aja ekadshi vrat (smart -4 sitanbr) ( vaishnav -5 sitanbar ) pan. brajkishor sharma brajvasi aja ekadshi mahan punyafal ko dene vali hai. yah ekadshi bhadrapad mas ke krishnapaksh men hoti hai. balak, vriddh, stri-purush evan shreshth muniyon ko bhi iska anushthan karna chahie. is tithi ke sevan se manushya kayik, vachik aur mansik pap se mukt ho jata hai.
vrat karne vala vaishnav purush dashmi tithi ko kans, urad, masur, chana, kodo, shak, madhu, dusre ka ann, do bar bhojan tatha maithun in das vastuon ka parityag kar de. ekadshi ko jua khelna, nind lena, pan khana, datun karna, dusre ki ninda karna, chugli, chori, hinsa, krodh tatha asatya bhashan ko tyag den. dainik krityon ko purn kar ekadshi vrat ka vidhivat sankalp lekar niyamanusar vrat ka palan karen. dvadshi ko vrat purn karen.
ek samay prasann mudra men dharmaraj yudhishthir ne shrikrishn bhagvan ke shri charnon men pranam kar pucha - janardan, nand nandan, gopika ballabh akhileshvar bhadrapad mas ke krishnapaksh ki ekadshi ka mahatmya batlane ki kripa karen. bhagvan shrikrishn bole - rajan ! ekagrachitt hokar suno . bhadrapad mas ke krishnapaksh ki ekadshi ka nam 'aja' hai, vah sab papon ka nash karne vali batayi gayi hai. jo bhagvan hrishikesh ka pujan karke iska vrat karta hai, uske sare pap nasht ho jate hain.
purvakal men harishchandra namak ek vikhyat chakravarti raja hue the, jo samast bhumandal ke svami aur satyapratigya the. ek samay kisi karm ka falbhog prapt hone par unhen rajya se bhrasht hona para. raja ne apni patni aur putra ko becha. fir apne ko bhi bech diya. punyatma hote hue bhi unhen chandal ki dasta karni pari. ve murdon ke kafan ki silai karte the. itne par bhi nripashreshth harishchandra satya se vichlit nahin hue. is prakar chandal ki dasta karte unke anek varsh vyatit ho gaye.
isse raja ko bari chinta hui. ve atyant dukhi hokar sochne lage - 'kya karun? kahan jaun? kaise mera uddhar hoga?' is prakar chinta karte-karte ve shok ke samudra men dub gaye. raja ko atur janakar koi muni unke pas aye, ve maharshi gautam the. shreshth brahman ko aya dekh nripashreshth ne unke charnon men pranam kiya aur donon hath jor gautam ke samne khare hokar apna sara duahkhamay samachar kah sunaya.
raja ki bat sunakar gautam ne kaha - 'rajan ! bhadon ke krishnapaksh men atyant kalyanmyi 'aja' nam ki ekadshi a rahi hai, jo punya pradan karne vali hai. iska vrat karo. isse pap ka ant hoga. tumhare bhagya se aj ke satven din ekadshi hai. us din upvas karke rat men jagaran karna.' aisa kahakar maharshi gautam antardhyan ho gaye. muni ki bat sunakar raja harishchandra ne us uttam vrat ka anushthan kiya. us vrat ke prabhav se raja sare dukhon se par ho gaye.
unhen patni ka sannidhan aur putra ka jivan mil gaya. akash men dundubhiyan baj uthin. devlok se fulon ki varsha hone lagi. ekadshi ke prabhav se raja ne akantak rajya prapt kiya aur ant men ve purajan tatha parijnon ke sath svargalok ko prapt ho gaye. raja yudhishthir ! jo manushya aisa vrat karte hain, ve sab papon se mukt ho svargalok men jate hain. iske parhne aur sunne se ashvamedh-yagya ka fal milta hai.