Yogini Ekadashi
Jyeshtha Krishna Ekadashi is Yogini Ekadashi. This vow gave Hemamali, who forgot his duty, his old self back!
- 243 days to go
When to do the puja
For Pune · the best time
- Puja window
- Pradosh
- Night
- Ekadashi starts10:04 PMTue, 29 Jun
- Ekadashi ends8:31 PMWed, 30 Jun
- Pradosh (dusk)7:12 PM to 9:22 PM
Times in other cities
- Pune7:12 PM to 9:22 PM
- Mumbai7:17 PM to 9:27 PM
- Thane7:17 PM to 9:27 PM
- Nashik7:15 PM to 9:24 PM
- Nagpur6:56 PM to 9:04 PM
- Kolhapur7:07 PM to 9:19 PM
- Delhi7:20 PM to 9:22 PM
- Bengaluru6:47 PM to 9:01 PM
- Indore7:12 PM to 9:19 PM
- London9:16 PM to 10:47 PM
- New Jersey8:28 PM to 10:17 PM
- Dubai7:10 PM to 9:15 PM
Quick facts
- Also known asAshadha Krishna Ekadashi (north India)
- WhereAll of India; in the north it falls in Ashadha Krishna
- Puja forVishnu; in Maharashtra, Vitthal
- In one lineFreedom from a curse: Kubera's gardener Hemamali was made whole again by this vow.
Yogini Ekadashi, in a little more detail
- 01
About the festival
Yogini is the Ekadashi just before Ashadhi. By now the palkhis are on the road to Pandharpur, and the varkaris keep this fast on the march.
The Purana rates its merit high: as much as feeding eighty-eight thousand Brahmins. The fast is the usual one, broken on Dwadashi.
The lesson in the story: love and work each need their own time. Forget one, and you can lose the other too.
- 02
The story of Hemamali
Kubera lived in Alakapuri, a great devotee of Shiva. Every day his gardener Hemamali brought flowers from Lake Manasarovar for Kubera's Shiva puja.
One day, flowers picked, he went to his wife Swarupavati instead of coming straight back, and in her company forgot to return. Puja time came, and there were no flowers. Furious, Kubera cursed him: you will get leprosy, and be parted from your wife.
Wandering through a fearsome forest, he reached the sage Markandeya's ashram in the Himalaya. Keep the Yogini Ekadashi fast, the sage told him. Hemamali fasted, got back his handsome Yaksha form, and went home to his wife.
- 03
In Maharashtra and beyond
The Pandharpur wari takes about three weeks, so on Yogini Ekadashi the palkhis from Alandi and Dehu are still on the road. At each night's halt there are bhajans and kirtans.
At home, the usual fast: sabudana, rajgira, potato and peanuts. A visit to Vitthal, and the fast broken on Dwadashi.
In the north this is Ashadha Krishna Ekadashi, because there the month ends on Purnima. The name and the story stay the same.
How to do the puja
In short: A light meal on Dashami, the fast and the Name on Ekadashi, and parana after sunrise on Dwadashi.
- 1Eat light the day before, on Dashami.One simple meal is enough. Nothing heavy at night, so your stomach is light on Ekadashi.
- 2Pick the tulsi leaves for the puja the day before.In many homes tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi.
- 3Bathe in the morning on Ekadashi and make your sankalp for the fast.Decide in your mind: no water at all, water only, fruit and milk, or one fasting meal.
- 4Worship Vishnu or Vitthal.Offer a lamp, incense, sandalwood paste, flowers and tulsi leaves, with fruit or milk as naivedya.
- 5Keep the fast you chose through the day.Leave out rice, wheat, jowar, bajra and dals. Offer your fasting food to God first, then eat.
- 6Spend the day with the name.The Haripath, the Vishnu Sahasranama, bhajans, or the story of that Ekadashi on this page.
- 7In the evening, light the lamp again and do the aarti.Many stay up singing bhajans (jagran). If you work tomorrow, a little while is enough.
- 8Break the fast after sunrise on Dwadashi.If your panchang gives a parana time, keep to it. Offer naivedya first, then eat.
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Frequently asked questions
What can I eat on the fast?
It depends on the fast you keep: nothing, water only, fruit and milk, or one fasting meal. A fasting meal can have sabudana, vari bhagar, sweet potato, potato and peanuts. No grains and no dals.
Can I drink water?
Yes, unless you keep it nirjala. The strictest fast has no water until sunrise on Dwadashi, but most people keep a lighter one.
When do I break the fast?
After sunrise on Dwadashi: this is the parana. If the first part of Dwadashi, the harivasar, runs past sunrise, wait until it ends. Your panchang gives the time.
Why does Ekadashi sometimes have two dates?
When a tithi is lost or doubled, the Smarta and Bhagwat (Warkari) traditions follow different rules, so their Ekadashis can fall on different days. Follow your family’s tradition.
Who need not fast?
The sick, pregnant women and anyone with a health problem need not fast, nor young children and the very old. They can have milk and fruit and keep the day with prayer. If you have a medical condition, ask your doctor first.
What if I break the fast by mistake?
Don't worry. Ask God's forgiveness, spend the rest of the day in prayer, and keep the next Ekadashi well.
Set a reminder in the app
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