Saphala Ekadashi fasting story

Significance of Saphala Ekadashi:-

Dharmaraja Yudhishthira started saying that O Janardan! I heard the detailed description of Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi i.e. Mokshada Ekadashi. Now please tell me also about the Ekadashi of Krishna Paksha of Paush month. What is the name of this Ekadashi and what is the law for its fast? What is its method? What is the result of observing this fast? Please say all this lawfully.

Saphala Ekadashi fasting story:-

A king named Mahishman ruled in the city of Champavati. He had four sons. Among all of them, there was a great prince named Lumpak. That sinner always used to destroy his father's wealth in adultery and prostitution and other bad deeds. Always used to condemn the deities, Brahmins, Vaishnavas. When the king came to know about such misdeeds of his eldest son, he expelled him from his kingdom. Then he started thinking where should I go? What to do?

In the end, he decided to steal. During the day he lived in the forest and by night he would steal in his father's city and do the evil of harassing and killing the people. After some time the whole city became frightened. Staying in the forest, he started eating after killing animals, etc. Citizens and state servants would capture him but let him go out of fear of the king.

There was a very ancient huge peepal tree in the forest. People worshiped him like a god. The great sinner Lumpak used to live under the same tree. People considered this forest as the playground of the gods. After some time, on the tenth day of Paush Krishna Paksha, he could not sleep the whole night due to the cold being clothed. His hands and feet got stiff.

By sunrise, he fainted. On the second day on Ekadashi, he fainted after getting the heat of the sun at midday. While falling, he went out in search of food. He was not able to kill the animals, so after picking up the fruits that had fallen under the trees, he came back under the same Peepal tree. By that time Lord Sun had set. Putting the fruit under the tree, he started saying - O Lord! Now, this fruit is your offering. You yourself be satisfied. Due to sorrow that night, he could not sleep even at night.

With this fasting and awakening, the Lord was very pleased and all his sins were destroyed. The next morning, a beautiful horse, decorated with many beautiful things, came and stood in front of him.

At the same time, there was a voice from Akash that O king! By the grace of Shri Narayan, your sins were destroyed. Now go to your father and get the kingdom. Hearing such a voice, he was very pleased and wearing divine clothes went to his father saying 'Lord aapki jai ho'. His father was pleased and handed over the entire kingdom to him and took the forest route.

Now Lumpak started ruling according to the scriptures. His wife, son, etc. The whole family became the ultimate devotee of Lord Narayana. When he got old, he too went to the forest to do penance after handing over the kingdom to his son, and in the end, Vaikuntha was found.

Therefore, the person who observes this holiest Saphala Ekadashi fast gets salvation in the end. Those who do not are like animals without tails and horns. By reading or listening to the greatness of this Saphala Ekadashi, one gets the fruit of the Ashwamedha Yagya.