𝑺𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒂 𝑬𝒌𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 :
In the land of Champavati there lived a king named Mahismata. He had 5 sons. The eldest one named Lumbhak was very sinful. He used to harrass the Brahmanas & Vaishnavas & was very attached to gambling and prοsτιτυτιοη.
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One fine day, enraged with his son's behavior, King Mahismata threw him out of the palace & asked him to go to exile assuming this will change his son.
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But to his utter dismay, Lumbhaka lived in the Jungle and at night began to plunder wealth from the people of his father’s kingdom. citizens would set him free knowing him to be the son of the king. Lumbhaka spend his life by regularly eating raw meats.

There was a banyan tree in this forest who was as worshipable as the demigods. Lumbhaka lived underneath this tree for some time.

One day, while living in the forest, Lumbhaka fell unconscious & regained his senses later. By the time he woke up it was too late & he was too tired to hunt any animal thus remained hungry. He had gathered some fruits which he offered to Vishnu without eating it himself.

Unbeknownst to him, it was the day of Saphala Ekadashi of the waning moon. By fasting & offering fruits to Vishnu,he actually did the Ekadashi Vrat.Vishnu says that if a person fasts on Ekadashi,

He will burn up all his sins and thus the gates to His transcendental abode will be opened to such a soul. Ekadashi fast is greater than observing any other fast, and it is greater than going to a place of pilgrimage and even greater than giving charity to Brahmanas.

The word 'Saphala' means 'success'and devotees observe Saphala Ekadashi to be successful, enjoy prosperity, abundance and good fortune.

Thus, by keeping Ekadashi, unknowingly, Lumbhaka underwent a change of heart & started focusing on good deeds.Seeing the change in him his father handed over the kingdom to him which he ruled righteously & later handed it to his son to dedicated his life in the seva of Vishnu.

This is the first Ekadashi is the gregorian calendar.

Let me know how are you keeping your fast.

Hare krishna.