Ekadashi Utsav - Kenton (UK)

On Sunday 21/09/2003, the youths from the Bal Yuvak Mandal presented a wonderful Ekadashi programme at the Shri Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple Kenton. Many youth participated in this event. There were many question raised on Ekadashi. What is Ekadashi, why Ekadashi, how to do Ekadashi and what is the history behind it.

The presenters from the Bal Yuvak Mandal had presented all the information from all sources with significant of religious, medical and scientifically facts. Pujya Madhavpriydasji Swami also explained the ancient story about the Ekadashi.

There was a dangerous demon called Murdanav. God had fought with this demon for years and got tired of this. So God took a rest in the lion caves in the Himalayas. While God was meditating in the lion cave, the beautiful deity originated from the eleven senses of God, and hence God named her Ekadashi and she destroyed the demon.

This story is very symbolic. The Murdanav is Ego and Evilness. The lion means the soul.  The lion cave means the heart of the body. The soul dwells there just like the lion. The rest, God was taking wasn’t ordinary sleep but the highest status of meditation. We can get tremendous divine force in meditation status and that force is Ekadashi, which is able to destroy the demon means evilness.

Swamiji said the story is very symbolic because the fighting was between good and evil, spirituality and materialism. The lecture was presented in English and Gujarati by the youths. The whole Temple was packed with parents and devotees, especially the youths. We could not imaging the youths born in the UK can organise and lecture on this event.

Many Thanks to the Temple committee, the Bal Yuvak Mandal leaders and those who participated, which made this event a success.