Vrat · Vaishakha Krishna Ekadashi
Apara Ekadashi 2026
Vaishakha Krishna Ekadashi is Apara Ekadashi. Apara means boundless: the merit of this vow is believed to have no limit!
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Times are for Mumbai. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asAchala Ekadashi, Jyeshtha Krishna Ekadashi (north India)
- WhereAll of India; in the north it falls in Jyeshtha Krishna
- Puja forVishnu, as Vamana (Trivikrama)
- In one lineA vow of boundless merit: a sage gave its merit away and freed a king from life as a ghost.
Apara Ekadashi, in a little more detail
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About the festival
Apara means boundless, without end. The merit of this Ekadashi is held to have no limit: the tellings rank it with a pilgrim's bath, the gift of cows and a yajna.
Today you don't lie and you don't speak ill of anyone; that's a special part of this vow. By the story, it washes away even the sins of false witness and slander.
The lesson of the day: merit isn't only for saving up for yourself. You can give it away, and that's how it grows.
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The story of King Mahidhvaja
Mahidhvaja was a righteous king. But his younger brother Vajradhvaja was cruel and jealous. One night Vajradhvaja murdered the king and buried his body under a pipal tree in the forest.
Dead before his time, the king became a ghost who lived in that pipal and troubled everyone who took that road.
One day the sage Dhaumya came that way. By the power of his tapas he saw the ghost's story, brought him down from the tree and taught him about the life beyond. Then he kept the Apara Ekadashi fast himself and gave all its merit to the king. The king was freed, took a divine body, thanked the sage, and rose to heaven.
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In Maharashtra and beyond
At home: the fast and Vitthal puja, with tulsi, yellow sandalwood, camphor and fruit.
This Ekadashi comes in the height of summer, so giving food, an umbrella or a pair of sandals today is held to be especially meritorious.
In the north the month ends on the full moon, so there this is Jyeshtha Krishna Ekadashi, often called Achala Ekadashi.
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 2026
1 times this year, timed for Mumbai.
Dates by city in 2026
In these cities the dates below differ from Mumbai; the rest are the same.
Dates in 2027
1 times in 2027, timed for Mumbai.
Set a reminder in the app
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