Pavitra Ekadashi Vrat Katha, Story
During the early Dwapara Yuga, King Mahijith ruled over the large Mahishmith kingdom and was adjudged the best ruler. He performed all prescribed vedic rituals for a king, took good care of his people like a father. However, he had no son to succeed him. He summoned all the Brahmins and Ministers to solve this issue.
Their search ended in the hermitage of sage Lomesh, who was so old only one hair fell off his body in a kalpa (4,32,000 years). They prayed to him for a solution to their king’s problem.Sage Lomesh reasoned that their king was a trader (Vysya) in his previous birth. Being poor by birth he earned money through wrongful means. One day he lost his way in a forest and wandered for two days without food. On the second day he sighted a pond but found a cow blocking his passage. He forced it out of his way and quenched his thirst.
Actually the day he was fasting happened to be Jyeshta Ekadashi and the day he drank water was Jyeshta Dwadashi. Because of the Dashmi fast he became king in his next birth. But his expulsion of the cow had deprived him of any children. Sage Lomesh advised that their king should observe fast on Shravan Sukla Paksha Ekadashi, keep awake all night on Ekadashi and breakfast only on Dwadashi. On return his men narrated the story to the king.
King Mahijith prayfully observed Pavitra Ekadashi Vrat by fasting and reciting Lord Vishnu’s poems and verses and was duly blessed with a son. Thereafter this day is also called Putrada Ekadashi. The Vrat is for childless parents and a listener of this story is pardoned for all his sins.