnu, assuring him that its power was enough to dissolve even a curse as severe as his.

Hemamali observed the Yogini Ekadashi vrat exactly as instructed - fasting, worshipping Vishnu, and keeping vigil through the night. The moment the vrat was complete, his disease vanished, his celestial body and beauty were restored, and he was reunited with his wife Vishalakshi and reinstated to his position in Kuber's court.

Lord Krishna concluded by telling Yudhishthira that the merit of observing Yogini Ekadashi equals feeding eighty-eight thousand Brahmins, freeing a person from the gravest sins and diseases and granting liberation at the end.

On Dashami, eat a light satvik meal and avoid grains that evening. On Ekadashi, bathe early, wear clean clothes and take a sankalp to observe the fast in honour of Lord Vishnu. Worship Vishnu with tulsi, flowers, incense and a lamp, and read or listen to this katha. Fast on fruits, milk or water according to capacity, avoiding rice, wheat and pulses. Keep a night vigil with bhajans and Vishnu's name if possible. On Dwadashi morning, complete the worship, feed a Brahmin or a person in need, and then break the fast.

This vrat is especially associated with relief from chronic illness and skin ailments, reunion and harmony in relationships, freedom from the effects of past mistakes or neglect of duty, and the peace that comes from surrendering to Vishnu's grace.

This story and vrat belong to devotional tradition and faith, shared to inspire sincerity in one's duties and trust in divine grace - not as a medical claim. Anyone with an actual illness should continue proper medical treatment alongside any fast, and should adjust or avoid fasting on a doctor's advice if pregnant, elderly or unwell.