Sometimes devotees give me opportunity to have their Darshan, listen to Harikatha and speak something about the glories of Supreme Lord. Harivasar Tithi has a special significance. If you visit Kolkata Math and find the sankirtan-hall full with devotees and if it is not Janmastami or Radhastami Tithi or any other special Tithi then you do not have to refer to Panchanga (Indian calendar) to know which Tithi it is. That day must be Ekadashi Tithi. Devotees come from a very long way so it takes time to come to the Math.

If one performs Bhajan on the day of Ekadashi even being at home, he will get hundred times more benefits than any other day. And if this Tithi is observed at any Dham (Vrindavan, Mayapur, Mathura etc.) or at the place where a pure devotee has manifested his worshipable object then one will obtain crores and crores times more benefits. Our Param Gurudev, Nityalila Pravista Om Vishnupad Srimad Bhakti Siddhant Sarawati Goswami Thakur, the founder Acharya of worldwide Sri Chaitanya Math and Gaudiya Maths, while physically staying in Bagha Bazaar Gaudiya Math, Kolkata used to say, “I do not stay in Kalikata (earlier name of Kolkata the meaning of which is ‘place of Kali’).” Externally he was staying in Kolkata only, but he said he does not stay in Kolkata. Was he lying? Can such a great saint lie? No he cannot. He said so because his worshipable Lord Sri Sri Guru Gauranga RadhaKrishna is present there and wherever RadhaKrishna is present, His Dham and associates are also present there. Dham descends to this world. When someone visits the Dham with some false ego then externally it may seem that he is in the Dham but he would not experience the bliss of being in the Dham. The Dham is a transcendental spiritual entity, beyond the comprehension of material subtle and gross sense organs of the conditioned souls.

Wherever Supreme Lord and His devotees reside that place is called a Dham.

mad-bhaktā yatra gāyanti
tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada.
(Padma Puran)

“O Narada, wherever My devotees sing My glories, I stay there. “ So this is also a Dham.

By having Darshan of Iswar Puri Pad, Mahaprabhu said, “My visit to Tirtha has become successful as I have got your Darshan.” One gets the real benefit of visiting the Dham by having Darshan of pure devotees.

So, those devotees who are staying far from the Math they think, “It is very difficult for us to go to the Math daily so we will go to Math on Ekadashi Tithi, once in fifteen days we will go to Gurudev (Guru-grih) or the holy abode of the Lord (Math) and will earn the benefit of going there everyday for fifteen days.” It is said in economics, 'less time, less energy and more profit.' So they earn the benefit of fifteen days on this one day only.

Yudhisthir Maharaj asked Sri Krishna the name and the specific merits of the Ekadashi which comes in the dark fortnight of the month of Vaishakh (Indian Calendar month), in response to which Sri Krishna says, “The name of this Ekadashi is Varuthini Ekadashi. Observance of this Ekadashi awards good fortune in this world, and in the higher planets, even to them who are unfortunate, this removes all their sins. By observing this Ekadashi properly, King Mandhata went to heaven (Svarga-loka). Also kings such as Maharaj Dhundhumara and many other kings too got liberation by observing this Ekadashi Vrata. Whatever merits one obtains by observing austerities for ten thousand years is achieved by observing Varuthini Ekadashi. The merit one obtains by donating a great amount of gold during a solar eclipse at Kurukshetra is gained by observing this Ekadashi. There is gradation in the benefits obtained by different donations. Better than giving horses in charity is giving elephants, and better than giving elephants is giving land. But better still than giving land is the giving sesame seeds and better than that is giving of gold, still better than giving gold is giving food grains as all the forefathers, demigods and human beings become satisfied by eating grains. Thus there is no better donation than this in the past, present and future.”

“Equivalent of donating food grains is giving away a young maiden in marriage (Kanya-dan) to a worthy person. Also giving cows in charity is equal to giving food grains in charity. Those who donate a girl in exchange for money, they have to remain in hell until the time of Mahapralaya (total cosmic annihilation). Such persons will be reborn as cats. And there are 31 types of other things mentioned which are prohibited.”

But we are the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we do not observe Ekadashi-vrat a for some material benefits. We should listen to this carefully.

To donate something out of some material ego is considering one as an owner of the thing. When one understands that he is owner of something and he is donating that thing, is totally a misconception. It is written in Srimad Bhagavatam,

yogās trayo mayā proktā
nṝṇāṁ śreyo-vidhitsayā
jñānaṁ karma ca bhaktiś ca
nopāyo ’nyo ’sti kutracit
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20.6)

The Supreme Lord says, “I have instructed about three types Yogas—Karma-yoga, Gyan-yoga and Bhakti-yoga. Other than these three there is no other means of elevation.”

Who can follow Gyan-yoga? Who is eligible for that? Who is eligible for Karma-yoga?