Vrat · Chaitra Krishna Ekadashi
Varuthini Ekadashi 2026
Chaitra Krishna Ekadashi is Varuthini Ekadashi. Varuthini means the one in armour: the vow is believed to shield you from harm!
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Times are for New Jersey. The app gives times for your city.
Quick facts
- Also known asBaruthani Ekadashi, Vaishakha Krishna Ekadashi (north India)
- WhereAll of India; in the north it falls in Vaishakha Krishna
- Puja forVishnu (as Vamana; as Varaha in Mandhata's story)
- In one lineA vow that guards you like armour: King Mandhata recovered through it.
Varuthini Ekadashi, in a little more detail
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About the festival
Varuthini means the one in armour. The vow is believed to keep you from harm and bring good fortune.
In the telling, Krishna gives Yudhishthira a rising list of gifts: a horse, an elephant, land, sesame, grain, gold, a cow. But the greatest gift of all is knowledge. On this fast you put no oil on your body, you eat at no one else's house, and you keep the night awake.
The lesson of the day: the real armour is holding your temper. In trouble, join your hands before you raise them.
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King Mandhata and the bear
On the banks of the Narmada ruled Mandhata, a righteous and generous king. Once he sat down to meditate in a dense forest.
Just then a bear attacked him, seized his leg and began dragging him to its den. But the king didn't get angry, and he didn't fight back. He only called on Vishnu. Vishnu appeared and killed the bear with the Sudarshana chakra, but the king's leg was badly hurt.
Vishnu said: don't worry. This comes from a sin in a past life. Go to Mathura, worship my Varaha form, and keep the Varuthini Ekadashi vow. The king did, his leg healed, and his strength came back.
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In Maharashtra and beyond
It's the first Krishna-paksha Ekadashi after Gudi Padwa. At home: the fast, Vitthal puja, and tulsi and fruit as naivedya.
Giving matters especially today: food, clothes, or teaching someone something. By the story, the gift of knowledge is the greatest.
In the north the month ends on the full moon, so there this is Vaishakha Krishna Ekadashi. In some places the name is Baruthani.
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
1 times this year, timed for New Jersey.
Dates by city in 2026
Every date is the same in every city listed.
Dates in 2027
1 times in 2027, timed for New Jersey.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.