Chaitanya Mahāprabhu, Himself, has taught us what we are to do on Ekādaśī. We are familiar with Nārada Muni in Kṛṣṇa-līlā. In Chaitanya-līlā, Nārada appeared as Śrīvāsa, in Māyāpura-dhāma, to fulfill the pastimes of Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. In Śrīvāsāṅgana, the home of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍit, Chaitanya Mahāprabhu used to perform saṅkīrtana along with His personal associates, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaitācārya Prabhu, etc., throughout the whole night for an entire year, taking no sleep. If we remain sleepless for even one night, then we will have to go to the hospital for a week!

Now, what does Chaitanya Mahāprabhu teach that we should do on Ekādaśī?

harivāsare, hari-kīrtana vidhāna
nṛtya ārambhila prabhu jagatera prāṇa
(Chaitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā 8.138)

Śrī Vṛndāvana dāsa Thākura here describes the scene of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu dancing and chanting at the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍit on Ekādaśī. The devotional prescripts are that you have to perform kīrtana. Kīrtana-vidhāna. You are to utter the Holy Name. That Name and the Named are identical. You cannot remain in the vicinity of the Deities when the Deities are asleep and the doors are closed. But you can utter the Name any time of day or night. Chaitanya Mahāprabhu has said that He has imbued the Holy Name with a special power in this Kali-yuga:

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśi tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
(Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka 2)

We are unfortunate that we have no desire to utter the Holy Name. The Name and the Named are the same. So, you have to perform harināma always: hari-vāsara hari-kīrtana. To observe the vow of Ekādaśī correctly, you have to abide by the rules and regulations for eating, etc. That you should do. But the main thing is that you have to remain near Kṛṣṇa. You have to utter His Name. Because the Name and the Named are the same, when you utter “Kṛṣṇa,” you will be near Him. Kṛṣṇa and the Name “Kṛṣṇa” are identical:

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś
Chaitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ
(Śrī Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu, Pūrva-vibhagaga 2.233, quoted from Padma Purāṇa)

We are uttering all these evidences, so we should have belief! Nṛtya ārambhila prabhu jagatera prāṇa: Chaitanya Mahāprabhu started dancing. Who is Chaitanya Mahāprabhu? He is the life of all the living beings of the world. He is the most beloved. You will find the following verse in the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, wherein Prahlāda is speaking to the demon boys:

na hy acyutaṁ prīnayato
bahv-āyāso ‘surātmajāḥ
ātmatvāt sarva-bhūtanāṁ
siddhatvād iha sarvataḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.6.19)

Prahlāda Mahārāja says, “It is not very difficult to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, because He is the most beloved object of all the jīvās.” You will find in this world that the mother is the most beloved of the child. But you will also see that there is some self-interest involved. In this world, without there being something that satisfies one’s self-interest, you will not find any love. Nonetheless, we see that there is such a thing as affection between mother and child. Now, let us suppose a child is given a biscuit and, as he is eating it, the biscuit falls onto the ground. The biscuit, wet with the saliva of the child, will become covered with dust and other things on the ground. Then the child might give the biscuit to his mother, saying, “Here, eat this.” The mother would not ordinarily eat such a thing but, to satisfy her child, she puts the biscuit to her mouth. So it is not very difficult to please Kṛṣṇa because He is the most beloved. You can chant, “Oh, Hari! Oh, Kṛṣṇa! Where are You? Please forgive me. Please bless me.” If you can utter this from the core of your heart, then He will be pleased. You have nothing to give Him. He does not want anything: He has infinite wealth. You can attract Him only by your devotion. With sincere devotion, you can utter His Name. This is true under all circumstances.

punyavanta srivasangne shubhārambha
(Chaitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā 8.139)

Śrīvāsāṅgana became the most sacred and holy of places by dint of Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu’s powerful saṅkīrtana. The most auspicious commencement had begun. What was that?

uthila kirtana dhvani gopāla govinda
(Chaitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā 8.139)

hari o’ rāma rāma
hari o’ rāma rāma
(Chaitanya Bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā 23.92)

The utterance of the Name of Gopāla, Govinda—loud shouting of the Holy Name of Govinda—had started. That sweet sound, that transcendental sound, you will not find in this material world. You have notes, tones, etc., in this world. But that transcendental sweet sound of the utterance of the Holy Name—Gopāla! Govinda! Hari Rāma! Rāma! Hari Rāma! Rāma!—will rescue us. You should do harināma. It is very easy. If you do harināma, you will be near Kṛṣṇa.

You will get more benefit on Ekādaśī if you perform your worship at a temple—a place where the devotees are assembled to worship the Supreme Lord. This is also called “dhāma”. If you perform worship in the transcendental realm—in Mathurā-dhāma, Vraja-maṇḍala, Navadvīpa-dhāma or Puruṣottama-dhāma—you will get more benefit. Wherever devotees assemble and sing the glories of the Supreme Lord is also dhāma:

mad-bhaktā yatra gāyanti
tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada
(Padma Purāṇa)

Kṛṣṇa was telling Nārada, “Where do I stay? Wherever my devotees sing the glories of My Name, Form, Attributes, Pastimes and Personal Associates is the place that I stay.” So if you observe this practice in the company of bonafide śuddha bhaktas—sādhus—it will have special efficacy.