Anvala Sinchini Ekadshi Vrat

This Vrat is observed on the eleventh day of the bright half of Phalgun (February-March) and usually, the following story is told before breaking the fast.

Once there was a pious lady living in a remote village with her son and daughter-in-law. She was well known in the surrounding villages for charitable work and donations to needy people. She used to keep this fast every year and donate a golden Anvali to some temple or a poor person. Anvala is one of the species of plums from the Indian mountains. For her devotion to god and also to the Anvala Sinchini Ekadashi Vrat (fast) she was awarded by god the reward of perpetual happiness and prosperity in her family life. Whenever a needy person from a neighboring village needed some help, she would willingly help the person. She was also helpful and merciful to her own village people.

Her son and his wife resented her charity work and told her to stop giving away so much gold and money to village people. She believed that God has given her plenty of wealth and she must share some part of it with poor people. Her son and his wife disagreed and wanted her to stop the donation work immediately. She did not agree with her son and left all her wealth to her son and his wife and told them that she was going to live in a hut in a nearby jungle.

In the jungle on Ekadashi day, she kept fast and did not have any money to give in charity. She made clay Anvala and donated it to a nearby temple. She was always ready to help needy people. Soon she became very popular in the surrounding villages. On the next Ekadashi day, she kept fast and made another clay Anvala and donated it to a temple in the next village to her hut. After worshipping in the temple she was walking back to her hut when she heard a divine echo that she was a pious lady and god has changed her hut into a beautiful house with all the good things and food she needs for herself and for her charity work. On reaching near her hut she was surprised that her hut has become a beautiful house and everything required for charity work is inside the house. The lady again started sharing her wealth with the poor and needy people. She became very popular in the surrounding villages for her acts of charity. She also started giving free food every day to the poor people in the temple near her house.

In the meantime, her son and his wife became very poor, as the god has cursed them for not allowing the pious lady to continue her charity work. The son and daughter-in-law of the lady heard about free food given to poor people in a temple in the next village. They went there and ate to their fill. Next day again they went to the temple to eat food and her son recognized his mother and apologized and begged her pardon. The pious lady felt sad about the sad condition of her son and his wife. She assured them good life if they promise to keep fast and help the poor in need. She asked them to keep the fast and pray to god for inner spiritual strength to obtain success in all undertakings. She returned with them to her original house and they all became happy and prosperous.