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Krishna paksha · Magha · amanta reckoning

When is Vijaya Ekadashi 2027?

Vijaya Ekadashi 2027

In 129 days

Thu, 4 Mar

Vijaya Ekadashi 2027 is on Thursday, 4 March. Parana, breaking the fast, is on 5 March, 6:42 AM to 9:02 AM in New Delhi.

2028: Sunday, 20 February 2028

Parana (breaking the fast), 5 Mar 2027

6:42 AM – 9:02 AM

New Delhi

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Computed for New Delhi

The date in New Delhi

Thursday, 4 March 2027

Vijaya Ekadashi 2027 timings in New Delhi
TimingNew DelhiWhat it is
Parana (breaking the fast), 5 Mar 20276:42 AM to 9:02 AMThe window is the first fifth of the daylight (pratahkala).

Vijaya Ekadashi is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 11 of Magha 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.

Tithi
Ekadashi, Krishna paksha
Lunar month
Magha (amanta)
Tithi begins
3 Mar, 4:44 AM
Tithi ends
4 Mar, 7:25 AM
Decided at
Sunrise
Sunrise in New Delhi
4 Mar, 6:43 AM

Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 6:43 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.

Krishna paksha · Phalguna (purnimanta) · Magha (amanta)

Vijaya Ekadashi 2027: Smarta and Vaishnava dates

Vijaya Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark (krishna) half of Phalguna in the purnimanta reckoning used across North India, and of Magha 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.

Listed here (Smarta, the sunrise rule)
Thursday, 4 March 2027 — The fast belongs to the day whose sunrise carries Ekadashi — the day AstroSage lists and the one this page leads with.
Some Smarta households
Wednesday, 3 March 2027 — Ekadashi is at sunrise on Wednesday, 3 March 2027 too; the fast is listed on the later day, and some Smarta households keep the earlier one.
Vaishnava (ISKCON), the arunodaya rule
Thursday, 4 March 2027 — The same day this year. The Vaishnava rule reads the tithi at arunodaya, the 96 minutes before sunrise, rather than at sunrise; the arunodaya of Thursday, 4 March 2027 (4 Mar, 5:07 AM) is already inside Ekadashi, not Dashami.

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.

Meaning and vrat katha

Vijaya Ekadashi vrat katha and significance

Vijaya Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Phalguna in the purnimanta reckoning — Magha Krishna in the amanta one — a few days before Maha Shivratri. Vijaya means "victory", and the day is kept before an undertaking one hopes to win. Its distinctive rite is the kalasha: a pot of water set on grain and covered with mango leaves, with an image of Vishnu placed on it, worshipped through the day and night and given away on Dwadashi.

The katha

Retold in brief from the Skanda Purana, in Krishna's Ekadashi-mahatmya to Yudhishthira.

In the Treta Yuga, Rama, Lakshmana and the army of vanaras reached the southern shore in search of Sita and found the ocean between them and Lanka — deep, vast and full of fearsome creatures. No one could see how to cross it.

Lakshmana told his brother of a great sage who lived not far away, Vakadalbhya, and Rama went to him with folded hands and asked how the sea might be crossed and the war won.

The sage told him of the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Phalguna, called Vijaya. On Dashami, he said, set up a kalasha of gold, silver, copper or clay, fill it with water, cover it with leaves and place an image of Narayana on it; worship it on Ekadashi with fruit, flowers and lamps, fast, and stay awake through the night beside it; on Dwadashi, after bathing at a river or lake, give the kalasha away.

Rama kept the vrat with his army exactly as he was told. The Purana says that by its merit the way across the sea opened, Ravana was defeated and Sita was brought home. Krishna tells Yudhishthira that whoever keeps this vrat is given victory in this world and the next.

How the fast is kept

  • The fast runs from sunrise on the Ekadashi day to parana on Dwadashi. Many families eat a single plain meal on Dashami, the evening before.
  • Grains and rice are left out on Ekadashi. Those who cannot keep a complete fast take fruit, milk or a phalahar meal; a waterless fast is kept only by those whose tradition and health allow it.
  • Vishnu is worshipped with tulsi leaves, a lamp and his names; reading or hearing the day's katha is part of the observance, and many stay awake for a part of the night in kirtan or japa.
  • Parana is on Dwadashi, after Hari Vasara — the first quarter of Dwadashi — has passed. The window for your city is computed above.

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.

All 26 · New Delhi

Every Ekadashi and its next date

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

All Vijaya Ekadashi 2027 muhurat · New Delhi

Vijaya Ekadashi muhurat

Vijaya Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of victory, the fast Rama kept at the shore before crossing to Lanka, and its rite is a kalasha worshipped through the day and the night. In New Delhi it falls on Thursday, 4 March 2027: the fast runs from sunrise to parana on Dwadashi, 5 Mar, 6:42 AM to 9:02 AM. It is the Ekadashi of Phalguna Krishna in North India (Magha Krishna in the amanta calendar), a few days before Maha Shivratri.

All Vijaya Ekadashi 2027 muhurat in New Delhi
MuhuratTime in New DelhiWhat it is for
Parana: the time to break the fast5 Mar, 6:42 AM to 9:02 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 Vijaya 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 ends2:02 PMThe 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 Muhurta5:04 AM to 5:54 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.

Sunrise6:43 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)
  • Shubh 6:43 AM to 8:10 AM
  • Chal 11:05 AM to 12:33 PM
  • Labh 12:33 PM to 2:00 PM
  • Amrit 2:00 PM to 3:28 PM
  • Shubh 4:55 PM to 6:22 PM
The day's Amrit, Shubh, Labh and Chal choghadiyas.

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 lamps6:22 PM to 8:50 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 vigil5 Mar, 12:07 AM to 12:57 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 of2:00 PM to 3:28 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.

Auspicious windows that day

Auspicious windows that day
WindowTime in New DelhiWhat it is
Abhijit Muhurat12:09 PM to 12:56 PMAuspicious
Amrit Kaal6:23 PM to 8:11 PMMost Auspicious
Brahma Muhurat5:04 AM to 5:54 AMAuspicious

Windows usually worked around

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.

Windows usually worked around
WindowTime in New Delhi
Rahu Kaal2:00 PM to 3:28 PM
Yamaganda Kaal6:43 AM to 8:10 AM
Durmuhurta First10:36 AM to 11:23 AM
Durmuhurta Second3:16 PM to 4:02 PM
Varjyam7:35 AM to 9:23 AM
Varjyam (Second)6:03 AM to 7:50 AM

Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Thursday, 4 March 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.

Puja vidhi · step by step at home

Vijaya Ekadashi puja vidhi

  1. Dashami: set up the Vijaya kalasha

    On Dashami, eat one sattvic meal before sunset and set up the kalasha: a pot of copper, brass or clay standing on a small heap of grain, filled with water, its mouth covered with mango leaves and a coconut, with an image of Vishnu as Narayana on it or beside it. Pick the tulsi leaves you will need tomorrow.

  2. Wake early and bathe

    Rise early on Ekadashi, in Brahma Muhurta if you can, bathe (a few drops of Ganga jal in the water if you have it) and put on clean clothes; yellow is the colour traditionally worn for Vishnu.

  3. Take the sankalp

    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 Vijaya 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.

  4. Set up the altar

    Spread a yellow cloth on a clean chowki and place an image of Vishnu or Krishna on it (a Shaligram or Laddu Gopal if the house keeps one), with a ghee lamp and a small kalash or lota of water. Remember Ganesh first, with a flower and Om Gam Ganapataye Namah, as every puja begins.

  5. Worship the kalasha and Vishnu

    On Ekadashi worship the kalasha and the image together: water and panchamrit for a metal image, then sandalwood, yellow flowers, tulsi, incense, a ghee lamp, fruit and seasonal produce, chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Mark the kalasha with roli and tie mauli round its neck.

  6. Offer bhog

    Offer what you will eat yourself: fruit, a sweet made without grain, makhana, dry fruit or panchamrit, with a tulsi leaf on each offering. Nothing cooked from grain or pulses is offered or eaten on Ekadashi.

  7. Katha and aarti

    Read or listen to the Vijaya 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.

  8. Through the day

    Keep the fast as you resolved it, keep Vishnu's name in mind and avoid sleeping in the day, anger, gossip and harsh words. Give water, fruit or food to someone who needs it; charity is part of every Ekadashi.

  9. Lamps at dusk

    At sunset light a ghee lamp before Vishnu and another beside the tulsi plant, without plucking its leaves, and sing the aarti again.

  10. Keep the night beside the kalasha

    Stay awake for as much of the night as you can near the kalasha, with kirtan, Rama's name or a reading from the Ramayana; in the katha the vigil was kept beside it.

  11. Dwadashi: give the kalasha away, then break the fast

    Next morning bathe, at a river or lake if one is near, worship the kalasha a last time and give it away, with the coconut or the image and some dakshina, to a brahmin or a temple. Then break the fast inside the parana window with a tulsi leaf and water, saying the parana verse.

Samagri · what to keep ready

Vijaya Ekadashi puja samagri list

  • A kalasha of copper, brass or clay The heart of the Vijaya vrat, set up on Dashami and given away on Dwadashi.
  • Grain for the kalasha's seat A small heap, often of seven grains, on which the kalasha stands; it is given away with it, never eaten on Ekadashi.
  • Mango leaves and a coconut Five mango leaves in the mouth of the kalasha and a coconut on top, tied with mauli.
  • An image of Vishnu or Krishna A framed picture is enough; a metal idol, a Shaligram or Laddu Gopal is bathed in the puja.
  • A chowki and a yellow cloth Yellow is Vishnu's colour; a clean red cloth also does.
  • Tulsi leaves Picked on Dashami, because tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi; one goes on every offering.
  • A ghee lamp and cotton wicks One for the altar and one for the tulsi at dusk; sesame oil is the usual alternative.
  • Yellow flowers and a garland Marigold, champa or any fresh yellow flowers; a lotus if you can find one.
  • Chandan (sandalwood paste) For the deity's tilak; haldi paste is the alternative.
  • Roli and haldi For the tilak and for marking the kalash.
  • Panchamrit Milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar, for the bath of the idol and as prasad.
  • Ganga jal A few drops in the bath water and to purify the altar; clean water if you have none.
  • A kalash or lota of water For the bath, achaman and the sankalp.
  • Incense and dhoop Whatever you use every day.
  • Camphor, an aarti plate and a bell For the aarti; a conch if the house has one.
  • Mauli (kalava) Offered as the deity's cloth or tied on the wrist.
  • A yellow cloth for the deity Optional; mauli takes its place.
  • Fruits of the season Banana, apple, guava, pomegranate or whatever is fresh, offered and then eaten as phalahar.
  • Grain-free sweets Makhana kheer, mishri, peda or dry fruit; nothing made with flour or rice.
  • A few sesame seeds Offered where akshat would go by the many households that keep rice out of the Ekadashi puja.
  • A tulsi mala For 108 repetitions of the mantra.
  • The vrat katha, Vishnu Sahasranama or Gita A book or a phone; reading the katha is part of the vrat.
  • Daan for Dwadashi Grain, fruit, clothes or dakshina, given before parana.

Mantras · in Devanagari, with meaning

Vijaya Ekadashi mantras and aarti

Shantakaram: the Vishnu dhyana verse

शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् ।
लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यं वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥

Shantakaram bhujagashayanam padmanabham suresham vishvadharam gaganasadrisham meghavarnam shubhangam
Lakshmikantam kamalanayanam yogibhir dhyanagamyam vande Vishnum bhavabhayaharam sarvalokaikanatham

Meaning: I bow to Vishnu: peaceful in form, resting on the serpent, the lotus at his navel, lord of the gods, support of the universe, vast as the sky, dark as a rain cloud, of auspicious form, beloved of Lakshmi, lotus-eyed, reached by yogis in meditation, who removes the fear of worldly existence, the one lord of all the worlds.

When and how: Once, with folded hands, before the worship begins, picturing Vishnu as the verse describes him.

The Ekadashi sankalpa verse

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 in the morning, with water in the right hand, while taking the sankalp of the fast.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya (the twelve-syllable mantra)

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Meaning: Om, salutation to the Lord Vasudeva, Vishnu as the one who dwells in all beings. It is the mantra Narada taught the boy Dhruva in the Bhagavata Purana.

When and how: The main japa of Ekadashi: 108 times on a tulsi mala during the puja, and as often as you like through the day and the night vigil.

Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम

Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

Meaning: Shri Rama, victory to Rama, victory, victory to Rama: thirteen syllables of praise, chanted in kirtan and on the mala alike.

When and how: In the night kirtan, or 108 times on a mala, remembering Rama's own vrat in the katha.

The parana verse

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 or bite of fruit.

Aarti Vishnu Aarti: Om Jai Jagdish Hare the full text

ॐ जय जगदीश हरे, स्वामी जय जगदीश हरे।
भक्त जनों के संकट, दास जनों के संकट, क्षण में दूर करे॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

जो ध्यावे फल पावे, दुःख बिनसे मन का, स्वामी दुःख बिनसे मन का।
सुख सम्पति घर आवे, सुख सम्पति घर आवे, कष्ट मिटे तन का॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

मात पिता तुम मेरे, शरण गहूं किसकी, स्वामी शरण गहूं मैं किसकी।
तुम बिन और न दूजा, तुम बिन और न दूजा, आस करूं मैं जिसकी॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

तुम पूरण परमात्मा, तुम अन्तर्यामी, स्वामी तुम अन्तर्यामी।
पारब्रह्म परमेश्वर, पारब्रह्म परमेश्वर, तुम सब के स्वामी॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

तुम करुणा के सागर, तुम पालनकर्ता, स्वामी तुम पालनकर्ता।
मैं मूरख फलकामी, मैं सेवक तुम स्वामी, कृपा करो भर्ता॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

तुम हो एक अगोचर, सबके प्राणपति, स्वामी सबके प्राणपति।
किस विधि मिलूं दयामय, किस विधि मिलूं दयामय, तुमको मैं कुमति॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

दीन-बन्धु दुःख-हर्ता, ठाकुर तुम मेरे, स्वामी रक्षक तुम मेरे।
अपने हाथ उठाओ, अपने शरण लगाओ, द्वार पड़ा तेरे॥
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे॥

विषय-विकार मिटाओ, पाप हरो देवा, स्वामी पाप हरो देवा।
श्रद्धा भक्ति बढ़ाओ, श्रद्धा भक्ति बढ़ाओ, सन्तन की सेवा॥

ॐ जय जगदीश हरे, स्वामी जय जगदीश हरे।
भक्त जनों के संकट, दास जनों के संकट, क्षण में दूर करे॥

Om jai Jagdish hare, swami jai Jagdish hare.
Bhakt janon ke sankat, das janon ke sankat, kshan mein door kare.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Jo dhyave phal pave, dukh binse man ka, swami dukh binse man ka.
Sukh sampati ghar aave, sukh sampati ghar aave, kasht mite tan ka.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Maat pita tum mere, sharan gahoon kiski, swami sharan gahoon main kiski.
Tum bin aur na dooja, tum bin aur na dooja, aas karoon main jiski.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Tum pooran Parmatma, tum antaryami, swami tum antaryami.
Parabrahm Parmeshwar, Parabrahm Parmeshwar, tum sab ke swami.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Tum karuna ke sagar, tum palankarta, swami tum palankarta.
Main moorakh phalkami, main sevak tum swami, kripa karo bharta.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Tum ho ek agochar, sabke pranpati, swami sabke pranpati.
Kis vidhi miloon dayamay, kis vidhi miloon dayamay, tumko main kumati.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Deen-bandhu dukh-harta, thakur tum mere, swami rakshak tum mere.
Apne haath uthao, apne sharan lagao, dwar pada tere.
Om jai Jagdish hare.

Vishay-vikar mitao, paap haro deva, swami paap haro deva.
Shraddha bhakti badhao, shraddha bhakti badhao, santan ki seva.

Om jai Jagdish hare, swami jai Jagdish hare.
Bhakt janon ke sankat, das janon ke sankat, kshan mein door kare.

Text as it is commonly sung. The Gita Press Aarti Sangrah prints 'prabhu' for 'swami', 'chhin mein' for 'kshan mein' and 'khal kami' for 'phalkami'; it does not repeat the half-lines, has no 'das janon ke sankat', 'main sevak tum swami' or 'apne sharan lagao', and reads 'tum thakur mere' for 'thakur tum mere, swami rakshak tum mere'. Printed text

Significance

Why Vijaya Ekadashi is kept

Its katha, from the Skanda Purana, is Rama's own vrat: with the ocean between his army and Lanka, he kept this fast on the advice of the sage Vakadalbhya, worshipping Narayana through the day and the night, and the Purana says the way across opened, Ravana fell and Sita came home. So the day belongs to anyone with a crossing of their own ahead: an examination, a court case, a new venture or a hard decision.

Name the undertaking aloud in the sankalp, keep Rama's name going through the night as he kept vigil at the shore, and on Dwadashi bathe at a river or lake if you can before giving the pot away with grain; then leave the outcome to Narayana. The katha's promise is victory in this world and the next, which tradition reads as strength for the effort, not a guaranteed result. Helping someone else's effort that day is in the same spirit.

Upay · traditional practice

Vijaya Ekadashi upay: traditional remedies

The kalasha, from Dashami to Dwadashi

Keep the rite as the sage told Rama: set up the kalasha on Dashami, worship it on Ekadashi, keep the night beside it and give it away on Dwadashi. It is the one custom that makes Vijaya Vijaya.

Name your undertaking

In the morning sankalp, name the task you are keeping the vrat for, as Rama kept it for the crossing. The fast is offered to Vishnu for a purpose, never struck as a bargain.

Rama's name through the night

Chant Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram, or read the Sundar Kand or the Lanka Kand of the Ramayana, during the night vigil beside the kalasha.

A bath at a river or lake

The katha asks for a bath at a river or a lake on Dwadashi before the kalasha is given away; where none is near, a few drops of Ganga jal in the bath water keep the custom.

Give the kalasha with grain

Give the kalasha away with the grain it stood on, the coconut and some dakshina, to a temple, a priest or someone in need; the giving completes the vrat.

Help someone else's effort

Vijaya is kept for success; helping someone with their own effort, with books for a student or tools for a worker, is a fitting daan of the day.

The custom, in short

Vijaya Ekadashi do's and don'ts

Do

  • Eat one light sattvic meal on Dashami, before sunset.
  • Take the sankalp in the morning and keep the fast in the form you chose.
  • Put a tulsi leaf, picked the day before, on every offering.
  • Chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya and read or hear the katha.
  • Light a lamp before Vishnu and beside the tulsi at dusk.
  • Keep at least part of the night awake in kirtan or japa.
  • Give food or water to someone in need, and give daan on Dwadashi before parana.
  • Break the fast inside the parana window on Dwadashi.
  • Set up the kalasha on Dashami and keep it until Dwadashi morning.
  • Give the kalasha away on Dwadashi, before parana.

Don't

  • Do not eat rice, wheat, dal or any other grain or pulse on Ekadashi.
  • Do not pluck tulsi leaves on Ekadashi.
  • Do not eat onion, garlic, meat or eggs, or drink alcohol, from Dashami to Dwadashi.
  • Do not sleep during the day.
  • Do not quarrel, lie or speak harshly.
  • Do not break the fast during Hari Vasara, or let Dwadashi pass without parana.
  • Do not press the sick, the elderly, pregnant or nursing women or children into a strict fast; anyone with diabetes or another condition, or on regular medicine, should ask a doctor before fasting.
  • Do not eat the grain beneath the kalasha; it is given away with it.

Across India

Vijaya Ekadashi bhog and food

  • Fruit and milk The simplest phalahar: seasonal fruit, milk, curd or buttermilk through the day.
  • Sabudana khichdi Sago with potato and rock salt, often with peanuts; a staple fasting meal in many homes.
  • Kuttu or singhara puri Buckwheat or water-chestnut flour with potato sabzi, in families whose custom allows these flours.
  • Samak, the vrat rice Barnyard millet cooked like rice in North India; some traditions count millets as grain and leave it out.
  • Potato, sweet potato and arbi Boiled, or lightly fried in ghee with rock salt, cumin and green chilli.
  • Makhana Roasted, or as kheer, for the bhog and the fast.
  • Sendha namak (rock salt) Used instead of common salt by most who fast; some keep the day without salt altogether.
  • The parana meal On Dwadashi, a tulsi leaf with water or a fruit first, then a simple home-cooked meal; grain returns with the parana.

Vijaya Ekadashi across five years

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.

Vijaya Ekadashi across five years
YearDateStatus
2024Wednesday, 6 March 2024past
2025Monday, 24 February 2025past
2026This yearFriday, 13 February 2026past
2027Thursday, 4 March 2027upcoming
2028Sunday, 20 February 2028upcoming

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.

Why calendars disagree about this date

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.

  1. A tithi rarely starts at sunrise. One that is running at the deciding moment on two days — or on none — is claimed by both days under different rules.
  2. Month reckoning. North India runs purnimanta, the south and west amanta. The same dark fortnight carries different month names in the two, so an observance defined as "krishna X of month Y" can land a full lunation apart.
  3. Which moment decides. Most vratas belong to the day whose sunrise carries the tithi, but not all: this one is decided at sunrise. Almanacs that apply the sunrise rule to everything move several festivals by a day.

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.

Common questions

When is Vijaya Ekadashi?

In New Delhi, Vijaya Ekadashi falls on Thursday, 4 March 2027. It is the dark-fortnight Ekadashi of Phalguna in North India's purnimanta calendar, Magha Krishna in the amanta one, and it comes a few days before Maha Shivratri.

Why does another calendar give a different Vijaya Ekadashi date?

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.

Why is Vijaya Ekadashi observed?

Vijaya Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Phalguna in the purnimanta reckoning — Magha Krishna in the amanta one — a few days before Maha Shivratri. Vijaya means "victory", and the day is kept before an undertaking one hopes to win. Its distinctive rite is the kalasha: a pot of water set on grain and covered with mango leaves, with an image of Vishnu placed on it, worshipped through the day and night and given away on Dwadashi.

Where does the Vijaya Ekadashi vrat katha come from?

It is told in the Skanda Purana, in Krishna's Ekadashi-mahatmya to Yudhishthira. The katha is retold in full above.

Is Vijaya Ekadashi on a different day for Smarta and Vaishnava (ISKCON)?

Not this year — both keep Thursday, 4 March 2027. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, and Ekadashi already holds that day's arunodaya.

Does Vijaya Ekadashi fall in February or March?

It can be either: Vijaya falls between the second week of February and the second week of March, always a few days before Maha Shivratri. The date for New Delhi is Thursday, 4 March 2027, and the table of years on this page shows the others.

What is the Vijaya Ekadashi parana time?

Parana is on Dwadashi: in New Delhi, 5 Mar, 6:42 AM to 9:02 AM, after Hari Vasara ends (2:02 PM). Before breaking the fast, bathe, worship the kalasha a last time and give it away; then take a tulsi leaf and water.

What is the Vijaya Ekadashi vrat katha?

Rama, Lakshmana and the army of vanaras reached the southern shore and found the ocean between them and Lanka. Lakshmana led Rama to the sage Vakadalbhya, who told him of the Vijaya Ekadashi of Phalguna: set up a kalasha with Narayana's image on Dashami, worship it and fast on Ekadashi, keep the night beside it and give it away on Dwadashi. Rama kept it with his army; the Purana says the way across opened and the war was won. The full katha is above.

How is the Vijaya Ekadashi vrat kept, with the kalasha?

On Dashami set a pot of water on a little heap of grain, put mango leaves and a coconut in its mouth and Vishnu's image on or beside it. On Ekadashi fast, worship the kalasha and the image with tulsi, flowers, fruit and a lamp, read the katha and keep the night awake beside it. On Dwadashi bathe, give the kalasha away and break the fast in the parana window.

What does Vijaya Ekadashi mean, and why is it kept?

Vijaya means victory. It is kept because Rama himself kept it before crossing the ocean to Lanka, so families keep it for Vishnu before an undertaking they hope to win, and for the steadiness to face it. The Purana says it gives victory in this world and the next; that is its promise as tradition, kept with faith.

What are the fasting rules for Vijaya Ekadashi?

A single sattvic meal on Dashami before sunset, then no grain, pulses, onion or garlic until the parana; the grain under the kalasha is for giving away, not for eating. Keep a water, fruit or one-meal phalahar fast as health allows, avoid daytime sleep and harsh words, keep the night beside the kalasha and break the fast in the parana window.

Can Vijaya Ekadashi be kept for an exam, a case or a new venture?

That is how many people keep it: name the undertaking in the sankalp and offer the fast to Vishnu, as Rama offered his for the crossing. Tradition treats it as a prayer for steadiness and success, kept alongside your own effort, never in place of it.

What is done with the kalasha after Vijaya Ekadashi?

On Dwadashi morning, after bathing and a last worship, the kalasha is given away with the grain it stood on, the coconut or image and a little dakshina, to a priest, a temple or someone in need. The water may be poured at the roots of a tulsi or a tree. It is not kept for another vrat.

Are Vijaya Ekadashi and Jaya Ekadashi the same?

No, though both names mean victory. Jaya is the bright-half Ekadashi of Magha, with the katha of the gandharva Malyavan; Vijaya follows about two weeks later in the dark fortnight, with Rama's katha and the kalasha rite. Each has its own page.

When does Ekadashi tithi begin and end for Vijaya Ekadashi?

In New Delhi, Ekadashi tithi runs 4:44 AM (3 Mar) to 7:24 AM. The fast is kept on the day whose sunrise falls inside it, Thursday, 4 March 2027, and the kalasha is set up the day before, on Dashami.

Which mantra is chanted on Vijaya Ekadashi?

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya is the day's japa, 108 times before the kalasha. Since the katha is Rama's, many add Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram through the night vigil. The texts, with their meaning, are in the mantra section.