History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.426

v6.c81.426

The Nārada and other purāṇas condemn fast on ekādaśī mixed with daśamī. Nāradapurāṇa (pūrvārdha, chap. 29. 39-40) says 'the sixth tithi mixed with the 5th, the seventh mixed with the 9th and ekādaśī mixed with daśamī—a fast should never be observed on these; all should accept (for fast) ekādaśī free from daśamī; daśamī joined to ekādaśī destroys spiritual merit acquired in three past lives'. This aversion to daśamī was probably due to the fact that daśamī finds no place in the famous *yugmavākya* and the pair that is commended is that of ekādaśī and dvādaśī (and not of ekādaśī and daśamī). One well-known verse is: Gāndhārī observed a fast on ekādaśī mixed with daśamī; her one hundred sons (the Kauravas) perished (in the Bhārata war); therefore one should give up that kind of ekādaśī for a fast.²⁹¹ The Nāradapurāṇa (pūrvārdha, chap. 29) devotes 15 verses to the discussion of Ekādaśī and Dvādaśī.