Kaisika Ekadashi- NampAduvAn’s story

This is the story of NampAduvAn associated with Kaisika EkAdashi. EkAdashi is the eleventh day of the waxing/waning moon and this day of the waxing moon in the Tamil month of KArtikai is known as Kaisika Ekadashi.

There is a beautiful story associated with this particular EkAdashi which goes on to show that the Lord NArayana’s compassion has no boundaries of religion, caste or creed. This story is said to have been mentioned in one of the ancient PurAnAs, the VarAha PurAnA.

Tirunelveli is a district in the southern part of India where Mother Nature has showered her bounty in the form of thick woods, rivers, waterfalls and the like and in this district lies the holy town of Tirukkurungudi. In this place there lived a person who was called NampAduvAn. He was called so because, every EkAdashi late night, he used to walk to the temple of Nambi (Lord NArayana), with a stringed instrument in hand , after the temple was closed and stand outside the temple facing the temple singing songs for the Lord through the night. He would leave for his home early in the morning. Hence he was fondly called NampAduvAn which translates as ‘Our singer’. He felt embarrassed to go and sing in front of the others during the day and so was engaged in this practice.

On this particular EkAdashi of the KArtikai month, NampAduvAn started for the temple, late at night with his Ektara (one stringed instrument). He walked through the dense forests as he did every day to reach the temple.
As he was passing by a huge tree, he heard a bloodcurdling scream from atop the tree. As he looked up startled, he could see a gory demon with outstretched arms trying to reach and catch him. NampAduvAn was not a coward and so stepping aside he asked him “Who are you and what do you want from me?”

The gory demon with a wicked smile said, “Fool, do you not know I am a Brahma RAkshas? I have been deprived of my food for the past few days and so I will have you for my dinner now”.

Seeing the worried look on the face of NampAduvAn, the demon continued, “there is no use worrying, O fellow! Now that I have found you, you shall not go back alive from here… Ha….ha… ha…” The eerie laughter was so frightening.

NampAduvAn immediately said, “I am not worried about my death O RAkshas. I am worried that I cannot fulfil my vow of singing before Bhagawan tonight. Let me go now. I will go and sing my hymns to NArayana now and come back in some times and you can devour me”

The RAkshas looked at him with scorn. “You want me to believe that someone who escapes from me will come back to die? Would a cow which escapes from the tiger come back to it?? No way! I will eat you right now hahaha….” The long hairy arm with fingers having nails like the claws of an eagle reached out to NampAduvAn.

NampAduvAn calmly looked at the demon and said, “O Brahma RAkshas, I speak nothing but the truth and I want to go and do my duty of singing the hymns to Bhagwan and if I fail to come I will accept the punishment that is given for grave sins.”

The demon was amused that this man was brave enough to argue with him and said, “Grave sins? What grave sins? Huh?”

NampAduvAn started listing the grave sins listed in the scriptures, such as discriminating in the food  while eating with another, grabbing back what has been given in charity, blaming or abusing the person who gives food, lusting on the wife of a friend or the wife of one’s Guru and so on. He listed seventeen such sins and each time when he listed one, he said, “RAkshas, if I do not come back to you as promised, let me get the punishment given for this sin.” The RAkshas was not satisfied and would not let NampAduvAn go.

After seventeen such sins, at last NampAduvAn said, “O RAkshas, if I do not come back, let me get the punishment one gets for equating Lord Narayana with other gods”. Equating Bhagwan Narayana to other gods is seen as the gravest sin in the Vaishnava Sampradaya.

The RAkshas now felt that this person would come back after all, but still with some suspicion, let him go his way.

NampAduvAn went to the temple entrance and sang to his heart’s content and was in a very happy frame of mind that his body was going to be of use to someone. He sang songs in the tune known as “Kaisika”. He bowed to Bhagawan with great humility and started walking back, when he was confronted by an old man.

“Where are you going dear fellow?” asked the old man to NampAduvAn.

“I am going back after my duty of singing for Bhagawan Narayana” said NampAduvAn. His voice was as calm as ever in spite of having to go and become the prey of the RAkshas in a few minutes.

“Do not go this side, my friend”, said the old man. “There is a fearful RAkshas on the tamarind tree down the path. Instead go by the alternate route behind the temple”

“It is ok Sire. I have already met the RAkshas and will be meeting him now. All humans born in this world have to die one day or other and so I do not fear death.” Saying so he bowed to the old man who was none other than Bhagawan Narayana.

The old man smiled and raised his hand and blessed NampAduvAn, who then went his way.

The RAkshas was surprised that the fellow had kept up his words. He had never seen anyone escape from his clutches and come back again. This act of honesty of NampAduvAn brought about a sea change in the mind of the RAkshas.

Looking at NampAduvAn, he said, “Well, you have kept up your word for which I am very happy, but my hunger is gone now and so instead of your physical body, give me the grace of the Lord you have received by singing the hymns”

NampAduvAn said, “I always believe that one should always keep up his/her words. You asked for my body and I am ready to give it up. Now you want the ‘punya’ I have earned by singing the hymns. Eat me up O RAkshas, as you had asked for earlier. Furthermore, I sing hymns as an offering to  Narayana and do not seek anything in return from Him. Therefore I do not even think of how much ‘punya’ I would have earned by singing the hymns. Now do not delay. Eat me up”

The Brahma RAkshas was not ready to listen to NampAduvAn.

“I told you I am not hungry anymore. Now, listen to me. You would be certainly earning merit by singing Bhagawan’s glory. I am not asking for all of that. Just give me the merit earned by one song please”, he pleaded.

NampAduvAn was also in no mood to relent.

“I already told you RAkshas, I wish to keep up my word and I hope and wish you keep up yours too. Please go ahead and eat me up and satisfy your hunger” he said.

The RAkshas was surprised at the insistence of NampAduvAn. He had not seen any person voluntarily offer their life to him.

He again pleaded with NampAduvAn. “I told you I am not hungry for your body, but I am thirsty for the merits you have earned. Please, O man, please give me the merits earned by you by singing at least one stanza of the hymn you sang.”

NampAduvAn was unmoved.

“Just one stanza or at least two lines please”, the RAkshas pleaded.

The plea was so pitiful that NampAduvAn could not refuse.

“Ok” he said, “I shall pray for you and sing the last two lines of the Kaisika tune I sang for Bhagawan Narayana”

NampAduvAn meditated upon Narayana, praying that the merit of his singing go to the RAkshas and started singing the last two lines of the hymn.

The moment the first line was sung, the body of the RAkshas dissipated and by the time the second line was sung, a beautiful divine figure appeared.

To a surprised NampAduvAn, the figure said, “I am Soma Sharma. By some curse, I became a Brahma RAkshas and now by listening to the hymn on Narayana, I have regained my old self. My respects to you O divine singer”. Soma Sharma bowed to NampAduvAn and in the skies appeared the luminous figure of Lord Narayana with whom the figure of Soma Sharma and NampAduvAn merged thereby attaining salvation.

This Ekadashi and Dwadashi (twelfth day of waxing/ waning moon) therefore has come to be known as “Kaisika Ekadashi” and “Kaisika Dwadashi” respectively.