Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi, when the Moon is between a hundred and thirty-two and a hundred and forty-four degrees from the Sun. It comes twice in every lunar month, once in each paksha, and because of that it is the tithi most people think of first when they think of a vrat.
This page explains the tithi as a unit of the lunar calendar: where it sits, how it is named and why calendars disagree about its date. The calculated dates, the parana times for 49 cities and the tables are on the Ekadashi festival page, and the steps of the fast are in the Ekadashi Vrat Vidhi. Nothing in those pages is repeated here.
The tithi at a glance
| Detail | Ekadashi |
|---|---|
| Where it falls | Number 11 in Shukla paksha (tithi 11 of 30) and number 11 in Krishna paksha (tithi 26 of 30) |
| Moon ahead of the Sun by | 120 to 132 degrees in Shukla; 300 to 312 degrees in Krishna |
| Group | Nanda (with Pratipada and Shashthi) |
| Deity in a common list | Vishvedevas in a common list; Vishnu in popular worship |
Group and deity
Ekadashi belongs to the Nanda group, with Pratipada and Shashthi. Nanda means delight, and muhurat summaries link the group to festive, communal activity. For the fast itself, the group name has little to do with how the day is kept, which is a day of restraint.
A common list names the Vishvedevas, a group of deities, as the presiding deity of Ekadashi, but in practice the day is given to Vishnu, and Vaishnava households keep it as the most important vrat of the month. The two statements come from different layers of tradition and they sit side by side in the almanac.
How the Ekadashis are named
There are twenty-four Ekadashis in an ordinary year and twenty-six when an extra month is added, and each has a name that comes from the month and the paksha in which it falls. Among the best known are Devshayani Ekadashi, on Ashadha Shukla, when Vishnu is said to begin his four months of rest; Prabodhini or Devutthana Ekadashi, on Kartika Shukla, when he wakes; Mokshada Ekadashi, on Margashirsha Shukla, which is also the day on which the Bhagavad Gita is remembered in a festival called Gita Jayanti; and Nirjala Ekadashi, on Jyeshtha Shukla, kept without even water.
Names for the dark-half Ekadashis, such as Utpanna and Shattila, are placed in different months by the amanta and purnimanta calendars, which is why a printed list from the north and one from the south can disagree on the month. The page on amanta and purnimanta explains it. The period from Devshayani to Prabodhini is Chaturmas, a time when many families hold back from weddings and housewarmings.
Smarta and Vaishnava reckoning
The Smarta rule keeps the vrat on the civil day on which Ekadashi is in force at sunrise. The Vaishnava rule is stricter: an Ekadashi that is touched by Dashami at the time just before sunrise, an interval called Arunodaya, is set aside, and the fast moves to the next day. In many months the two rules give the same day, but in some they differ by one day, and some calendars therefore list two dates for the same Ekadashi.
If you follow a Vaishnava sampradaya, use its own calendar. If you do not, the Smarta date is the standard. Neither is a mistake, and the festival page lists the Smarta rule for the cities it covers.
What muhurat practice says
Shukla Ekadashi is among the tithis most often listed in almanacs as suitable for marriage and a housewarming, and it is not a Rikta tithi. The restriction that applies is not the tithi but the season: during Chaturmas many families and almanacs hold no weddings, whichever tithi is chosen, and the days from Devshayani Ekadashi to Prabodhini Ekadashi are generally set aside for them.
Krishna Ekadashi is acceptable for ordinary matters but is not often chosen for ceremonies, and Ekadashi days are for many families fasting days, which does not suit a wedding feast. A family astrologer will usually look at this practical side too.
The weekday, nakshatra and the individual charts always count. The muhurat section shows how the factors combine, and the samskaras guide lists the ceremonies for which families look for a day.
A simple way to approach the day
The fast itself is described on the vrat vidhi page. If you are new to it, a gentle start is to avoid grains and beans for the day, eat fruit, milk and simple food, light a lamp for Vishnu, and spend a quiet hour in prayer or reading. Many people keep a lighter version without any shame.
Fasting is a personal choice and it is not suitable for everyone. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, nursing, elderly, diabetic or take regular medicine, speak to your doctor before you fast, and do not feel that a lighter vrat counts for less.
Reading the tithi in the calendar
Ekadashi is the tithi for which the parana, the breaking of the fast on the next morning, is part of the calendar. The fast is broken after sunrise and while Dwadashi is running, but not in its first quarter, called Hari Vasara. That is why a calendar lists an Ekadashi date and a parana window together.
Because the tithi can be shortened or lengthened by the Moon’s changing speed, Ekadashi can fall on two days or on none at sunrise, and the Smarta and Vaishnava dates can move apart. The festival page calculates each case for each city.
To see whether Ekadashi is the tithi running today in your own city, open the daily panchang. Ekadashi follows Dashami in the cycle and is followed by Dwadashi; the whole set is described in the guide to the thirty tithis.
Related pages
- Ekadashi dates and parana times: the calculated vrat days for 49 cities.
- Ekadashi Vrat Vidhi: the steps of the fast and the katha.
- Dwadashi: the day on which the fast is broken.
- Dashami: the day before.
- Muhurat: how Chaturmas and tithis combine.
- Amanta and purnimanta: how Ekadashi names move between months.
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is Ekadashi tithi?
Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of each lunar fortnight, when the Moon is a hundred and thirty-two to a hundred and forty-four degrees away from the Sun. It falls twice a month.
↳ How many Ekadashis are there in a year?
There are twenty-four in an ordinary year and twenty-six when an extra month is added. Each has its own name.
↳ Why do some calendars list two dates for one Ekadashi?
The Smarta rule takes the tithi at sunrise, and the stricter Vaishnava rule sets aside an Ekadashi touched by Dashami just before sunrise. In some months that moves the fast by a day.
↳ Are weddings held on Ekadashi?
Shukla Ekadashi is commonly counted as favourable by the tithi, but weddings are generally not held during Chaturmas, which runs from Devshayani Ekadashi to Prabodhini Ekadashi.