Ekadashi Vrat Vidhi: Rules, Parana and the Katha of Mura

Ekadashi comes twice a month, once in the bright half and once in the dark, and has 24 or sometimes 25 occurrences in a year. Each has a name of its own, such as Utpanna, Mokshada, Nirjala and Prabodhini. It is the main vrat of Vaishnava practice, though many families keep it regardless of sect.

Timing

The vrat is kept on the day when Ekadashi is in force at sunrise, by the common rule, and the fast is broken the next morning in a window called the parana. Some Vaishnava traditions follow a stricter rule, so check your own calendar. The Ekadashi page lists every Ekadashi with the parana window for five cities and links to the 49 city pages, among them New Delhi, New York and London. The any-city tool covers other places. No dates are given here.

Samagri: what to gather

Steps in order

1. On the day before, eat a light meal early, with no grains if you can, and plan the fast. Pluck the tulsi leaves for the next day.
2. On Ekadashi morning bathe, set up the altar, light the lamp and take the sankalp for the vrat.
3. Worship Vishnu with water, flowers, tulsi, incense and a sweet, and recite the Vishnu Sahasranama or a mantra of Vishnu if you know it.
4. Read or listen to the Ekadashi katha of the day.
5. Through the day keep a quiet, simple routine. Many families avoid grains, beans, and in some cases onion, garlic and salt of certain kinds.
6. In the evening, light a lamp, sing an aarti such as Om Jai Jagdish Hare, and take fruit or the allowed food.
7. The next morning, after sunrise, bathe, offer a prayer, and break the fast during the parana window with a simple meal, often beginning with a tulsi leaf and water.

The katha

The tradition connects the first Ekadashi, Utpanna Ekadashi, with a demon called Mura. The story says that Mura troubled the gods and, with his army, attacked Vishnu while he rested in a cave called Haimavati. Vishnu, seeing the army, let it come close. As Mura raised his weapon, a radiant woman arose from Vishnu’s body and, with a cry, burned the demon to ash.

Vishnu, waking, asked who had done it. She said she had come from him, and asked that she be given a name and a blessing. He named her Ekadashi, since she arose on the eleventh day, and granted that whoever keeps the vrat on the day will be freed from sin and gain his grace. The Puranas tell a separate katha for each Ekadashi, usually about a king or a sage who found peace by keeping the vrat.

Regional variations

Customs differ by region and family; follow your family’s custom. In Odisha the Ekadashi is closely linked with Jagannath worship. In Maharashtra, Pandharpur has pilgrimages on Ashadhi and Kartiki Ekadashi. In Tamil Nadu Vaikunta Ekadashi is a major day with the opening of the northern door of temples. Some families eat rock salt, and others do not.

Fasting and health

The fast ranges from none of grain to no food or water. Please choose what you can do safely. If you are pregnant, nursing, diabetic, elderly, or on regular medicine, speak to a doctor first. A fast of fruit and milk is accepted, and many families treat the day more as a day of prayer than abstinence.

Frequently asked questions