Mohini Ekadashi Celebrates Gender Fluidity But Stereotypes Womanhood

Mohini Ekadashi is a Hindu vrat widely celebrated by Hindus across India. This occasion occurs during the Shukla Paksha of the Vaisakha month in the Hindu lunar calendar. As per the English calendar, Mohini Ekadashi is celebrated in April or May. Etymologically, Mohini refers to a female avatar of Lord Vishnu and Mohini Ekadashi is celebrated because Lord Vishnu appeared as Mohini for the first time on this day.

How is it celebrated?

On Mohini Ekadashi, devotees observe the rituals that are followed in almost every Ekadashi of the Hindu lunar calendar. They observe a 24-hour long fast which begins a day before on Dashmi. Some devotees who have complications and cannot observe a full-time fast can go for partial fasts also. Consuming fruits and milk products are allowed in Mohini Ekadashi however rice and grains are strictly prohibited. The fast breaks on the next day, Dwadashi, by consuming milk.

Moreover, on this day, devotees take bath in til (sesame seeds) and kush and conduct vigils, bhajans and mantras for Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna. Some of the devotees even erect mandaps for Lord Vishnu and worship him by offering sesame seeds, flowers and fruits, especially Tulsi leaves. Read here to know the connection between Lord Vishnu and Tulsi Leaves.

The story behind Mohini Ekadashi

The story behind Mohini Ekadashi is traced from the Samudra Manthan legend of the Hindu mythology. Once Gods and the Asuras faced each other in a massive battle. In this battle, it is said that the wicked Asuras were powerful enough to kill the Gods in numbers. Apprehensive of the loss, the Gods approached the holy trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The trinity advised them to churn the ocean and extract Amrita (elixir) so that they consume it and not be killed by the Asuras. Both the Asuras and the Gods together churned the ocean as it wasn’t a task of few people. 

But once the elixir was obtained, it was taken by the asuras. This could have endangered the life of all the Gods and the lives on the earth. Hence to stop this destruction, Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Mohini, which etymologically means delusion personified. Then Mohini went to the asuras and deluded them into giving the elixir back to the gods. 

Since then, this day is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his female avatar of Mohini.

Watching from the feminist lens

Interestingly, Mohini Ekadashi celebrates the feminine identity of the man in power. It legitimises the idea of gender fluidity in mythology, humanity and society. Hindu mythology is the most interesting philosophy of life. If you delve deeper in its mysteries, you will find how Hindu gods rarely identified with a particular gender, accepted transgender and to some extent homosexuality also. Lord Vishnu can also be read as a gender non-conformist deity. He reincarnated as Ram who was an ideal man on the earth. And it was again Lord Vishnu who converted himself into Mohini and Ekadashi.

Moreover, these mythologies defy the categorisation of roles, duties and appearances based on the gender of a person. By embodying both the feminine and masculine identity, Lord Vishnu tells us that there is no strict binary of masculine and feminine. Which attribute you exhibit, depends on choice and the necessity of the situation.

However, it cannot be ignored how in the battle of men (the Samudra Manthan), a woman becomes the most powerful warrior/weapon and simultaneously an embodiment of deception too. Patriarchy has often villainised women by reducing them into a woman who deludes or enchants men’s attention away from important affairs. Our scriptures are full of legends in which apsaras have been portrayed as someone who distracts sages.

For instance, in the story of Menaka and Vishwamitra, Lord Vishnu sent Menaka, the most beautiful apsara, to earth to distract Vishwamitra from his penance ad meditation which could give him the power to replace Lord Vishnu as the king of Gods.

Although to be able to enchant and delude people is a form of power/weapon that women use to defeat powerful men, it is not right to make it gender-specific. We already live in a society that considers women, especially those who menstruate, as a curse. If women alone are portrayed as “delusion personified”, it could further legitimise misogyny and the narrative of keeping women away from men and auspicious occasions.

This year, Mohini Ekadashi will be celebrated on Sunday, May 23, 2021. Find days and dates of all the Hindu vrats and festivals of this year here.