Addressing eighty-eight thousand sages, Sutaji said - "O Wipro! It is a thing of ancient times. The great king Mandhata asked Vashisthaji-" O Vasisthaji! If you are pleased with me, please be pleased to state the law of such a fast, by which I wish you well.
Maharishi Vashistha said - 'O Rajan! Amalaki, the best of all fasts and the one who gives salvation at the end, is the fast of Ekadashi. '
King Mandhata said- 'O Rishishrestha! How did this Amalaki Ekadashi fast originate? What is the law of observing this fast? O knower of the Vedas! Please tell me all these accounts in detail. '
Maharishi Vasistha said- 'O Rajan! I tell you in detail the story of this fast - this fast is in the bright half of the month of Falgun. All the sins of the fruits of this fast are destroyed. The virtue of this fast is equal to the fruit of a thousand cow dung. The importance of Amalaki (Amla), in addition to its qualities, is also in the fact that it has its origin from Lord Vishnu's Shrimukh. Now let me tell you a legend. Listen carefully -
In ancient times there was a city called Vedic. In that city, Brahmins, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas, Shudras, people of the four varnas lived happily. Veddhwani always used to sing in the city. There were no sinners, misdemeanors, atheists etc. in that city.
In that city, a Chandravanshi king named Chaitratha ruled. He was a great scholar and a person of religious instinct, no one was poor nor stingy in his kingdom. All the people of that kingdom were Vishnu-devotees. All the residents, big and small, fasted on each Ekadashi.
Once on the Shukla Paksha of Phalgun month came Ekadashi called Amalaki. On that day, the king and each of the people, from old to child, joyfully fasted on that Ekadashi. The king along with his subjects came to the temple and installed the urn and started worshiping the Dhatri with incense, lamp, naivedya, panchratna, chhatra etc. They all started praising the midwife in this way - 'O midwife! You are Brahma Swaroopa. You are born by Brahmaji and you are going to destroy all sins, greet you. You accept my request. You are honored by Shri Ram Chandraji, I pray you, remove all my sins. '
Everyone awakened in that temple at night. A fowler came to that place at night. He was a great rapist and abusive. He used to follow his family with violence. He was very distraught with hunger and thirst, he sat in a corner of the temple with a desire to get leprosy.
Sitting at that place, he started listening to the story of Lord Vishnu and Ekadashi greatness. Thus, the fowler spent the whole night awakening with other people. In the morning everyone went to their respective residence. Similarly, Fowler also went to his house and went there to have food.
After some time, that fowler died. He had committed living violence, though he was a part of the terrible hell, but on that day he was born to King Viduratha with the fast of Amalaki Ekadashi and the effect of awakening. He was named Vasurath. When he grew up, he started operating ten thousand villages including Chaturangini army and with wealth.
He was like the sun in glory, like the moon in radiance, like Lord Vishnu in valor and the earth in forgiveness. He was extremely religious, truthful, karmaveer and Vishnu-devotee. He followed the subjects in the same manner. Donating was his daily work.
Once Raja Vasurath went to play hunting. Due to his absence, he lost his way in the forest and fell asleep under a tree in the same forest due to lack of direction. After the leprosy, the hill robber came there and seeing the king alone, the king ran towards Vasurath shouting 'kill and kill'. The bandits started saying that this evil king has killed all the relatives, including our parents, sons and grandchildren, and drove them out of the country. Now we must avenge our humiliation by killing it.
Saying this much, they started killing the robber king and started attacking him with weapons. The weapons of those bandits would have been destroyed as soon as they were placed on the king's body and the king would have looked like flowers. After some time, the Lord willingly attacked the weapons of those dacoits, which made them all unconscious.
At the same time a divine goddess appeared from the king's body. That goddess was extremely beautiful and was adorned with beautiful clothes and jewelery. His beard was crooked. Fierce flames of anger were coming out of his eyes.
At that time she seemed like Kaal. He immediately destroyed all those bandits.On waking from sleep, the king saw many bandits dead there. He started thinking who killed them? Who is my best friend in this forest?
Raja Vasurath was thinking like this, when the AIR came up - 'O Rajan! Who can protect you in this world apart from Lord Vishnu ! Hearing this Akashvani, the king remembered Lord Vishnu and bowed to him, then returned to his city and reigned happily.
Maharishi Vasistha said- 'O Rajan! All this was the effect of the fasting of Amalaki Ekadashi, a man who fasts for a single Amalaki Ekadashi succeeds in every task and finally finds Vaikuntha Dham '.