Papmochni Ekadashi
Papmochni Ekadashi arrives on Fagan Vad 11. This Ekadashi is known as the destroyer of sins and the giver of wealth. Its greatness is described in detail in the Bhavishya Puran.
In the heavenly realm of Swarg, there is a divine garden named Chaitrarath, where the devtas enjoy peace and beauty. Many Rishis performed penance there to please the Supreme Lord. Once, out of revenge, Kamdev tried to break the meditation of a Rishi named Medhavi. Kamdev sent a beautiful dancer to distract the Rishi.
The dancer succeeded in drawing Medhavi Rishi away from his penance. He became deeply attached to her and spent all his time caring for her, forgetting his spiritual discipline.
One day, the dancer pleaded, “O Rishi, please allow me to return home. My family must be waiting.” Medhavi Rishi agreed but insisted she stay until nightfall. Shocked, she replied, “O Rishi, do you know how many nights I have already spent here?” When the Rishi calculated, he realized **57 years** had passed.
Enraged at being deceived by deception, he cursed the dancer to become a ghost. But realizing she was only used as a tool by Kamdev, Medhavi Rishi softened and said, “O Devi, if you keep the full fast of Papmochni Ekadashi in Fagan month, you will be freed from this curse.”
Medhavi Rishi then approached his father, Chavan Rishi, confessing, “O Father, I have broken my communion with God and drowned in sin. Please show me the way of redemption.”
Chavan Rishi instructed, “My son, the vrat of Papmochni Ekadashi frees one from all sins.”
Both Medhavi Rishi and the dancer observed Papmochni Ekadashi sincerely, and by its divine power, they were both liberated from their sins.