Once, Lord Vishnu came to Yamaraja's palace. Yamaraja very humbly offered his prayers at Lord Vishnu’s lotus feet and they then began a conversation. Suddenly, the Lord heard some distressing sounds coming from the direction of the southern gate. It was living beings shouting and crying. So much pain was in their voices! They were wailing, "O Lord! Save us, help us!"
Lord Vishnu knows everything. Nevertheless, He asked Yamaraja, "What is going on here?" Yamarajaji, who is the lord of death, very humbly replied, "O Vishnu, You are Bhagavan and know everything, but for the sake of loka-shiksha (teaching people), You are asking me about this. Those jivas (living entities) who have not done bhajana and sadhana (activities performed with the consciousness of being a servant of Sri Krishna) and who have sinned so much, after their death, they fall into the hands of my companions, the Yamadutas and they then deliver them here."
There are so many sinners and sinful acts, papa karma, in this material world. The Puranas say that these sinful activities are divided into five kinds. Read my book Bhakti, Bhakta, and Bhagavan. It has this description there of how the Yamadutas punish those who sin.
So, those sinners outside the walls were crying in hell. Do you know how many places of naraka (hell) there are? Eighty four kinds. There is a separate hell for alcoholics and drug addicts. The Yamadutas pour boiling oil down the throats of sinners there. There is also another kind of hell for those who have illicit sex. There, people embrace a statue of a man made of red-hot iron. You can hardly imagine it now, but if you go there you can realise everything. So be careful not to commit sins.
Some may also think, "If the dead are cremated, how is it possible for them to go to hell?" That's what atheists think. The material body, which is made up of five elements, will indeed be burned after death. But our scriptures confirm that the subtle body, chetana-mayi-sharira, will not die. It will experience the greatest pain. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Shukadeva Gosvamipada told Pariksit Maharaja about the planets of hell (In the fifth Canto, before the narration of Ajamila).
So the sinners were suffering in the eighty four places of naraka and were desperately calling on the Lord for help. When Sri Vishnu heard this katha (explanation) from the lips of Yamaraja, His heart melted and was filled with compassion. He thought, "All living beings are My sons and daughters. How can I save them?"
If your child is suffering, what will you do? Will you want to help him or not? Similarly, Lord Vishnu, upon hearing the cries of sinners, was filled with compassion for them and said: "I give you special mercy." After receiving Vishnu's darshana (auspicious sight), all the great sinners were released from hell. The Lord addressed them, "Never commit any more sins. Go back to Prithiviloka (the Earth) and perform bhajana and sadhana there. Each and every one of you should observe Ekadashi tithi. I myself will personally manifest in this form and promise that if you observe the day of Ekadashi correctly, you will never again be born in this material world and will go to My abode Vishnuloka after death."
This is how Lord Vishnu glorifies the day of Ekadashi. If your health allows you, you should observe nirjala on this day, i.e. not eating or drinking water. Just repeat the holy names and, if possible, stay awake at night. But if your health is poor, no problem. You can take fruit, milk and yoghurt. Just do not consume pulses and grains, because during Ekadashi all kinds of sins are included in them. Listen to the hari-katha (narrations of the Lord's glories) and chant the holy names.
Date: 19 July 2017 Location: Brazil
Transcriber: Ramana-bihari dasa (Russia) Editor: Sanatana dasa (USA) Integrity check: Divya-premamayi dasi (Slovakia)
Proofreading: Chandrika dasi (UK)
Image: Navina-krishna dasa (Holland)
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