When is Nirjala Ekadashi?
| Date | Note |
|---|---|
| Monday, 14 June 2027 | — |
| Saturday, 3 June 2028 | — |
Dates for New Delhi (tithi at sunrise). Smarta and Vaishnava calendars may differ by a day; check your local Panchang for the fast and parana times. All Ekadashi dates →
About Nirjala Ekadashi
Nirjala Ekadashi in the bright half of Jyeshtha is the hardest and most meritorious of all Ekadashis: it is kept without food and even without water (nir-jala), in the hottest season of the year. Keeping it is said to give the merit of all twenty-four Ekadashis.
Devotees who keep it give water-filled pots, fans, umbrellas and sweet drinks in charity, and offer water to the thirsty — the gift of water being especially meritorious on a waterless fast.
The story of Nirjala Ekadashi
Bhima, the second Pandava, had an enormous appetite and could not fast every Ekadashi as his brothers and Draupadi did. Troubled, he asked the sage Vyasa whether there was any way for him to gain the merit of the vrat.
Vyasa told him to keep just one Ekadashi — the Shukla Ekadashi of Jyeshtha — with complete devotion, without food or water from sunrise to the next sunrise, and he would receive the merit of all the Ekadashis of the year. Bhima did so, and the day is also called Bhimseni or Pandava Ekadashi.
As told in the Ekadashi Mahatmya of the Padma and Bhavishyottara Purana tradition, where Krishna narrates each Ekadashi's glory to Yudhishthira. Versions differ in detail between editions.
How to keep the Nirjala Ekadashi vrat
- Dashami, the day before. Eat a light sattvic meal before sunset and avoid grains that night.
- Morning. Bathe early, take a sankalp for the vrat, and worship Vishnu or Krishna with tulsi leaves, flowers, a diya and incense.
- Through the day. Keep the fast as your tradition and health allow — nirjala, phalahar (fruit and milk) or one light meal without grains. Chant "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya", hear the story of Nirjala Ekadashi, and avoid anger and idle talk.
- Night. Many keep jagaran — staying awake with bhajans and kirtan.
- Dwadashi. Break the fast (parana) after sunrise within the Dwadashi tithi, after offering food to Vishnu and to someone in need.
Children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with medical conditions should keep a lighter fast.
Mantra for Nirjala Ekadashi
Dvadashakshari mantra of Vishnu
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya ||
Om, salutations to Bhagavan Vasudeva, who dwells in all beings. Chant it 108 times on a tulsi mala through the day.
Frequently asked questions
When is Nirjala Ekadashi 2027?
Nirjala Ekadashi falls on Monday, 14 June 2027 (New Delhi, tithi at sunrise). Check your local Panchang for the fast and the parana (breaking) time.
Is water really not taken on Nirjala Ekadashi?
The traditional fast is without water until the next morning; those who are unwell, elderly, pregnant or on medication should keep a lighter fast — health comes first.
Why is it called Bhimseni Ekadashi?
Because Vyasa taught it to Bhima, who could not keep the other Ekadashi fasts.
What is eaten on the Nirjala Ekadashi fast?
Grains and beans — rice, wheat and dal — are avoided. Fruit, milk, nuts, potatoes, sabudana, singhara and kuttu flour and rock salt are commonly eaten. Some keep a nirjala fast; follow your family tradition and your health.
When is the Ekadashi fast broken?
On Dwadashi, the next day, after sunrise and within the Dwadashi tithi — not during Hari Vasara, the first quarter of Dwadashi. This is called parana; check the time in your local Panchang.