kamda ekadshi vrat chaitra shukla paksh ekadshi ke din kiya jata hai. ek samay pandunandan dharmavtar maharaj yudhishthir ne trilok nath, yashoda man ke dulare, vasudev-devki nandan bhagvan shri krishn ke shri charnon men pranam kar vinypurvak prashn kiya ki he bhagvan! chaitra mas ke shukla paksh men sthit kamda ekadshi ka vidhan v mahatmya kya hai? kripa karke bataie.’ anant gun vibhushit bhagvan shri krishn ne kaha-‘rajan ek samay yahi prashn raja dilip ne apne gurudev vashishth ji se kiya tha. tab unhonne jo uttar diya tha vahi main apki jigyasa shant karne hetu shravan karata hun, ap ekagrachitt se shravan karen.’ maharshi vashishth ji bole-‘he rajan. chaitra mah ke shukla paksh ki ekadshi ka nam kamda hai. yah papon ko bhasm karne vali hai. iske vrat se kuyoni chut jati hai aur ant men svarg ki prapti hoti hai. yah putra prapt karane vali evan sanpurn kamnaon ko purn karne vali hai.
kamda ekadshi ke vrat men pahle din dashmi ke madhyahn men jau, gehun aur mung adi ka ek bar bhojan karke bhagvan vishnu ka smaran karen. dusre din (ekadshi ko) pratah snanadi karke ‘mamakhil papakshayapurvak parmeshvar pratikamnya kamdaikadshivratan karishye.’ yah sankalp karke jitendriya hokar shraddha, bhakti aur vidhipurvak bhagvan ka pujan karen. uttam prakar ke gandh, pushp, dhup, dip, naivedya adi arpit karke nirajan karen. tatpashchat jap, havan, stotra path aur manohar git-sangit aur nritya karke pradakshina kar dandavat karen. is prakar bhagvan ki seva aur smaran men din vyatit karke ratri men katha, varta, stotra path tatha bhajan, sankirtan adi ke sath jagaran karen. fir dvadshi ko bhagvan vishnu ka pujan karke brahman bhojnadi karyon ko purn kar paran v bhojan karen.
katha: prachin kal men svarn aur ratnon se sushobhit bhogipur nagar ke pundarik raja ke lalit aur lalita nam ke gandharva-gandharvini gayan vidya men bare pravin the. pundarik raja bara hi vilasi tha. uski sabha men anek apsaraen, kinnar tatha gandharva nritya v gayan kiya karte the. ek bar lalit gandharva raja ki raj sabha men nritya gan kar raha tha. sahsa use apni sundri lalita ki yad a gai, jiske karan uske nritya, git tatha lay men arochkta a gai. karkotak namak nag yah rahasya jan gaya tatha raja se kah sunaya. is par krodhatur hokar pundarik raja ne lalit ko rakshas ho jane ka shrap de diya. lalit sahasron varsh tak rakshas yoni men anek lokon men ghumta raha. itna hi nahin uski sahadharmini lalita bhi unmatt vesh men usi ka anukaran karti rahi. lalita apne pranaballabh lalit ka aisa hal dekhakar bahut dukhi hui.
vah sadaiv apne pati ke uddhar ke lie sochne lagi ki main kahan jaun aur kya karun? ek din vah donon ghumte-ghumte vindhyachal parvat ke shikhar par sthit shring rishi ke ashram par pahunche. inki karun tatha sanvednshil sthiti dekhakar muni ko daya a gai aur unhonne chaitra shuklapaksh ki kamda ekadshi vrat karne ka adesh diya. rishi ke batae gae niyamanusar lalita ne prasannatapurvak vrat ka palan kiya. punah bhagvan se prarthana karne lagi ki ‘he prabho! mainne jo vrat kiya hai us vrat ke prabhav se mere pati rakshas yoni se mukt ho jaen. ekadshi ka vrat lete hi uska pati rakshas yoni se mukt ho purva svarup ko prapt ho gaya. donon pushpak viman men baithakar svarg lok ko chale gae. apne kartavya bhul ke karan manav ko anek vipattiyan sahan karni parti hain. atah manav ke lie apne kartavya ka thik se palan karna hi shreyaskar hai. shrikrishn bhagvan ne kaha ‘he dharmaraj yudhishthir ! is vrat ko vidhipurvak karne se daihik, daivik, bhautik tinon prakar ke tap nasht ho jate hain. iski katha ke pathan v shravan se bajpey yagya ka fal prapt hota hai tatha prabhu ka prem v sannidhya milta hai.