Satyug ki baat hai. Mur naam ka ek atyant balshali aur kroor daanav tha. Usne apne paraakram se devtaon ko yuddh mein haraakar swarg par adhikaar kar liya aur Indra sahit sab devtaon ko vahaan se khaded diya. Sharan ke liye sab devta Bhagwan Shiv ke paas gaye, aur Shiv ne unhe Bhagwan Vishnu ki sharan mein jaane ko kaha.
Devtaon ki pukaar sunkar Bhagwan Vishnu Mur ke saath ghor yuddh karne lage. Yeh yuddh hazaaron varshon tak chala. Anginat daanavon ka sanhaar karne ke baad bhi Mur ka ant na hua. Bahut samay ke yuddh se thakkar Vishnu vishraam ke liye Badrikashram ki Hemavati naam ki ek gufa mein chale gaye aur yoga-nidra mein leen ho gaye.
Avsar paakar Mur unhe sote hi maar daalne ke liye gufa mein ghus aaya. Usi kshan Bhagwan ke shareer se ek divya, tejasvi devi prakat huin. Unhone us daanav se yuddh kiya aur kshan bhar mein hi Mur ka sanhaar kar diya. Jaagne par Bhagwan Vishnu ne saari ghatna jaani aur us devi se atyant prasann hue.
Vishnu ne us devi ko "Ekadashi" naam diya, kyunki ve Margashirsha Krishna paksha ki Ekadashi tithi ko prakat huin. Bhagwan ne var diya — "Tum meri hi ansh-roopa ho. Jo bhi manushya shraddha aur sanyam se Ekadashi ka vrat karega, upvaas-jagran karke meri pooja karega, uske sab paap nasht honge aur use bhog tatha moksha donon ki prapti hogi."
Seekh: Utpanna Ekadashi sab Ekadashiyon ki janani (utpatti) hai. Yeh vrat hamein sikhaata hai ki upvaas, sanyam aur bhakti se manushya apne bhitar baithe "Mur" jaise kaam, krodh aur lobh roopi vikaaron par vijay paakar moksha ka adhikaari ban sakta hai.