The Legend of Paapmochini Ekadashi

What is the Legend of Paapmochini Ekadashi? 

By Intimate Viewpoint

Paapmochini Ekadashi fast is observed in the month of March in the Gregorian calendar and in the lunar calendar, on the 11th day of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Chaitra. Thus in 2025, it falls on the 25th of March. 

The Legend 

The Legend says that one day Lord Krishna  telling a story to Arjuna in which king Mandhata asked a question to the sage Lomas that if a person commits a sin knowingly or unknowingly then how can he be free from it. 

Then sage Lomas answered this question by telling him a story. The story was of an another sage called Medhavi. He was the son of sage Chyavan. One day when he was engrossed in meditation an Apsara (nymph) was passing by.  Seeing that sage, she become attracted towards him. She started to impress him. At the very moment, God Kaamdev (God of love and feelings) was passing by. His sight fell on that Apsara he understood her feelings. He tried to help her. He blessed the sage with love and feelings for that Apsara. The sage forgot meditation and got attracted towards the Aphsara. The meditation was for pleasing Lord Shiva. 

After many years when he got back his consciousness he became very sad and felt guilty. He got very angry at that Apsara and considering her guilty of breaking the penance. The sage crused her the Apsara to become a vampire. The Apsara became very sad and started crying and pleaded to the sage for getting free from the Curse. The sage felt pity for the Aphsara and advised her to observe the fast of the paapmochani Ekadashi with all the rituals. The radiance of the sage also vanished due to being immersed in enjoyment. Therefore the sage also observed the fast and he got freed from this sin. In the another side, the Apsara also got freed from the curse by the effect of this fast and regained her beauty and set of to heaven.