With a view to teach the devotees, Shree Hari performs all the rituals of Ekadashi.
Suvrat said:-
Having heard the importance of the performance of Ekadashi vow sung by Shri Hari, all the people were very much satisfied. 1.
People, conceiving at heart Shri Hari, the son of Dharma (Deva), to be the very form of Shri krishna took the same vow immediately in front of Him. 2.
After that, being saluted by the flocks of people, Swami requested the devotees to return to their own abodes having received their greetings in return proceeded towards His own abodes. 3.
O king, Shri Hari himself after taking bath and offering the daily worship to Lord Krishna, decided to observe the vow of Ekadashi as directed by Himself previously. 4.
He managed to collect all the necessary material for mega food-oblation and arranged to decorate the Pandal of worship with the pillars of plantain trunks. 5.
Having kept ready all the material for worship He took a nap lying down on the floor for some time. In the meanwhile third phase of night passed. 6.
After taking a short nap, he just got up and meditated on His own self in his heart; and then went to the river with his disciples to take bath. 7.
After purifying his own body, He washed his mouth with twelve mouthfuls of water. He took bath in the river: Unmatta Ganga, offered propitiations; and filled the pot with clean water, for the worship of Shri Vishnu and returned to his abode with wet clothes. 8-9.
Though He Himself the master of having many disciples, as if showing the dutiful servitude, He carried the water to His hermitage. 10.
He brought flowers and Tulsi leaves from garden, washed his hand and feet; and put on fresh white garments. 11.
After that, He sat on the seat made of kusha grass, applied five vertical lines of sacred Gopichandan sandal-paste, on his forehead and; started his daily morning Sandhya prayer. 12.
Having finished his daily Homa-ritual, He invited the Brahmins, well versed in Vedas and experts of Puja-rituals and started the worship of the Lord Krishna. 13.
Those Brahmins directed Him to perform the worship, as laid down in the scriptures. First of all, they drew the auspicious Sarvatobhadra-mandala,a special design. 14.
The Brahmins well versed in performing colours the rituals, installed golden bright pot on it (the multicoloured Sarvatobhadra Mandala), decorated with a variety of colours. 15.
On the spot, where the auspious vessel set with five leaves, covered with fine cloth and decorated by fine under-carpet, was placed, they sketched a beautiful lotus with twelve petals and decorated by various colours, outside and twelve leaves inner side. 16-17.
They installed with great respect, a golden idol of Lakshmi and Yogeshwara, in the centre of the lotus. 18.
The priests, being very attentive, installed other minor ancillary deities and attendant-deities in proper direction, as directed in the scriptures. 19.
Keshava and others, along with their proesses were installe, in serial order, from east; and minor deities were installed on the inner and outer petals of the lotus. 20.
On the first petal, Keshava was installed with Shri, then Narayan in his front, on rightward mode, along with Padma. With the same order onwards, Madhava with Nitya, Govind with Chandra, Vishnu with Rama, Madhusudana with Madhavi, Trivikrama with Padmakshi, Vamana with Kamala, Shridhara with Kantimati, then, Hrushikesh with Aparajita, Padmanabha with Padmavati and Damodhara with Radha. These twelve deities alone are installed on the outer petals of the lotus. 21-24.
These are the twelve dirties, presiding over all Ekadashis of white fortnights of Margarshish and other months, in serial order. 25.
Then, on twelve internal petals of the lotus, the twelve presiding deities of twelve Ekadasis of the twelve dark fortnights of Margashirsha and other months, are installed, along with their consorts. 26.
On the first petal, Sankarshana is installed, along with Sunanda, by the Brahmins; Vasudev with Harini, Pradyumana with Dheedevi, Anirudha with Sushila, Purushottama with Nandadevi, Adhokshaja with Trayidevi, Narasimah with Kshemankari, Achyuta with Vijaya, Janardana with Sundari, Upendra with Subhaga, Hari with Hiranya, Krishan with Sulakshnadevi. Thus, twelve deities have been installed. 27-30.
Having installed Nanda and other attendants, in eight directions the Brahmin prists arranged worship of the deities, with Vedic and Tantric mantras. 31.
In the beginning, Swami Narayan installed in His heart, Lord Yogeshwara (Krishna), with goddess Lakshmi, with a lotus in her hand, seated on left side. 32.
He was as dark as the cloud and having four hands, seated in the Lotus- posture: Padmasana, on white lotus, with eyes half closed, staring at the nose-tip, shining with kausthubha jewel and various other ornaments, having face, glowing with crown on the head, seated with both the front right and the left palms put on the lap, facing upwards. He has held lotus and the mega-club on rear sides of those two hands. In His two upper hands Panchajanya conch and Sudarshana chakra are held. Shri Hari then concentrated His mind on Vasudeva, in above described position. 33-36.
Nilkantha worshipped the most favourite god with all the sixteen service courses of worship: invocation etc., with exclusive attitude. 37.
He started with initial worship, having given bath with the penta-nectar blend (Panchamrut). He performed the mega-ablution procedure (Maha-abhisheka), then he applied the fragrant sandalpaste, saffron-paste, white unbroken rice and variety of fragrant flowers. 38-39.
Having offered deca-item incense (Dashanga Dhupa) and having lighted a lamp He offered food-oblation i.e. Naivaidya prepared by expert cooks. 40.
He offered variety of Laddoos prepared of wheat, rice, milk, ghee, sugar and Jaggery, e.g. Modaka Gudaka mixtures of flour, ghee and purified butter; curd-rice, fried bread, sweet ball, sweet mini preparations, crushed sesame with sugar, banana with ghee, powdered green gram and rice with jaggary. 41-43.
After offering him a variety of food, pure water, He gave betel leaf and other fruits. 44.
After that, he waved the lamp around, along with burning camphor, as mega-lustration; and with the music of bells and other instruments, there arose a loud noise accompanied by the words, “ Be victorious be victorious”.45.
On that occasion, groups of gods blew their drums and showered flowers; and Gandharvas and Kinnaras started singing joyfully. 46.
After having performed lustration, with a lamp, Lord Shri Hari offered a handful of flowers bowed down to God Vishnu and by prayer, He finished the worship. 47.
Then he worshipped Dharmadeo, along with retinue, seated on the eight petaled lotus, designed from rice. 48.
Then, He gave ten types of gifts to Brahmins, as a part of his vow, finished his midday duties and appeared in the assembly before the public. 49.
O! king He propagated the religion, initiated the religious rites on this earth, Himself put it in action, as directed in the scriptures and pleased His devotees, settled in religion. 50.
Thus ends the thirty sixth chapter entitled, ‘Narration of description of EkadashiVata ritual prescribed by Narayan muni,’ in the third prakaran of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra, (the rules of the code of conduct). 36