Vrat · Shravana Shukla Ekadashi
Putrada (Shravan) Ekadashi 2026
Shravana Shukla Ekadashi is Shravana's Putrada Ekadashi. A king paid for driving away a thirsty cow, and this vow set it right!
Next date
Times are for Kolhapur. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asPavitra Ekadashi, Pavitropana Ekadashi
- WhereAll of India; more popular outside the north
- Puja forVishnu
- In one lineThe cost of hurting a creature that cannot speak, and the vow that undid it: kept in hope of a child.
Putrada (Shravan) Ekadashi, in a little more detail
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About the festival
One old explanation of the word putra, son: the one who delivers (tra) from the hell called Pu. Putrada is the one who gives such a son.
Today it's Vishnu puja, the fast and a night awake. The fast is broken on Dwadashi, and that day giving to others is honoured.
The lesson is simple: the thirsty one drinks first. However great your own need, don't snatch the water from another's mouth.
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The story of King Mahijit
King Mahijit of Mahishmati had no child, and so his whole kingdom felt joyless to him. His ministers asked the sage Lomasha why.
The sage said: in his last life this king was a merchant. On the day after an Ekadashi in Jyeshtha, thirsty from his travels, he came to a pond. A cow had come there with her calf to drink. He shoved them aside and drank himself. That sin is why he has no child today.
The sage gave the remedy: keep the Shravana Shukla Ekadashi vow. The king, the queen and all the people fasted and kept the night awake, and on Dwadashi the people offered their merit to the king. In time the queen bore a fine son.
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In Maharashtra and beyond
In Maharashtra this Ekadashi is kept as usual: the fast, a visit to Vitthal, and bhajans. It's Shravana, so it's a month of vows in every home anyway.
Four days later comes Shravana Purnima: Narali Purnima on the coast, and Raksha Bandhan in every home.
In Vaishnava temples the five-day Jhulan Yatra runs from today to Purnima: images of Radha and Krishna on a swing decked with flowers and creepers.
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.
What you needTick as you go
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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 2026
2 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.