Indha page innum Tanglish-la ezhudhala, adhanaala English-la irukku.
Shukla paksha · Jyeshtha · amanta reckoning
Mon, 14 Jun
Nirjala Ekadashi 2027 is on Monday, 14 June. Parana, breaking the fast, is on 15 June, 1:45 PM to 4:32 PM in New Delhi.
2028: Saturday, 3 June 2028
Parana (breaking the fast), 15 Jun 2027
1:45 PM – 4:32 PM
Also called Bhimseni Ekadashi, Bhim Ekadashi, Pandava Ekadashi, Nirjal Ekadashi. Those are the same observance and the same date, so they share this page rather than competing with it from a second URL.
Ask Swarn
Is this muhurat good for my chart? Ask Swarn free
Monday, 14 June 2027
| Timing | New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Parana (breaking the fast), 15 Jun 2027 | 1:45 PM to 4:32 PM | Hari Vasara runs past the morning, so parana is kept after madhyahna (midday), in the afternoon window. |
Nirjala Ekadashi is not a Gregorian date. It is Shukla paksha tithi 11 of Jyeshtha in the amanta reckoning, and the Gregorian day it lands on moves by up to a month between years because twelve lunations fall about eleven days short of a solar year.
Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 5:22 AM on that day, and that is the instant the tithi has to be running at for the day to carry the observance. It is computed for this city rather than assumed, because it is what decides the date.
The two instants above are the astronomy and are not in dispute. The day is an interpretation of them: this observance is decided at sunrise, so it belongs to the day whose sunrise the tithi carries — not simply to the day the tithi begins.
Every day above is computed for New Delhi from the same tithi instants. ISKCON temples publish their own calendar for each city and also apply the Mahadvadashi rules, which can move a fast to Dwadashi in some years — where your temple's calendar differs, follow it.
Also known as Bhimseni Ekadashi, Pandava Ekadashi.
Nirjala Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the bright half of Jyeshtha, in the hottest weeks of the North Indian year, and it is kept nirjala — without even water — from sunrise to the next day's parana. It is also called Bhimseni or Pandava Ekadashi after the katha below. Gifts of water pitchers, hand fans, umbrellas, sherbet and grain are customary, and water is set out for passers-by. A waterless fast in that heat is demanding, and many families keep a lighter form for the elderly, the unwell and the pregnant.
Retold in brief from the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, in the Ekadashi-mahatmya, where Vyasa speaks with Bhima (the story is also retold in many Hindi vrat-katha books as part of the Mahabharata tradition).
The Pandavas kept every Ekadashi — Yudhishthira, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, Draupadi and their mother Kunti all fasted twice a month. Bhima could not. A fire burned in his belly, he said, that only food could quiet; he could give to the poor and worship Vishnu, but a day without eating was beyond him.
Troubled, he went to the sage Vyasa and asked whether there was any way for a man like him to share the merit of the Ekadashis his family kept. Vyasa did not tell him to stop eating altogether.
There is one day in the year, Vyasa said: the Ekadashi of the bright half of Jyeshtha. Keep that one completely — no food and no water, except the sip taken for achamana, from sunrise until sunrise on Dwadashi — and break the fast after feeding others and giving water and gifts. That single fast holds the merit of all twenty-four.
Bhima agreed and kept it, and it became known by his name, Bhimseni Ekadashi. Vyasa adds that whoever keeps this fast with devotion is met at the end of life by Vishnu's messengers rather than Yama's.
Fasting customs are described here as tradition, not as medical advice. Consult a doctor before fasting, particularly if you are pregnant, diabetic, elderly or on medication.
Twenty-four in an ordinary year, two more in a year with an adhika month. Each has its own page with its katha, parana and Smarta and Vaishnava dates.
The next Ekadashi and its parana · every Ekadashi of 2027 with tithi and parana times
Nirjala Ekadashi is the waterless Ekadashi: kept in the bright half of Jyeshtha, in the hottest weeks of the year, without food or even water from sunrise until parana on Dwadashi, and said to hold the merit of all twenty-four Ekadashis. In New Delhi it falls on Monday, 14 June 2027: the fast begins at sunrise (5:22 AM) and is broken on Dwadashi, 15 Jun, 1:45 PM to 4:32 PM. It is also called Bhimseni or Pandava Ekadashi.
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Parana: the first water | 15 Jun, 1:45 PM to 4:32 PMHari Vasara runs past the morning, so parana waits until midday has passed: the aparahna. | The window on Dwadashi morning in which the waterless fast is completed, opening once Hari Vasara is over; when Hari Vasara runs late it moves past midday, and it never runs beyond the end of Dwadashi. Begin with slow sips of water, then sherbet or fruit. The time shown is computed for New Delhi. |
| Hari Vasara ends | 15 Jun, 8:14 AMThe end of the first quarter of Dwadashi; the fast is never broken inside it. | Hari Vasara is the first quarter of Dwadashi. The fast is not broken inside it, even when it is already morning, so its end in New Delhi is the earliest moment parana can begin. |
| Brahma Muhurta | 4:02 AM to 4:42 AMThe 14th of the night's fifteen muhurtas, ending one muhurta before sunrise. | The hour before dawn on the Ekadashi day, the traditional time to wake, bathe and take the sankalp of the fast. |
| Sunrise: the waterless fast begins | 5:22 AMThe upper edge of the Sun on the horizon, with refraction. | The Nirjala fast is counted from sunrise on Ekadashi: from this moment no food and no water is taken, except the sip for achamana, until parana on Dwadashi. |
| Auspicious choghadiya (day) |
| The day's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal periods. Families who cannot worship at dawn choose one of them for the main puja. |
| Pradosh Kaal: the evening lamps | 7:20 PM to 9:20 PMFrom sunset for three night muhurtas (a fifth of the night). | The evening after sunset, when lamps are lit before Vishnu and beside the tulsi and the aarti is sung again. |
| Nishita Kaal: the night vigil | 15 Jun, 12:01 AM to 12:41 AMThe 8th of the night's fifteen muhurtas, around the middle of the night. | The middle of the night, the heart of the jagran. Those who keep the night awake give this part of it to kirtan and japa. |
| Rahu Kaal (to avoid)Kept clear of | 7:07 AM to 8:52 AMRahu's eighth of the daylight, fixed by the weekday: a puja, a purchase or a journey is not begun in it. | The weekday's Rahu Kaal on the Ekadashi day in New Delhi. Many families avoid beginning the sankalp or the main puja inside it; it does not change the fast itself or the parana window. |
| Window | Time in New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Abhijit Muhurat | 11:53 AM to 12:49 PM | Auspicious |
| Amrit Kaal | 10:56 AM to 12:34 PM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:02 AM to 4:42 AM | Auspicious |
These are the spans classical muhurta sets aside for beginnings. They are descriptions of a convention, not warnings: the observance is kept on its day regardless, and nothing here needs to be bought, corrected or remedied.
| Window | Time in New Delhi |
|---|---|
| Rahu Kaal | 7:07 AM to 8:52 AM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 10:36 AM to 12:21 PM |
| Durmuhurta First | 12:49 PM to 1:45 PM |
| Durmuhurta Second | 3:36 PM to 4:32 PM |
| Varjyam | 11:17 PM to 12:56 AM |
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Monday, 14 June 2027, from the sunrise, sunset and the positions of the Sun and Moon for this city. The Vedic day runs sunrise to sunrise, so a window whose clock time falls after midnight still belongs to the evening before; a time on another date carries that date.
Every Ekadashi is kept the same way: one sattvic meal on Dashami, the sankalp at dawn, Vishnu puja with tulsi, the katha and aarti, lamps at dusk, the night vigil and parana on Dwadashi. Those steps are in the Ekadashi vrat vidhi. Below are the steps Nirjala Ekadashi adds or words its own way.
Eat a light, early, sattvic meal on Dashami and drink enough water through the day, since the fast that follows is waterless. Brush your teeth and pick the tulsi leaves you will need the evening before, and keep the night quiet.
At sunrise, with a little water in the right hand, resolve to keep Nirjala for Vishnu: no food and no water from this sunrise until parana on Dwadashi, except the sip taken for achamana. Those who cannot go without water, for reasons of age or health, resolve to keep it on water or fruit instead; the tradition itself allows a lighter form.
Offer Vishnu a pot of cool water, mango or melon and a sweet, each with a tulsi leaf, and a hand fan beside them. Nothing made from grain is offered.
Read or listen to the Nirjala Ekadashi vrat katha below, and the Vishnu Sahasranama or a chapter of the Gita if you can. Then sing Om Jai Jagdish Hare with a ghee lamp or camphor, and ask pardon for any mistake made in the puja.
Stay indoors and still through the heat, away from the sun and from exertion, keep Vishnu's name and avoid sleeping in the day as far as health allows. If you feel faint, dizzy or unwell, drink water at once: the vow does not ask you to harm yourself.
Set out a pot of cool water for passers-by, and give water pitchers, hand fans, umbrellas, sherbet or grain to those who need them: the day's customary gifts, and the reason the fast is kept in this season.
Next morning bathe, worship Vishnu, and, as Vyasa told Bhima, feed someone and give water and gifts before your own parana. Then break the fast inside the parana window with slow sips of water and the parana verse, then sherbet or fruit, and only later a light meal.
The puja samagri every Ekadashi uses (an image of Vishnu, tulsi picked on Dashami, a ghee lamp, yellow flowers, panchamrit, Ganga jal and the rest) is in the Ekadashi samagri list. For Nirjala Ekadashi, add:
The verses every Ekadashi uses, from the dhyana and sankalpa verses to the parana verse, and the Om Jai Jagdish Hare aarti are in the Ekadashi guide's mantras and aarti. Nirjala Ekadashi's own:
एकादश्यां निराहारः स्थित्वाहमपरेऽहनि ।
भोक्ष्यामि पुण्डरीकाक्ष शरणं मे भवाच्युत ॥
Ekadashyam niraharah sthitvaham apare'hani
Bhokshyami pundarikaksha sharanam me bhavachyuta
Meaning: O lotus-eyed Lord, I shall stay without food on Ekadashi and eat on the day after. O Achyuta, be my refuge.
When and how: Once at sunrise, with a little water in the right hand, for the waterless vow.
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे ।
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे ॥
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Meaning: Sixteen names, Hare, Rama and Krishna, each a call to the Lord by name with nothing asked for. The Kali-Santarana Upanishad gives the Hare Rama half first; many communities, ISKCON among them, sing the Hare Krishna half first. It is the same mantra either way.
When and how: Sung aloud in the night kirtan, or said softly on a tulsi mala through the day.
अज्ञानतिमिरान्धस्य व्रतेनानेन केशव ।
प्रसीद सुमुखो नाथ ज्ञानदृष्टिप्रदो भव ॥
Ajnana-timirandhasya vratenanena Keshava
Prasida sumukho natha jnana-drishti-prado bhava
Meaning: O Keshava, by this vow be pleased with one who is blinded by the darkness of ignorance. Be gracious, Lord, and grant the sight of knowledge.
When and how: Once on Dwadashi inside the parana window, before the first sip of water.
This is the fast for people who cannot keep the others. Bhima, who could not go a day without food, asked Vyasa for a way to share his family's merit, and was given this single day in the year, kept completely, in place of all twenty-four. That is why many who keep no other Ekadashi keep this one, and why the day is as much about others' thirst as one's own: a clay pot of water by the gate, a chhabeel of cool drinks at the roadside.
It follows Ganga Dussehra, the day before, and Jagannath's Snana Purnima, when the deities of Puri are bathed in the open, comes a few days after. A doctor's advice comes before the vow: anyone old, ill, pregnant or on regular medicine should ask first and keep a lighter form. Vyasa's word in the katha is that whoever keeps it with devotion is met at life's end by Vishnu's messengers, not Yama's.
Set an earthen pot of cool water, with a cup, outside your door or shop for the whole day. Giving water on the day you deny it to yourself is the heart of Nirjala.
Give water pitchers, hand fans and umbrellas to those who work in the sun: the customary gifts of this Ekadashi.
Share sherbet, mango and melon with neighbours, workers and children; in many towns families run roadside stalls of sweetened water on this day.
Vyasa told Bhima to break the fast only after feeding others and giving water and gifts. Feed someone on Dwadashi morning before your own parana.
Bhima could keep no other Ekadashi, so he kept this one completely. If you can keep only one Ekadashi a year, the tradition says let it be this one, in whatever form your health allows.
Put out a shallow bowl of water for birds and a trough for animals; in Jyeshtha's heat it is a daan that is used within the hour.
Two years back, this year, and two ahead. Past years are kept rather than dropped so you can check the engine against a calendar you already have.
| Year | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Tuesday, 18 June 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Friday, 6 June 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Thursday, 25 June 2026 | past |
| 2027 | Monday, 14 June 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Saturday, 3 June 2028 | upcoming |
Every row is computed for New Delhi from the same ephemeris, not looked up. Sunrise decides which day a tithi names, and sunrise differs across India by more than an hour, so a date computed for Delhi can be a day out elsewhere.
There is no single authority that settles a Hindu festival date, and the divergence is genuine rather than sloppy. Three causes account for almost all of it.
So this page shows its working. If your pandit or your family almanac gives a different day, the instants above will usually show you exactly why — and that is more useful than a date asserted without one.
In New Delhi, Nirjala Ekadashi falls on Monday, 14 June 2027. Ekadashi tithi runs 2:12 AM to 2:08 AM (15 Jun); the waterless fast begins at sunrise on that day (5:22 AM) and ends with parana the next morning. It is the bright-half Ekadashi of Jyeshtha (Jeth), and it always comes between late May and late June.
Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.
Nirjala Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the bright half of Jyeshtha, in the hottest weeks of the North Indian year, and it is kept nirjala — without even water — from sunrise to the next day's parana. It is also called Bhimseni or Pandava Ekadashi after the katha below. Gifts of water pitchers, hand fans, umbrellas, sherbet and grain are customary, and water is set out for passers-by. A waterless fast in that heat is demanding, and many families keep a lighter form for the elderly, the unwell and the pregnant.
It is told in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, in the Ekadashi-mahatmya, where Vyasa speaks with Bhima (the story is also retold in many Hindi vrat-katha books as part of the Mahabharata tradition). The katha is retold in full above.
Not this year — both keep Monday, 14 June 2027. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, and Ekadashi already holds that day's arunodaya.
Parana is on Dwadashi morning: in New Delhi, 15 Jun, 1:45 PM to 4:32 PM, after Hari Vasara ends (15 Jun, 8:14 AM). After a day without water, begin with slow sips of water and the parana verse, then sherbet or fruit, and eat a light meal only after that. If you miss the morning window, wait until midday has passed, and break the fast before Dwadashi ends.
The Pandavas kept every Ekadashi, but Bhima could not: a fire in his belly, he said, could be quieted only by food. He asked Vyasa if there was a way for him, and Vyasa named one day, the bright-half Ekadashi of Jyeshtha: keep it completely, with no food and no water except the sip for achamana, from sunrise to sunrise on Dwadashi, then feed others and break the fast. That single fast, Vyasa said, holds the merit of all twenty-four. Bhima kept it. The full katha is above.
Because Bhima, the Pandava who could not keep the other Ekadashis, kept this one on Vyasa's advice, and it became known by his name: Bhimseni Ekadashi, or Pandava Ekadashi. All three names are the same day, and in New Delhi it falls on Monday, 14 June 2027.
Not if you keep the full vow: Nirjala means without water, from sunrise to parana, except the small sip taken for achamana in the puja. Tradition itself allows a lighter form, on water or fruit, for anyone whose age or health needs it, and anyone who feels faint or dizzy should drink at once.
Eat a light meal and drink well on Dashami. From sunrise on Ekadashi take no food and no water, except the sip for achamana; worship Vishnu, read the katha, keep cool and avoid exertion and daytime sleep; give water and gifts to others. Break the fast on Dwadashi inside the parana window, with water first. The vulnerable keep a lighter form.
On Dashami eat early and drink plenty. At sunrise take the waterless sankalp, then bathe and worship Vishnu with tulsi, yellow flowers, a ghee lamp and a pot of water, and read the Bhima katha. Stay indoors through the heat, set out water and give fans, pitchers or sherbet, keep part of the night in kirtan, and on Dwadashi feed someone before breaking the fast with water.
On Dashami, a light, early, sattvic meal and plenty of water. On Ekadashi, nothing at all if you keep it fully, or water and fruit in the lighter form. At parana, water first, sipped slowly, then sherbet, lemon water or fruit, and later a light meal such as moong dal or khichdi with curd; avoid heavy or fried food at first.
The customary gifts all answer the heat: earthen pitchers filled with water, hand fans, umbrellas, sherbet, mango and grain, and water set out for passers-by. Give them before your own parana, to those who work in the sun if you can; tradition values the water given more than the cost.
Going without water through a hot day carries a real risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion. Do not keep it waterless if you are pregnant or nursing, elderly, diabetic, on medication, or have kidney or heart trouble: keep it on water or fruit, as tradition allows, and ask your doctor. Fasting customs are described here as tradition, not medical advice.
In the katha Vyasa tells Bhima that this one waterless fast holds the merit of all twenty-four Ekadashis, and that whoever keeps it with devotion is met at the end of life by Vishnu's messengers rather than Yama's. So it is the Ekadashi people keep even if they keep no other, and the day of giving water in the year's greatest heat.
Om Jai Jagdish Hare, the Vishnu aarti printed in full above, after the morning puja and again with the evening lamps; many families also sing the Ekadashi Mata aarti from their vrat book after the Bhima katha. Keep the evening kirtan in a cool room if you are fasting without water.
Customs differ. Many brush on Dashami night and, on Ekadashi, only rinse the mouth without swallowing; some avoid breaking a twig for datun on Ekadashi. If you brush, use very little water and do not swallow any. Keeping clean is part of the vrat, not a break of it.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya is the day's japa, said softly through the waterless hours as often as you like, and 108 times on a tulsi mala in the puja. The sankalpa verse is said at sunrise and the parana verse before the first sip on Dwadashi; all are in the mantra section.
