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Krishna paksha · Chaitra · amanta reckoning
Sun, 2 May
Varuthini Ekadashi 2027 is on Sunday, 2 May. Parana, breaking the fast, is on 3 May, 5:39 AM to 8:18 AM in New Delhi.
2028: Thursday, 20 April 2028
Parana (breaking the fast), 3 May 2027
5:39 AM – 8:18 AM
Also called Baruthini Ekadashi. Those are the same observance and the same date, so they share this page rather than competing with it from a second URL.
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Sunday, 2 May 2027
| Timing | New Delhi | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Parana (breaking the fast), 3 May 2027 | 5:39 AM to 8:18 AM | The window is the first fifth of the daylight (pratahkala). |
Varuthini Ekadashi is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 11 of Chaitra 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 5:39 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.
Varuthini Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark (krishna) half of Vaishakha in the purnimanta reckoning used across North India, and of Chaitra in the amanta reckoning used in the south and west. It is the same night: the two calendars name the dark fortnight after different months.
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.
Varuthini Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Vaishakha in the purnimanta reckoning of North India — Chaitra Krishna in the amanta one. Varuthini means "the protecting one", like armour, and the day is kept for Vishnu in his Varaha (boar) form. Its customs lean towards restraint: many keep the fast without salt, avoid eating from another's house, and give food, sesame or water to those who need it.
Retold in brief from the Bhavishyottara Purana, in Krishna's Ekadashi-mahatmya to Yudhishthira.
King Mandhata ruled on the banks of the Narmada and was known for his charity and his austerities. Once, while he stood deep in meditation in the forest, a bear came out of the trees and began to drag him away by the leg, chewing at it.
Mandhata did not break his discipline to fight back in anger. He called on Vishnu instead, and Vishnu appeared and struck the bear down with his discus. But the king's leg had already been badly hurt, and he grieved at what he had lost.
Vishnu told him that the injury was the fruit of an old deed of his own, and that there was a way to be made whole. He should go to Mathura and keep the Varuthini Ekadashi of Vaishakha, worshipping Vishnu there in his Varaha form.
Mandhata went to Mathura and kept the fast as he was told. The Purana says that by its merit his body was restored, and that in time he reached Vishnu's abode. Krishna tells Yudhishthira that the merit of this fast equals that of long years of austerity, and that the day protects whoever keeps it — which is what its name means.
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
Varuthini Ekadashi, the protecting Ekadashi, is kept for Vishnu in his Varaha form, with a fast that many keep without salt. In New Delhi it falls on Sunday, 2 May 2027: the fast runs from sunrise to parana on Dwadashi, 3 May, 5:39 AM to 8:18 AM. It is the Ekadashi of Vaishakha Krishna in North India (Chaitra Krishna in the amanta calendar), in the first heat of summer.
| Muhurat | Time in New Delhi | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Parana: the time to break the fast | 3 May, 5:39 AM to 8:18 AMThe morning of Dwadashi (the first fifth of the day), Hari Vasara having ended overnight. | The window on Dwadashi, the morning after the fast, in which Varuthini Ekadashi is completed. It opens once Hari Vasara is over and normally closes with the first part of the morning; when Hari Vasara runs late it moves past midday, and it never runs beyond the end of Dwadashi. The time shown is computed for New Delhi. |
| Hari Vasara ends | 3 May, 1:55 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 | 4:14 AM to 4:56 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 | 5:39 AMThe upper edge of the Sun on the horizon, with refraction. | The fast is counted from sunrise on Ekadashi to parana on Dwadashi, and the morning puja begins after it. |
| 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 | 6:56 PM to 9:05 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 | 11:56 PM to 12:39 AM (3 May)The 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 | 5:17 PM to 6:56 PMRahu'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 | 11:51 AM to 12:44 PM | Auspicious |
| Amrit Kaal | 6:12 PM to 7:54 PM | Most Auspicious |
| Brahma Muhurat | 4:14 AM to 4:56 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 | 5:17 PM to 6:56 PM |
| Yamaganda Kaal | 12:18 PM to 1:58 PM |
| Durmuhurta First | 5:10 PM to 6:03 PM |
| Varjyam | 8:02 AM to 9:44 AM |
Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Sunday, 2 May 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 Varuthini Ekadashi adds or words its own way.
Sit before the altar, hold a little water and a flower in your right hand and resolve to keep the vrat: say your name, that you are keeping Varuthini Ekadashi for Vishnu, and how you will fast, whether without water, on water alone, on fruit or with one phalahar meal. Then let the water fall. The Ekadashi sankalpa verse in the mantra section can be said here.
Bathe a metal idol or the Shaligram with water, panchamrit and water again (for a picture, sprinkle water with a flower), and worship Vishnu as Varaha, the boar who lifted the earth from the waters, the form the katha names; any image of Vishnu does. Offer sandalwood, yellow flowers, tulsi picked the day before, incense and a lamp, chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.
Read or listen to the Varuthini 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.
Many keep this fast without salt altogether, and eat nothing from another's house from Dashami until the parana. Give food, sesame or water to those who need them through the day, as the day's custom asks.
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 Varuthini 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. Varuthini Ekadashi's own:
कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय हरये परमात्मने ।
प्रणतक्लेशनाशाय गोविन्दाय नमो नमः ॥
Krishnaya Vasudevaya haraye paramatmane
Pranata-klesha-nashaya Govindaya namo namah
Meaning: To Krishna, son of Vasudeva, to Hari, the Supreme Self, who ends the distress of those who bow to him, to Govinda: salutation again and again. A prayer from the Bhagavata Purana.
When and how: Said after the aarti, remembering that the katha sends King Mandhata to Mathura, Krishna's city, to keep this fast.
Its katha, from the Bhavishyottara Purana, is of King Mandhata, seized by a bear while deep in meditation, who called on the Lord instead of striking back; told that the wound was the fruit of an old deed of his own, he kept this fast at Mathura and was made whole. Worship goes to the boar who raised the earth from the flood, and many ask on this day for protection for the people in their care.
It comes as the summer heat builds, about a week before Akshaya Tritiya, and asks for the kind of restraint that can outlast the day: a simpler plate, a quieter tongue and patience when provoked. Water set out for travellers and birds is the season's natural gift. Krishna's word in the katha is that the merit of this one day equals long years of austerity.
Keep Varuthini without salt, rock salt included, as many families do; fruit, milk, curd and makhana make a complete phalahar without it.
From Dashami to the parana eat only what is cooked in your own home, a restraint the day is known for.
Varuthini comes with the first heat. A pot of cool water on the doorstep for passers-by, or a bowl for birds, is the day's simplest gift.
Give a meal, grain or sesame to someone in need on Ekadashi or on Dwadashi morning, before your own parana.
Mandhata did not strike back in anger even when he was hurt; he called on Vishnu. Keep the day free of anger, whatever provokes it.
Varuthini is armour. Pray to Vishnu as Varaha for the protection of your household, and remember those who protect others, soldiers, nurses and guards, in your prayer.
What may be eaten on any Ekadashi, from fruit and sabudana to samak rice and the parana meal, is in the Ekadashi food list. Particular to Varuthini Ekadashi:
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 | Saturday, 4 May 2024 | past |
| 2025 | Thursday, 24 April 2025 | past |
| 2026This year | Monday, 13 April 2026 | past |
| 2027 | Sunday, 2 May 2027 | upcoming |
| 2028 | Thursday, 20 April 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, Varuthini Ekadashi falls on Sunday, 2 May 2027, and Ekadashi tithi runs 6:54 PM (1 May) to 7:52 PM. It is the dark-fortnight Ekadashi of Vaishakha in North India's purnimanta calendar, Chaitra Krishna in the amanta one.
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.
Varuthini Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Vaishakha in the purnimanta reckoning of North India — Chaitra Krishna in the amanta one. Varuthini means "the protecting one", like armour, and the day is kept for Vishnu in his Varaha (boar) form. Its customs lean towards restraint: many keep the fast without salt, avoid eating from another's house, and give food, sesame or water to those who need it.
It is told in the Bhavishyottara Purana, in Krishna's Ekadashi-mahatmya to Yudhishthira. The katha is retold in full above.
Not this year — both keep Sunday, 2 May 2027. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, and Ekadashi already holds that day's arunodaya.
It falls between mid-April and early May, so most years in April and some in the first days of May. The date for New Delhi is Sunday, 2 May 2027, and the table of years on this page lists the others.
Parana is on Dwadashi: in New Delhi, 3 May, 5:39 AM to 8:18 AM, after Hari Vasara ends (3 May, 1:55 AM). Those who kept the fast without salt usually break it with water, a tulsi leaf and fruit before a simple meal.
King Mandhata, who ruled on the Narmada, was deep in meditation in the forest when a bear seized his leg and dragged him away. He did not break his discipline to fight in anger but called on Vishnu, who killed the bear with his discus. His leg was badly hurt; Vishnu told him it was the fruit of an old deed and sent him to Mathura to keep the Varuthini Ekadashi and worship the Varaha form. He did, and was made whole. The full katha is above.
It is the dark-fortnight Ekadashi of Vaishakha, kept for Vishnu as Varaha. Varuthini means protecting, like armour: the Purana says its merit equals long years of austerity and that it protects whoever keeps it. Its customs are restraint and giving, a fast often without salt and gifts of food, sesame and water.
It is a custom of restraint that many families follow on this Ekadashi in particular, going without even rock salt; the fruit, milk and makhana of the phalahar need none. It is not required of everyone, and those who need salt for their health should take it.
Varuthini is kept with restraint, and one of its customs is to eat only food cooked at home from Dashami to the parana, so that the fast stays one's own. Families who follow it politely decline food offered elsewhere on these days.
Eat one meal of your own food on Dashami. On Ekadashi bathe early, take the sankalp and worship Vishnu as Varaha with tulsi, yellow flowers, fruit and a lamp, then read the Mandhata katha. Keep the fast, without salt if that is your custom, give food, sesame or water to someone, keep part of the night awake and break the fast in the parana window.
Varaha, the boar avatar who lifted the earth from the waters; in the katha Vishnu tells Mandhata to worship him in that form at Mathura. Any image of Vishnu, or a Shaligram, may be used, with Varaha remembered in the prayer.
Om Jai Jagdish Hare, the Vishnu aarti given in full above, after the morning puja and with the evening lamps. Some families add the Ekadashi Mata aarti from their vrat book after reading the Mandhata katha.
Fruit, milk, curd, makhana, coconut water and, where custom allows, sabudana or singhara; many keep the day without salt, so dishes that need none suit it best. Watermelon and muskmelon are in season. No grain, dal, onion or garlic, and nothing cooked in another's house.
The day's own gifts are food, sesame and water: a meal or grain for someone in need, sesame, and water set out for passers-by in the heat. Tradition values the giving more than its size; give before your own parana.
