For all the posts in this Holidays & Observances series, go here.
For prologue on Ekadasi, go to the very first post here.
Prologue: I have been meaning to write a series about Holidays and Observances that we (my family and friends) follow in both India (my birth country) and USA (my adopted country). This series is dedicated to those. On a side note, perhaps I might witness some of the celebrations from other countries as well that may get their way into this series. 🙂
The second Ekadasi for the month of December was on 23rd7th this year (2023) called Mokshada Ekadasi / Vaikunta Ekadasi. This is also the last Ekadasi of the Gregorian Calendar. On this day Lord Krishna gave the knowledge of Bhagavad Gita, in the epic Mahabaratha, to Arjuna. This is the day to attain salvation.
As I mentioned in the very first Ekadasi post, if you put the religion aside, allowing your body to fast twice a month is an excellent way of cleansing and detoxifying to aid in repair and rejuvenation. It is believed that going through or seeing the entrance to Vaikunta (= Heaven) is equivalent to getting salvation. We visited our local temple to see the decorations of the event and also offer our prayers.
Galavant Reflections 