Kamika Ekadashi falls in the dark half of Ashadha, a few weeks into Chaturmas, when the rains have settled in. It is the Ekadashi on which worship with tulsi leaves is especially remembered, and it is kept for peace of mind and freedom from regret. The name is linked in the tradition with kama, wish.
Kamika Ekadashi falls in the Krishna paksha, the waning fortnight, of Ashadha in the amanta calendar (months that end at the new Moon). In the purnimanta calendar of north India, where the month ends at the full Moon, the same fortnight belongs to Shravana.
The katha
The tradition attributes the stories of the Ekadashis, Kamika Ekadashi among them, to the Padma Purana and the Bhavishyottara Purana, where they are told as conversations, often with Krishna answering Yudhishthira. The story is a quiet one about guilt and forgiveness.
In a village lived a proud Kshatriya who got into a quarrel with a Brahmin. In the heat of the argument he struck him, and the Brahmin died. The man was horrified by what he had done. The local Brahmins refused to take part in the funeral rites unless the killer first did penance, and no one would eat in his house.
Tormented by regret and by the isolation, the Kshatriya sought the advice of a wise man, who told him to keep Kamika Ekadashi, with worship of Vishnu and offerings of tulsi. He did this with a sincere heart, and that night, in a dream, Vishnu appeared and told him that his sin was removed.
The tradition says that the man was freed from his burden, and the Brahmins accepted his penance. The tale is read as one about the power of honest remorse and of a sincere act of repair, and it also explains why tulsi is so central to the day.
How the fast is kept
The characteristic offering is tulsi. Leaves are gathered the day before, since many families do not pluck tulsi on Ekadashi, and are offered to Vishnu during the worship, with a lamp of ghee. Because the day falls in Chaturmas, devotees often listen to a reading from a Purana or the Bhagavata through the afternoon.
Some people keep the day as one of honest reflection, thinking of an act they regret and what they could do to repair it. Please see a doctor, or a counsellor, if guilt or low mood is weighing on you, as prayer sits well alongside help.
Kamika Ekadashi is dated here by the Smarta sunrise test. A Vaishnava household may be given another day, since that rule sets aside an Ekadashi that Dashami touches at dawn, so use the calendar your family trusts. After Kamika Ekadashi the fast is opened the next morning, inside the parana window listed for your city, which starts after sunrise, ends with Dwadashi and avoids Hari Vasara. Please keep the Kamika Ekadashi fast at a level that suits your body. Anyone pregnant, nursing, unwell or elderly can take fruit and milk or only pray on Kamika Ekadashi, and should consult a doctor about any change in eating or medicine.
Where it sits in the year
In the round of the year, Devshayani Ekadashi comes before Kamika Ekadashi and Shravana Putrada Ekadashi after it. To see the whole round, open the Ekadashi page. The Ekadashi vrat vidhi gives the order of worship for Kamika Ekadashi, and the Ekadashi tithi page explains the tithi.