श्रावण-पुत्रदा एकादशी व्रत कथा (पवित्रारोपणम्)
भविष्यपुराणोक्ता श्रावणशुक्लपक्षस्य पुत्रदा-एकादशी-कथा।
Origin in the Bhavishya Purana
In the Bhavishya Purana and Padma Purana, King Yudhishthira asks Lord Sri Krishna:
"O Supreme Lord Madhusudana! What is the name of the Ekadashi of Shravana Shukla Paksha (July–August)? What is its religious merit and divine history?"
Bhagwan Sri Krishna replied:
"O King! This tithi is celebrated as Shravana Putrada Ekadashi (also known as Pavitropana Ekadashi). It bestows virtuous progeny, dispels past generational sins that obstruct childbirth, and grants celestial elevation. In ancient times, the royal sage Lomasha narrated this history to the subjects of King Mahijit."
For readers who wish to consult the text: in the Uttara-Khanda (the concluding section) of the Padma Purana, as numbered in N. A. Deshpande's English translation, this Ekadashi is told in Chapter 55, where Krishna tells Yudhishthira of King Mahijit and the sage Lomasha. Chapter numbers differ between editions and translations, so treat this as a guide to that translation.
The Sorrow of King Mahijit
In the ancient kingdom of Mahishmatipuri, ruled the noble and charitable King Mahijit. He treated all his citizens as his own children and ruled with absolute justice.
However, the King was childless. As he grew older, deep sorrow overwhelmed him:
"A man who has no child finds no peace in this world, nor in the next. My ancestors grieve, and my royal palace is desolate."
The King gathered his ministers, learned Brahmins, and royal subjects, requesting them to consult great ascetics to find the root cause of his misfortune.
The Hermitage of Sage Lomasha
The citizens traveled deep into the forest and arrived at the hermitage of Maharishi Lomasha, the long-lived sage whose body hair shed one by one only at the conclusion of each Kalpa.
Prostrating with deep devotion, the subjects pleaded:
"O omniscient Rishi! Our righteous King Mahijit is childless despite being completely virtuous. Please tell us what past transgression obstructs his blessing of a child."
Sage Lomasha entered deep transcendental meditation, observed the King's previous birth, and revealed:
"O citizens! In his previous birth, King Mahijit was a poor, wandering merchant. On the scorching hot day of Jyeshtha Dvadashi, wandering parched with thirst, he arrived at a freshwater pond. Just as a thirsty cow and her newborn calf were about to drink from the water, the merchant chased them away out of selfish thirst and drank the water himself.
Because he satisfied his own thirst and performed pious deeds, he became a king in this life. But because he chased away a thirsty mother cow and her calf, he was cursed to be childless (Nissantana)."
The Power of Shravana Putrada Ekadashi
The citizens wept and asked:
"O venerable sage! What vrata can wash away this past demerit?"
Sage Lomasha replied:
"In the bright fortnight of the holy month of Shravana, observe the sacred fast of Shravana Putrada Ekadashi. You, the citizens, ministers, and the royal family must keep this fast together with pure devotion to Lord Narayana. On Dvadashi morning, transfer the collective spiritual fruit (Punya) of your fast to King Mahijit."
The citizens returned to Mahishmatipuri with joy. On Shravana Shukla Ekadashi, the entire kingdom, King Mahijit, and his queen observed the fast with complete scriptural purity, offering night vigils and prayers to Lord Sridhara.
On Dvadashi morning, the citizens dedicated their collective fasting merit to their beloved King.
By the divine power of the fast and Lord Vishnu's grace, the queen conceived and gave birth to a radiant, handsome, and heroic prince! The kingdom celebrated with boundless joy, and King Mahijit ruled happily for many years before attaining Vaikuntha.
Fasting Rules & Festive Vidhi
- 1.Childbirth Blessing & Pavitra Offering: Couples observe the fast and offer a sacred thread garland (Pavitra) to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva during Shravana.
- 2.Worship of Lord Sri Hari / Balagopala: Bathe the deity with milk and honey, offering yellow garments and Tulsi leaves.
- 3.Collective Dedication: Spiritual merit can be dedicated for the welfare of childless family members.
- 4.Dvadashi Parana: Conclude the fast early on Dvadashi morning after feeding cows and offering meals to Brahmins.
The Sankalpa, Fasting Discipline, and the Timing of the Observance
Sage Lomasha's instruction to the citizens of Mahishmatipuri began with the Sankalpa, the dawn vow before Lord Narayana in which the fast is named and the devotee resolves to carry it, and its Parana, through without lapse. Because this fast's merit was meant to be transferred to King Mahijit, each citizen's Sankalpa had to name that intention clearly; without a stated resolve, Krishna tells Yudhishthira, there is no fixed merit to dedicate to another at all.
The fast calls for abstaining from grains from sunrise to sunrise, with milk or fruit permitted for those unable to keep the stricter discipline. Worship of Lord Sridhara or the infant Balagopala is offered in the morning with milk, honey, yellow garments, and Tulsi, and a sacred Pavitra thread is offered to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva during this month of Shravana. The puja is repeated at dusk, when the household keeps a night vigil of prayer, echoing the collective devotion the entire kingdom of Mahishmatipuri once offered together for their King's sake.
Breaking the Fast: Dvadashi Parana
The fast concludes with the Parana on Dvadashi morning, within the window the Panchanga sets for that year, after feeding cows and offering a meal to Brahmins. It was on exactly such a Dvadashi morning that the citizens of Mahishmatipuri dedicated their collective merit to King Mahijit, the same act of generous closing that marks the end of every Ekadashi observance.
Spiritual Teaching
Shravana Putrada Ekadashi's teaching rests on the quiet justice Sage Lomasha uncovers: King Mahijit's childlessness was not an arbitrary misfortune but the precise consequence of once driving away a thirsty cow and her calf to quench his own thirst first. Krishna tells Yudhishthira that the fast does not erase this truth, it answers it, showing that even a debt carried silently across births can be settled, not by the sinner's effort alone, but by an entire community's devotion offered freely on his behalf.
ज्ञातव्य-विशेषः
Observed in Shravana Shukla Paksha; also known as Pavitropana Ekadashi.
Removes past-life sins associated with mistreating cows or denying water to thirsty creatures.
Sage Lomasha guided the entire kingdom of Mahishmatipuri to fast collectively to bless King Mahijit with an heir.
Couples offer sacred thread garlands (Pavitra) to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva during the holy month of Shravana.
Presiding Deity & Parana
Dedicated to Lord Sridhara; the fast is broken on Dvadashi morning after sunrise, taking care to observe Parana strictly after Hari Vasara ends.
Vishnu
हिन्दूधर्मःतः अधिकम्
सम्बद्धशिक्षाः
सैव शिक्षा, विविधपरम्परासु प्रतिध्वनिता