Vrat · Margashirsha Krishna Ekadashi
Saphala Ekadashi 2027
Margashirsha Krishna Ekadashi is Saphala Ekadashi: the fruitful one. It's believed to bear fruit even for someone who has got everything wrong!
Next date
Times are for Bengaluru. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asPausha Krishna Ekadashi (north India)
- WhereAll of India; in the north it falls in Pausha Krishna
- Puja forNarayana (Vishnu)
- In one lineAn Ekadashi kept without knowing it turned Lumpaka's life around: this vow's fruit is never wasted.
Saphala Ekadashi, in a little more detail
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About the festival
Saphala means fruitful. Even today's puja is about fruit: fresh fruit, incense and ghee lamps are offered to Narayana.
The ghee lamp is held to be the special offering of the day, and the night is kept awake. The fast is the usual one, broken on Dwadashi.
The lesson in the story: however far you've strayed, the way back is never closed. Give one day to God with an honest heart, and leave the rest to him.
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The story of Lumpaka
King Mahishmata ruled the city of Champavati. But his eldest son, Lumpaka, had gone to waste: he mocked the gods and their devotees. In the end the king threw him out of the kingdom.
Lumpaka went to live under an old banyan in the forest. He had no idea the tree was dear to Vishnu. By day he hunted, by night he stole from the city. One Dashami night the cold froze him, he couldn't sleep, and the next day he had no strength left to hunt.
He gathered fruit that had fallen to the ground, and at sunset laid it at the banyan's roots, saying: Hari, take this fruit. He stayed awake all night, and without knowing it kept a full Ekadashi. On Dwadashi morning a horse stood before him, and a voice said: go home, to your father. Lumpaka went back a changed man, and in time he ruled the kingdom himself.
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In Maharashtra and beyond
In Maharashtra, Margashirsha is already a month of vows: the Thursday Mahalakshmi vrat is kept in it. Saphala Ekadashi comes in the month's second fortnight.
At home: the fast, Vitthal puja, and an offering of fruit to suit the story. In the evening, a ghee lamp before the god.
In the north the month ends on the full moon, so there this is Pausha Krishna Ekadashi. The name, the story and the vow are 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.
Dates in 2027
2 times this year, timed for Bengaluru.
Dates by city in 2027
In these cities the dates below differ from Bengaluru; the rest are the same.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.