Ekadashi Vrat

Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of each paksha, kept for Lord Vishnu.

How to keep it

• Eat a light sattvik meal on Dashami, the day before.
• Fast through Ekadashi. Many avoid grains and beans, and some take only fruit and milk.
• Chant Vishnu's names and read the Gita.
• Break the fast on Dwadashi, after sunrise and within the right time.

Katha

King Rukmangada kept Ekadashi with such devotion that his whole kingdom followed. The tradition teaches that a day of restraint, offered to Vishnu, purifies the mind.

Puja vidhi

• Take sankalp: After bathing at sunrise, resolve to keep the fast.
• Worship Lord Vishnu: Offer tulsi leaves, flowers and a diya.
• Chant and listen: Read or listen to the Ekadashi katha.
• Break the fast: Break the fast during the parana window on Dwadashi.

Samagri

• Tulsi leaves (A few)
• Yellow flowers (A handful)
• Ghee diya (1)
• Fruits (For bhog)

Foods allowed

• Fruits
• Milk and curd
• Sabudana
• Kuttu atta
• Singhara atta
• Sendha namak
• Potatoes

Foods to avoid

• Rice and grains
• Lentils
• Onion and garlic
• Table salt

Aarti and mantra

• Om Jai Jagdish Hare: Vishnu aarti
• Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya: Chant 108 times