Ekadashi 2026
The eleventh-day fast devoted to Lord Vishnu.
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Festival overview
Ekadashi is the eleventh day of each lunar fortnight — occurring twice a month — and is the most important recurring fast for devotees of Vishnu. Observed by abstaining from grains and beans (and often water), Ekadashi is a day of fasting, devotion and self-purification. There are 24 (sometimes 26) named Ekadashis through the year, each with its own significance.
History & origin
The Padma Purana and other texts praise Ekadashi as supremely purifying. The personified Ekadashi is said to have emerged from Vishnu to defeat the demon Mura — fasting on this day is believed to free one from past karmas.
Spiritual significance
Grains are said to absorb tamasic energy; abstaining lightens the body and sharpens the mind for devotion. Ekadashi is a built-in fortnightly reset for body and spirit.
Religious significance
Central to Vaishnava practice. Major Ekadashis include Nirjala, Vaikuntha, Devshayani, Devutthana and Mokshada Ekadashi (on which the Gita was spoken — Gita Jayanti).
Rituals & how it is observed
- Fast without grains and beans (some without water)
- Worship Vishnu; chant Vishnu Sahasranama
- Stay awake in devotion, especially on major Ekadashis
- Break the fast (parana) the next morning at the prescribed time
✅ Do
- Keep the mind on Vishnu through chanting
- Eat simple phalahar food if not fasting fully
- Break the fast within the correct parana time
🚫 Avoid
- Avoid all grains, rice and beans
- Avoid sleeping excessively
- Avoid breaking the fast outside the parana window
Fasting guidelines
Abstain from all grains, beans, rice and lentils. Fruits, milk, nuts and vegetables are permitted (rules vary by tradition and Ekadashi). Break the fast the next morning during the parana window.
Always consult a doctor before keeping a strict or waterless (nirjala) fast, especially if you have a health condition.
Bhagavad Gita teachings for Ekadashi
Mokshada Ekadashi is Gita Jayanti — the very day Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. Ekadashi's fasting and devotion embody the Gita's teaching on moderation (6.16–17) and the disciplined mind turned toward the divine.
“For one moderate in eating and recreation, balanced in action, and regulated in sleep and waking, yoga destroys all sorrow.”
“Whatever you do, eat, offer or give, and whatever austerity you perform — do it as an offering to Me.”
Krishna's guidance for this day
Use the lightness of an Ekadashi fast to bring a clear question to Krishna. Mokshada Ekadashi — Gita Jayanti — is the most fitting day of all to read and ask about the Gita.
Ask Krishna
Bring a real question about Ekadashi — its meaning for your life, what to focus on spiritually, what Krishna teaches through it — and receive calm, verse-backed guidance.
Ask Krishna about Ekadashi →📿 Mantras & prayers
- ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय (Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya)
- विष्णु सहस्रनाम (Vishnu Sahasranama)
🪷 Recommended activities
- Keep a simple Ekadashi fast
- Chant the Vishnu Sahasranama
- On Gita Jayanti, read the chapter that speaks to your life right now
Make Ekadashi meaningful this year
Add it to your calendar, share the guide with loved ones, and ask Krishna what this sacred day is inviting you toward.