Vrat · Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi
Nirjala Ekadashi 2026
Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi is Nirjala Ekadashi: a fast without even a sip of water. One vow believed to hold the merit of every Ekadashi of the year!
Next date
Times are for Kolhapur. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asBhimseni Ekadashi, Pandava Ekadashi, Bhima Ekadashi
- WhereAll of India; the Ekadashi Vaishnavas keep most strictly
- Puja forVishnu (Vitthal)
- In one lineThe hardest and holiest of the twenty-four: one waterless fast for the merit of a whole year of Ekadashis.
Nirjala Ekadashi, in a little more detail
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About the festival
Nirjala means without water. On other Ekadashis you give up food, but today not even water: from sunrise on Ekadashi to sunrise on Dwadashi. For achamana, only a drop the size of a mustard seed.
And it falls in Jyeshtha, in the fierce heat of summer. That's what makes it the hardest Ekadashi. But for anyone who can't keep every Ekadashi through the year, this is the way: one day, with your whole heart.
On Dwadashi you bathe at dawn and give: a pot of water, an umbrella, sandals, clothes. The one who bore the thirst all day is the one who gives water to others.
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Bhima and the sage Vyasa
In the Pandavas' home everyone kept Ekadashi: Yudhishthira, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, Kunti and Draupadi. Only Bhima couldn't. He went to the sage Vyasa and said: in my stomach burns a fire called Vrika. I am the son of Vayu, and I can't bear hunger. I get no peace until I've eaten my fill.
Vyasa said: keep the Ekadashis of both fortnights, and heaven is yours. Bhima said: I can't fast twice a month. Tell me one fast that brings the merit of all of them.
Vyasa smiled and said: then on Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi take no food, and no water either, from one sunrise to the next. This one fast will give you the merit of every Ekadashi of the year. Bhima kept it, and ever since it has been Bhimseni, or Pandava, Ekadashi.
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In Maharashtra and beyond
In the puja, an image of Vishnu or a shaligram is bathed in panchamrit: milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar. Then the god is offered a hand fan, flowers, incense and aarti. At home, Vitthal puja, and a night awake with bhajans.
In Maharashtra, Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi is also Gayatri Jayanti.
Water is the heart of today's giving: a pot filled with water, a hand fan, an umbrella. If you can't keep the fast, you take part by giving water to someone thirsty.
In northern cities such as Jammu, chhabeels go up in the markets and along the roads today: cold sharbat and prasad for everyone who passes.
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
How is today’s fast different?
Today there is no water at all, from sunrise to the next sunrise: only a drop for achaman. Bhima was told this one fast brings the merit of every Ekadashi in the year. People give away pots filled with water today.
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 2026
1 times this year, timed for Kolhapur.
Dates by city in 2026
Every date is the same in every city listed.
Dates in 2027
1 times in 2027, timed for Kolhapur.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.