Indira Ekadasi 2004

Sri Krishna told Yudhishthira of King Indrasena of Mahishmati, a righteous devotee of Vishnu. One day the sage Narada arrived at his court with a message from the world of Yama.

Narada said that he had seen Indrasena's late father there, suffering because he had once broken an Ekadashi vow. The father asked his son to observe the Indira Ekadashi of the dark fortnight and offer its merit for his release.

Narada taught the king the method: restraint on Dashami, fasting and worship of Vishnu on Ekadashi with a shraddha offering for the ancestors, gifts to brahmanas, and a night of vigil. Indrasena did all this with his family. Flowers rained from the sky, and his father rose to the abode of Vishnu on Garuda. Because it falls in Pitru Paksha, this Ekadashi is kept especially for the peace of the ancestors.