Sri Vaikuntha Ekadashi commemorates the attainment of Vaikuntha, the spiritual kingdom of Lord Vishnu, by His great devotee, Sri Nammalwar. It is observed with great fervour in India, particularly in temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Here are five things recommended for you to follow on this auspicious day and seek the blessings of the Lord.

1. Seek God’s Blessings – Visit a Temple of Lord Vishnu

Visit a temple of Lord Vishnu or of any of His avataras in your neighbourhood and participate in the Sri Vaikuntha Ekadashi celebrations. In most of the Vishnu temples, a special entrance called Vaikuntha Dwara is erected on this day. It is said that those who pass through this dwara on this auspicious day attain Vaikuntha.

It is said in scriptures, vigata-kuṇṭhād yasmād iti vaikuṇṭha,

“Here in the material world you are always filled up with kuṇṭha, anxieties. And if you go to Vishnu or Krishna, then there is no more kuṇṭha—full freedom, without anxiety.”- Srila Prabhupada

If you are not able to visit the temple and if you have Deities of Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna or any other of His avataras (such as Lord Rama, Lord Narasimha) at your home, then you can decorate the Deities and perform a special puja along with your family members.

2. Chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra

Chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra on the day of Sri Vaikuntha Ekadashi.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

The easiest path of spiritual realization in Kali-yuga is to chant the holy names of Lord Krishna as recommended in the Vedic scriptures.

The Hare Krishna mahamantra is mentioned in the Kali-santarana Upanishad. Further, it is stated in this Upanishad, “After searching through all the Vedic literatures, one cannot find a method of religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare Krishna.”

Chanting this mantra purifies our hearts, relieves us of all the miseries in our lives, and ultimately helps us attain spiritual perfection.

3. Enlighten Yourself – Read the Bhagavad-gita

Gita Jayanti generally falls on the same day as Sri Vaikuntha Ekadashi. Gita Jayanti is the day when Lord Krishna instructed Arjuna on the essence of Vedic knowledge. Hence, reading the Bhagavad-gita is a highly recommended spiritual activity on this day.

There are two types of literature glorifying the Supreme Lord Krishna, Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Srimad Bhagavatam contains the glories about the Lord, His devotees and how we can perform pure devotional service unto the Supreme Lord. The Lord directly speaks Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Reading the Gita is as good as associating with Lord Krishna. Please spend some time reciting the verses of the Gita and understanding their meaning.

4. Observe Fasting on the Day of Sri Vaikuntha Ekadashi

Since this day is Ekadashi, try to observe a fast. Fasting is not only beneficial to our body and mind, but it also has a lot of spiritual benefits. There are different levels of observing a fast, and you may select a level according to your convenience. Click here for more details on the foods forbidden on Ekadashi, different levels of observing Ekadashi, breaking the fast.

5. Render Service – Offer seva to Lord Vishnu

Srila Prabhupada says, “When we speak of service, there is no motive. Service is love. Just like mother renders service to the child. There is no motive; it is love only.”

When we engage more and more in the service of the Lord, we awaken our dormant love for the Lord.

You can offer the following sevas at our temples on this auspicious day and seek the blessings of Sri Srinivasa Govinda and Sri Rajadhiraja Govinda:

1. Volunteer for various sevas like distributing prasadam, distributing books, guiding visitors and more.

2. Understand the significance of Sri Vaikuntha Ekadashi and share it with your friends and family.

3. Offer special worship to Sri Srinivasa Govinda, which includes a Laksharchana seva. Devotees chant one-lakh names of Lord Krishna while they perform the archana as part of the Laksharchana seva; you may also join them in chanting the holy names of the Lord.

Related Links :  Why do we celebrate Vaikuntha Ekadashi | Why Vaikuntha series | Sri Vaikuntha Ekadashi