Padmini Ekadashi Wrata/World Tiger Day

Parama Ekadashi, Once in 3 years

We wanted to stir up a dialogue between Krishna and Yudhisthira.
Yudhisthira Maharaj asks, O Jarnadan, which is the Ekadashi on the Krishna side of Purushottam Mass? How to take its brat and what is its glory? Lord Krishna, Himself is present in the answer, let's start the story of Parama Ekadashi from here today.

Sri Krishna, the lord of consciousness, began his reply by saying that this courageous day and holy day is called Parama Ekadashi. It is said that by fasting on this Ekadashi, life will be meaningful, all sins will be eradicated, suffering will be removed and salvation will be achieved. In this Ekadashi, Lord Krishna himself is worshiped. Answering Yudhisthira's question, Lord Krishna narrates in detail a Vrata Katha he heard from a sadhu of Kampilya Nagar. Since this Ekadashi falls only in Adhikamas i.e. Purushottam month, it comes only once in 3 years, this Ekadashi with incomparable fruit is unique and extensive. Let's listen to the beautiful story of this Ekadashi.

A devotee Brahmin Sumedha and his wife Pavitra lived in Kampilya Nagar. Sumedha was very poor and used to feed his family by gathering Vikshya. Sumedha, who was begging for a living, could never have enough resources in his house, but her beautiful wife Pavithra always served and supported her husband. This is a story of an ideal couple from the ancient time.

The saint's wife is destined to be extremely poor and suffer from the sins of her previous karma, in some cases, she has to feed guests and even starve herself. Even so, there is no shortage of radiance and endurance in the face of the saint and his wife.

Seeing his wife's suffering due to poverty, one-day Sumedha tells his wife that he wants to go abroad and earn money to alleviate their suffering. Pavitra says that she is with her husband in every decision, but Pavitra does not mean to support her husband's decision to go abroad alone. And at the same time, Kaudinya Muni arrives at their house. Welcoming the sage according to her status, Pativrata Pavitra asks about the way to get rid of poverty. Muni explains Sumedha and Pavitra, respectively, by associating the glory of Ekadashi with the eradication of poverty and the emancipation of problems, on the Krishna side of the Purushottam month. Muni explains that this Ekadashi vow is associated with sin, poverty, and loss.

From what Lord Shiva told King Kubera of wealth to take this fast, to the example of King Harishchandra who got kingdom and house due to this Ekadashi fast, Muni tells Sumedha and Pavitra. In this way, after listening to the beautiful story of Ekadashi fasting, Sumedha and Pavitra do the same and it is mentioned in Ekadashi Mahatma that their suffering and poverty has been alleviated.

It seems that the story of Sumedha is in line with the current Nepali environment, with the thought of going abroad for earning millions of Nepali are working abroad. On this occasion, let Manohar warmth of Ekadashi communicate total destiny, deeds, and devotion in the land of Nepal.
“ॐ नारायण विदमहे वासुदेवाय धिमही थन्नो विष्णु प्रचोदय”

It means: Let me take refuge in Lord Narayana, may Lord Vasudeva grant me wisdom and may Lord Vishnu grant me the light of knowledge. When chanting any mantra, it generates energy in our body and it has to be transmitted to the universe or our environment. In this way, this power can be imparted to the universe in the form of tarpana by chanting the Tatsa Brahmarpan Mastu Mantra. When we provide the universe with tarpan, the universe re-energizes us. Ekadashi fasting is effective not only in terms of religion but also in terms of health, so it is good. This Ekadashi will come again only in the next 3 years, best wishes to all on this auspicious day. May greenness dwells in the mind and body of all, may mercy be in the heart and may compassion in the eyes.

World Tiger Day
World Tiger day is manifested so that people around the world can raise awareness for tiger conservation. Protecting tigers and their natural habitats is the primary objective for this day of global solidarity in protecting tigers. The announcement was made by the International Tiger Forum in 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The forum was the world's first tiger conference. The tiger conservation program is a joint effort of then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and World Bank President Robert Zoellick.

Since then, International Tiger Day has been celebrated every year. This day is celebrated for the conservation of tigers' habitats, raising public awareness about the declining number of tigers, raising issues for their conservation as well as appreciating and encouraging efforts in tiger conservation.

After all, why is the tiger so important? We all know that tigers, once found everywhere, are now on the endangered species list. Statistics show that the tiger population, which was 100,000 in the first half of the 20th century, has dropped by 90% to 3,200.

Reasons of Tiger extinction
The main reasons for the decline are deforestation, lack of habitat, climate change, and poaching. To curb this trend, 13 countries are working together with the ambitious goal of doubling the number of tigers by 2023 in collaboration with various livestock conservation organizations. It is the tenth year that India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Russia have jointly launched the Tiger Conservation Program.

Importance of Tiger
The tiger is considered as a symbolic creature all over the world. As a natural resource, the tiger is also considered important from a cultural and historical point of view. While this is happening, it also contributes to keeping our biological systems in balance. As tigers are the main predators in the food chain, it makes a significant contribution to the ecological balance by controlling herbivores. Needless to say, environmental balance is important not only for wildlife but also for people from all over the world.

We must not forget that in our science books, the science teacher used to draw a picture of grass, goats, tigers and a circle, to depict the ecosystem and food chain. Tigers are known by botanical and animal experts not only for maintaining the ecological balance, but also for providing support to other animals. It is also called "Umbrella Species" in English. Conserving tigers requires a lot of space, so large forests need to be protected. In this way, tigers are analyzed as important species as other animals also find shelter during forest conservation. While conserving tigers, we are also conserving forests.

Suyog Dhakal