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Significance:
This ekadashi is popularly known as the "putradaa" ekdashi. This removes all sins and Sri Narayana is the main deity for this ekadashi.
Objective of this Ekadasii is to beget a son to deliver us from hell. But here is the more philosophical explanation Putra. gives another meaning for the word putra as below.
From MahaBharat.
Pum alias Put is a hell. Those who die without children go to this hell and he who saves one from this hell is called putra. (Shloka 38 chapter 74, Adi Parva of Mahabharata. )
pumnamno narakadyastu trayate pitaram sutah tasmat putra iti proktah svayameva swayambhuva (Shloka 138 chapter 9 Manusmriti.)
"Because a son of his own, by birth, saves a father from the hell called "Put" he is called Putra.
Begin Source : Chankya (??)
The sanskrit word for "son" is putra. Pu is the name of a particular hell, and tra means "to deliver". Thus the word putra means "a person who delivers one from the hell named Pu". Therefore every married man should produce at least one son and train him properly; then the father will be delivered from a hellish condition of life. But this injunction does not apply to the serious devotees of Lord Vishnu or Krishna, for the Lord becomes their son, father, and mother. Furthermore, Chanakhya Pandita says,
satyam maataa pitaa jnaanam
dharmo bhraataa dayaa sakhaa
shantih patni kshamaa putrah
shadete mama vaandhavaah
"The truth is my mother, knowledge is my father, my occupational duty is my brother, kindness is my friend, tranquility is my wife, and forgiveness is my son. These six are my family members". Among the twenty-six leading qualities of a devotee of Sri Hari, forgiveness is the topmost. Therefore devotees should make an extra endeavour to develop this quality. Here Chanakhya says, "…forgiveness is my son", and thus a devotee of the Lord, even though he may be on the path of renunciation, may observe Putradaa Ekadashi and pray to attain this kind of "son" i.e, ability to forgive.
Thus the spirtual objective of this Ekadashi is to develop the ability to forgive. to learn to forgive. To pray for forgiveness and the strength to forgive.
End Source: Chankya (?? sanskritdocuments. org)
It is also believed that when a person gives havissu to Gods during yaaga and if he doesn't have any children the Gods will not accept his havissu. Acharya MadhwaRu proves that this not the case in his commentaries on Bhagavata
"anapatyOpi saddharmaa lOkajinnatra saMshayah|"
even if you don't have children, if a couple follows the Right Path and obtains the Right knowledge they will obtain sadgatti.
This is also an instance where King Rukumangada chooses Ekadashi over his son, where his son bravely tells him to go ahead and kill him rather than break the Ekadashi fast. Sri Hari stops this when he was about take this drastic action and grants moksha to Rukumangada and his queen.
Story from Padma Purana:
"Oh King, now I shall narrate to you the history of Putradaa Ekaadasi, which removes all kinds of sins and makes one famous and learned.
"There was once a kingdom named Bhadraavati, which was ruled by King Suketumaan. His queen was champka. Because he had no son, he spent a long time in anxiety, thinking, `If I have no son, who will carry on my dynasty?' In this way the king meditated in a religious attitude for a very long time, thinking, `Where should I go? What should I do? How can I get a pious son (putra)? In this way King Suketumaan could find no happiness anywhere in his kingdom, even in his own palace, and soon he was spending more and more time inside his wife's palace, gloomily thinking only of how he could get a son.
"Thus both King Suketumaan and Queen Champaka were in great distress. Even when they offered tarpana (oblations of water to their forefathers) , their mutual misery made them think that it was as undrinkable as boiling water. They thus thought that they would have no descendants to offer tarpana to them when they died and thus become lost souls (ghosts). The king and queen were especially upset to learn that their forefathers were worried that soon there would be no one to offer them tarpana also.
"After learning of their forefathers unhappiness, the king and queen became more and more miserable, and neither ministers, nor friends, nor even loved ones could cheer them up. To the king, his elephants and horses and infantry were no solace, and at last he became practically inert and helpless.
"The king thought to himself, `It is said that without a son, marriage is wasted. Indeed, for a family man with no son, both his heart and his splendid house remain vacant and miserable. Bereft of a son, a man cannot liquidate the debts that he owes his forefathers, the demigods (devas) and to other human beings. Therefore every married man should endeavour to beget a son; thus he will become famous within this world and at last attain the auspicious celestial realms.
"Thinking thus, the king had no peace. He remained in anxiety day and night, from morning to evening, and from the time he lay down to sleep at night until the sun rose in the morning, his dreams were equally full of great anxiety. Suffering such constant anxiety and apprehension, King Suketumaan decided to end his misery by committing suicide. But he realized that suicide throws a person into hellish conditions of rebirth, and so he abandoned that idea. Seeing that he was gradually destroying himself by his all consuming anxiety over the lack of a son, the king at last mounted his horse and left for the dense forest alone. No one, not even the priests and brahmins of the palace, knew where he had gone.
"In that forest, which was filled with deer and birds and other animals, King Suketumaan wandered aimlessly, noting all the different kinds of trees and shrubs, such as the fig, bel fruit, date palm, jackfruit, bakula, saptaparnaa, tinduka, and tilaka, as well as the shala, taala, tamaala, saralaa, hingotaa, arjuna, labheraa, bahedaa, sallaki, karondaa, patala, khaira, shaka, and palaasha trees. All were beautifully decorated with fruits and flowers. He saw deer, roaring tigers, wild boar, lions, monkeys, snakes, Trumpeting elephants.
Soon it was midday, and the king started to tire wandering aimleslly. He was tormented by hunger and thirst also. He thought, `What sinful deed could possibly have done so that I am now forced to suffer like this, with my throat parched and burning, and my stomach empty and rumbling? I have pleased the devas (demigods) with numerous fire sacrifices and abundant devotional worship. I have given many gifts and delicious sweets in charity to all the worthy brahmins too. And I have taken care of my subjects as though they were my very own children. Why then am I suffering so? What unknown sins have come to bear fruit and torment me in this dreadful way?'
"Absorbed in these thoughts, King Suketumaan struggled forward, and eventually, due to his pious credits, he came upon a beautiful lotus bearing pond that resembled the famous Lake Maanasarova. It was filled with aquatics, many varieties of fish, and graced with varieties of lilies and lotuses. Nearby were many attractive ashramas, where there resided many saints and sages who could fulfill the desires of anyone. Indeed, they wished everyone well. When the king saw all this, his right arm and right eye began to quiver, a sakuna sign (for a male) that something auspicious was about to happen.
"As the king dismounted his horse and stood before the sages, who sat on the shore of the pond, he saw that they were chanting the holy names of God on japa beads. The king paid his obeisances and, joining his palms, addressed them with glorified praises. Observing the respect the king offered them, the sages said, `We are very pleased with you, Oh king. Kindly tell us why you have come here. What is on your mind? Please inform us what is your heart's desire.'
"The king replied, `Oh great sages, who are you? What are your names, surely your presence reveals that you are auspicious saints? Why have you come to this beautiful place? Please tell me everything.' "The sages replied, `Oh king, we are known as the ten Vishvadevas (the sons of Vishva; Vasu, Satya, Kratu, Daksha, Kaala, Kaama, Dhriti, Pururavaa, Maadrava, and Kuru). We have come here to this very lovely pond to bathe. The month of Magha mase will soon be here in five days (from the Magh nakshatra), and today is the famous Putradaa Ekadashi. One who desires a son should strictly observe this particular Ekadashi.'
"The king said, `I have tried so hard to have a son. If you great sages are pleased with me, kindly grant the boon of having a good son (putra).' " `The very meaning of Putradaa,' the sages replied, `…is "giver of a putra, pious son." So please observe a complete fast on this Ekaadasii day. If you do so, then by our blessing – and by the mercy of Lord Sri Keshava invested in us – surely you will obtain a son.' "On the advice of the Vishvadevas, the king observed the auspicious fast day of Putradaa Ekaadasii according to the established rules and regulations, and on the Dvaadasii, after breaking his fast, he paid obeisances again and again to all of them.
"Soon after Suketumaan returned to his palace and united with his queen. Queen immediately became pregnant, and exactly as the Vishvadevas had predicted, a bright faced, beautiful son was born to them. In due course of time he became famous as an heroic prince, and the king gladly pleased his noble son by making him his successor. The son of Suketumaan took care of his subjects very conscientiously, just as if they were his own children.
"In conclusion, Oh Yudhisthira, one who wises to fulfill his desires should strictly observe Putradaa Ekadashi. While on this planet, one who strictly observes this Ekadashi surely obtain a son, and after death he will achieve liberation. Anyone who even reads or hears the glories of Putradaa Ekadashi obtains the merit earned by performing an horse sacrifice. It is to benefit all humanity that I have explained all this to you."
From Padma Purana part 3 uttarakhanda 42nd chapter.