What is the real purpose of Ekadashi? Our smṛti-grantha, or Vaiṣṇava smṛti book, is called Hari-Bhakti-Vilasa. In this, there are laws or rules stipulating how to properly perform all the vows that have devotion to the Supreme Lord as their goal. Those who are pure devotees like to act in accordance with the injunctions of the devotional literatures, especially Hari-Bhakti-Vilasa. In this literature, the actual purpose of observing Ekadashi is written:

upāvṛttasya pāpebhyo
yas tu vāso gunaiḥ saha
upavāsaḥ sa vijṣeyaḥ
sarva bhoga vivarjitaḥ
(Sri Hari-Bhakti-Vilasa, 13.14)

“Giving up all sins, and with all good qualities, one who remains near Krishna, totally relinquishing all enjoyments, has actually observed the vow of Ekadashi.” Upāvṛttasya pāpebhyaḥ: We are to give up all sinful activity. We are to refrain, to desist from committing all sins. On Ekadashi-tithi this is the very least we should do and, while exhibiting all good qualities, we should remain near the Supreme Lord Who is All-Good, All-Existence, All-Knowledge and All-Bliss. Upavāsa. Upa means near to, in the vicinity of, or in the proximity of. Vāsa means to remain, to remain near God. It is generally thought that upavāsa means to remain without food, to fast. If you remain without food, but you think to yourself, “When shall I eat? My stomach is burning with hunger,” then you are not thinking about Krishna. You are thinking about your stomach. If that should be the case, then you can take food that is allowed by the scriptures, but you should always think about Krishna.

āpo mūlam phalam payaḥ
havir brāhmaṇa kāmyā ca
guror vacanam auṣadham’e
aṣtaitānyavrataghnani
(Sri Hari-Bhakti-Vilasa, 12.40, quoted from the Udyoga-parva of Mahābhārata)

If you take the foods stated in this verse, there will be no breach of your vow. You can take water. Mūlam means potatoes and other roots that grow under the earth. You can boil them and your vow will not be broken. Phalam—all kinds of fruits can be taken. Cow’s milk and milk preparations such as yogurt and ghee (clarified butter) can also be taken. With ghee from cow’s milk, you can prepare a curry from vegetables like potatoes or other roots. Green bananas (plantains) and papaya are also acceptable. There will also be no breach of vow if medicine is taken that doctors have prescribed for a serious, possibly life threatening, health problem. If a bonafide brāhmaṇa would like to take something, then he or she should fulfill their desire in such a way that their vow will not be destroyed. However, one should take note that the actual prescript of the devotional scriptures is that, on Ekadashi, one should always remain near Bhagavan—all day and night. We should not forget Him. There are many prohibitions, many commandments, both positive and negative assertions. There is a list of things that one should not do, a list of negative assertions. Should there be any kind of action that will make you forget Krishna, then that is also prohibited, even if it is not included in the list. There are also commandments, nine forms of devotion, sixty-four forms of devotion—like this. Should there be any other kind of action or devotion that will remind you of Krishna or the service of Krishna, then that is allowed, even though it may not be on the list. What is the criterion to understand what we are to do and what we are not to do?

smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur
visamartavyo na jātucit
sarve vidhi-niṣedāḥ syur
etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ
(Padma Purana, quoted in Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya-lila 22.113)

We have to remember Krishna always. That is the prescript or injunction of the devotional scriptures. We should never forget Him. So, therefore, the purpose of observing this vow of Ekadashi is to remember Krishna always. Wherever your mind is, you are there also. You are here now in this temple but you are thinking about your house and your relatives, who may be there experiencing difficulty of some sort. Or, perhaps, you are thinking that there is some work at home that requires your attention. If you are thinking like this, then where are you actually staying? You are physically staying here at the temple, but mentally you are staying at your house. Is it not so? Wherever your mind rests, wherever your mind remains, you will be there also. If you go to Vrindavana but you do not think about Vrindavana, then where are you staying? Physically you are there, but mentally you are somewhere else. The primary factor is the mind. In all the different devotional forms of worship, the target is to engage the mind in the service of Krishna. If you can control the mind all the senses will be controlled automatically, as they are subservient to the mind. “Sarve mano nigraha lakṣṇāntam.”

Now the difficulty is this: sarva bhoga vivarjitaḥ. On this day, you have to give up all kinds of bhoga, sensuous enjoyment. Totally! If you have the inclination to enjoy, you can only enjoy that which is inferior to you. You will not be able to remain near Bhagavan or the bhakta because They are superior. If you have the spirit of enjoyment, you will remain near material things, the temporary, non-eternal things of this world—things that you can lord it over. If you want to observe Ekadashi, to remain always near Krishna, then you have to give up all kinds of enjoyment totally. You have to remain near Krishna, but there is yet another problem. What is that problem? Who is Krishna? Krishna is not a human being:

harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
(Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.88.5)

Hari (Krishna) is transcendental. He is beyond mind, intelligence and the sense organs of the conditioned souls of this world. You cannot stay near Hari by means of this physical body composed of earth, water, fire, air, ether and the astral body, composed of mind, intellect and perverted ego, which are produced by the aparā potency of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna (the material energy). An example can be given. The owner of a building is residing on the tenth floor and his servant is residing on the ground floor of the building. If the servant stays on the ground floor, will he be able to serve the owner of the building? He must go upstairs to the tenth floor by means of walking or by taking the elevator and he must enter the apartment and then the room where the owner may be lying down. He must then proceed to the bedstead where he can sit and give a massage if necessary. By remaining on the ground floor, he cannot serve. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is in the transcendental realm but you are on the mundane plane, with this physical body. How, then, are we to remain near the Supreme Lord? Tell me. Does the Supreme Lord have a material form?

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ krishnaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa kāraṇam
(Sri Brahma-Samhita, 5.1)

He is the Cause of all causes. He has vigrahaḥ (form) but it is made of sat (eternal existence), cit (knowledge) and ānanda (bliss), not of material things. How, then, can I remain near Krishna with this material body? The devotional, spiritual injunction is that we should remain near God. But God is transcendental, beyond our comprehension, so the problem is, how are we to stay near Him? What is the solution? We find in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita:

dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa
sei-kāle krishna tāre kare ātma-sama
sei deha kare tāra cid-ānanda-maya
aprākṛta-dehe taṅra caraṇa bhajaya
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya-lila, 4.192-193)

(At the time of taking mantra-dīkṣā, the devotee takes absolute shelter of Gurudeva. Sri Krishna makes the devotee cid-ānanda-māyā via the medium of Gurudeva and, in that transcendental form, the devotee can worship Sri Krishna.)

What is the significance of this? Dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa: Dīkṣā means mantra-dīkṣā and harināma-dīkṣā. There are two kinds of dīkṣā and, when we take dīkṣā, we surrender to the lotus feet of Gurudeva and to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. However, we are not seeing the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is here in His Deity form, but He is not talking with us. We cannot exchange thoughts with Him even though He is here in His Deity form. Very rarely, among many, many human beings, we may find a devotee of Krishna to whom the Deity is speaking, but generally we experience no exchange of thoughts. On the other hand, although we know that the material body and the things related to it are temporary, we exchange thoughts with them and, as a result, we become attached. We have attachment for non-eternal, physical relations but we have no attachment for Krishna. What can be done? What is the procedure? You will find in the dialogue between Kapila Bhagavan and Mata Devahuti in the Third Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam:

prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pāśam
ātmanaḥ kavayo viduḥ
sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto
mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam
(Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.25.20)

You are seeing the sādhu. The sādhu is moving and talking. The real or bonafide sādhu has one-pointed devotion to Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. He is giving everything—mind, intelligence, speech and senses—everything, for the service of Krishna. He is serving Krishna twenty-four hours a day. Such a śuddha bhakta is rarely to be found. You should go to a śuddha bhakta, but who is a śuddha bhakta? Kapila Bhagavan says that a śuddha bhakta must have this original quality of one-pointed devotion to the Supreme Lord; otherwise he cannot be accepted as a śuddha bhakta.

One should find a śuddha bhakta such as our Gurudeva, Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Goswami Maharaja. By speaking with him and seeing his outward appearance, everyone was attracted. Some even thought that he was the son of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, due to their striking physical similarity. Of course, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur had no son, as he was an ascetic. For those who have not personally seen our Paramgurudeva, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, it should be noted that he would think and speak about Krishna twenty-four hours a day. Many paṇḍits, erudite scholars, would come to debate with him, thinking to challenge his contentions and refute what he was preaching, but, when they actually saw him, they would become speechless and bow down before him. So much power! They were astounded at the sight of him because his knowledge was not merely that of books, but of realization sent by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is a completely different thing.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur was in the habit of sending our Gurudeva in advance to functions, as Srila Gurudeva was always very successful in his endeavors wherever he went. One such occasion was when our Paramgurudeva visited Sarabhoga, Assam for the first time. There was a great reception for Srila Prabhupada when he arrived. While in Sarabhoga, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur traveled in a bullock cart while others walked to different places in the area. At that time, one of my senior godbrothers, Srila Ashram Maharaj, was a young brāhmaṇa boy acting as family guru there in Assam. While following Paramgurudeva’s cart one day, the brāhmaṇa boy, who was perhaps one or two years older than myself, asked Paramgurudeva what his name was and where he had come from. The resulting conversation destroyed his connection with family life. So, therefore, conversing with a sādhu is very dangerous! By seeing, hearing and engaging in a dialogue with Srila Prabhupada, the brāhmaṇa boy became very much attracted. His family had placed many restrictions upon him, such as you should not go outside, you should take mantra here, etc., but instead he renounced everything and came to our Maṭh. The śuddha bhakta is so attractive! Upon first sight, Srila Ashram Maharaj was attracted. This boy had no prior knowledge of scripture but, because the śuddha bhakta is gracious to all, being the grace incarnate of the Supreme Lord, he was attracted by only a brief encounter.

The grace of the śuddha bhakta extends to all living beings, not just to human beings, because they are one with Krishna. They are equal to all and they show affection to everyone, and it is this affection that attracts people. Paramgurudeva was ordered by Srila Gaura Kishor Dasa Babaji and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to preach the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Panchatattva appeared to him, telling him, “Do not be afraid. We are giving you this order.” Within a very short time, he stirred the whole world. So many disciples came—our Gurudeva, Puri Goswami Maharaj, Bon Maharaj, Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaj and Sridhara Maharaj—all stalwart figures! In this way, he expanded himself. So, if you take shelter of the lotus feet of Gurudeva, who is the absolute counterpart of Sri Bhagavan, Krishna will accept you through that medium and make your body transcendental.

Dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa: Dīkṣā does not merely mean hearing the mantra. It means submitting totally to the lotus feet of a bonafide guru. Krishna gives His grace through the guru, who is grace incarnate. If you wish to see the sun, you cannot do so by ignoring the light from the rays of the sun. First the light will come and, through the medium of that light, you will see the sun. The sun is self-effulgent, self-luminous. And, in the night, if you want to see the sun, you will not be able to see it. Even if you connect together all the electric lights of the world, you will not be able see the sun at night. You might see the light of those electric lights and mistakenly think that this is the sun, but it is not. You have to wait for the sun to rise. When the sun rises, you have to accept the grace of the sun, you have to take the sun. You should not keep your eyes closed—you have to open them. You have to open the doors and windows. You have to accept. Then, through that medium, you will see the sun. There is no other way. Self-effulgent God is the Cause of all causes. He has no cause, so He is Self-Evident Truth, Self-Luminous. By His grace, you can get Him. That grace-incarnate form is Guru. If you are very fortunate, you can come in contact with the sādhu, the bonafide Guru. God graces us all through the medium of the devotee. Dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa, sei-kāle krishna tāre kare ātma-sama: at the time when we sincerely submit to the bonafide Guru, who is the grace incarnate of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, through that medium, Sri Krishna will take us, He will embrace us, and make our body transcendental—fit for sitting near Him. Sei deha kare tāra cid-ānanda-maya, aprākṛta-dehe taṅra caraṇa bhajaya: that transcendental spiritual form can worship Krishna. With this body, you cannot enter the transcendental realm of Vrindavana. Vrindavana is not a material part of India. It has descended. Gods descends, His realm descends and His associates also descend. Even Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Maṭh is not a part of Kolkat or Chandigarh. Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Maṭh has descended there. Where can you perform worship of Sri Sri RadhaKrishna? Only in the transcendental realm, in Vrindavana-dhama. RadhaKrishna always remain in Vrindavana-dhama. By the grace of a true devotee, one may receive the service of RadhaKrishna. An ordinary person cannot perform this service. So, Vrindavana is not a part of this world, it is not a part of India, it is not a part of Uttar Pradesh. Vrindavana, the transcendental spiritual realm, has descended there. We must submit to Krishna to understand.

In the Tenth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Brahma, the creator of the material universe, stole the cowherd friends and calves from Sri Krishna, thinking Krishna to be an ordinary boy. Lord Brahma was bewildered by this form of Krishna as a simple cowherd boy, thinking that, if Krishna were Bhagavan, He would exhibit great opulence and majesty. Now the point is this: if Brahma could not understand Krishna, then how can we understand Him? It is very difficult. For this reason, when we take absolute shelter of Gurudeva, the grace incarnate of Sri Krishna, Krishna will grace us and we will become competent to receive a form comprised of saccidānanda. In that form, we can remain near Krishna and observe Ekadashi correctly.