Mokshada Ekadashi

Mokshada Ekadashi (Geeta Jayanti)

Mokshada Ekadashi falls on the eleventh day (Ekadashi) of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) in the month of Margashira (November-December). Its name declares its supreme purpose: "Mokshada" means the giver of liberation (Moksha). This Ekadashi holds a singularly elevated place in the Vaishnava tradition because it is the day on which Lord Sri Krishna delivered the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra — celebrated simultaneously as Geeta Jayanti.

Historical and Scriptural Significance

According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Lord Krishna revealed to Yudhishthira that this Ekadashi is among the most powerful for granting liberation — not just to the observer, but to the observer's departed ancestors. The Padma Purana describes the legendary account of King Vaikhanasa whose fast on this Ekadashi freed his father from the torments of the underworld.

Geeta Jayanti — The Day the Gita Was Spoken

On this very Ekadashi, when Arjuna was overwhelmed with despair at the outset of the Mahabharata war, Lord Krishna imparted the immortal wisdom of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita — 700 verses encapsulating the entire philosophy of dharma, karma, bhakti, jnana, and moksha. Margashira Shukla Ekadashi is therefore the most intellectually and spiritually significant day in the entire Hindu calendar — when the Supreme Lord himself became the Adi Guru.

Significance in Madhwa Tradition

Sri Madhwacharya wrote the Gita Bhashya — his authoritative commentary on the Bhagavad Gita — as one of his foundational works. On Geeta Jayanti, special readings, pravachanas, and discourses on the Gita Bhashya are organized at Madhwa Mutts. Devotees read or listen to at least one chapter with devotion. Distributing copies of the Bhagavad Gita on this day is considered among the greatest acts of charity.

Rituals and Observances

Devotees observe the Ekadashi fast from Dashami evening.