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Krishna paksha · Kartika · amanta reckoning

When is Utpanna Ekadashi 2026?

Utpanna Ekadashi 2026

In 39 days

Fri, 4 Dec

Utpanna Ekadashi 2026 is on Friday, 4 December. Parana, breaking the fast, is on 5 December, 6:58 AM to 9:04 AM in New Delhi.

2027: Wednesday, 24 November 2027

Parana (breaking the fast), 5 Dec 2026

6:58 AM – 9:04 AM

New Delhi

Also called Utpatti 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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Computed for New Delhi

The date in New Delhi

Friday, 4 December 2026

Utpanna Ekadashi 2026 timings in New Delhi
TimingNew DelhiWhat it is
Parana (breaking the fast), 5 Dec 20266:58 AM to 9:04 AMThe window is the first fifth of the daylight (pratahkala).

Utpanna Ekadashi is not a Gregorian date. It is Krishna paksha tithi 11 of Kartika 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
Kartika (amanta)
Tithi begins
3 Dec, 11:04 PM
Tithi ends
4 Dec, 11:45 PM
Decided at
Sunrise
Sunrise in New Delhi
4 Dec, 6:58 AM

Sunrise in New Delhi falls at 6:58 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 · Margashirsha (purnimanta) · Kartika (amanta)

Utpanna Ekadashi 2026: Smarta and Vaishnava dates

Utpanna Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark (krishna) half of Margashirsha in the purnimanta reckoning used across North India, and of Kartika 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)
Friday, 4 December 2026 — The fast belongs to the day whose sunrise carries Ekadashi — the day AstroSage lists and the one this page leads with.
Vaishnava (ISKCON), the arunodaya rule
Friday, 4 December 2026 — 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 Friday, 4 December 2026 (4 Dec, 5:22 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

Utpanna Ekadashi vrat katha and significance

Utpanna Ekadashi is the day Ekadashi herself is said to have been born — utpanna means "arisen". It is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight after Dev Uthani: Margashirsha Krishna in the purnimanta reckoning of North India, Kartika Krishna in the amanta one. Because the katha is the origin of every Ekadashi fast, many people who want to take up the twice-monthly vrat begin with this one, and the day is kept for Vishnu and for Ekadashi as a goddess.

The katha

Retold in brief from the Bhavishyottara Purana, in Krishna's account to Yudhishthira of how the Ekadashi fast began.

In the Satya Yuga a demon named Mura rose from the city of Chandravati and drove the gods out of heaven. Indra and the devas went first to Shiva, who sent them on to Vishnu, and Vishnu went out to fight.

He destroyed Mura's army, but the battle with Mura himself went on for a very long time. Wearied, Vishnu withdrew to a cave called Himavati near Badrikashrama and lay down to rest. Mura followed him there, meaning to kill him in his sleep.

As the demon raised his weapon, a radiant young woman, armed and fearsome, came forth from Vishnu's own body and challenged him. They fought, and she struck him down.

When Vishnu woke and saw Mura dead, he asked who had done it. She told him she had arisen from his own power to protect him. Pleased, Vishnu named her Ekadashi, because she was born on the eleventh tithi, and granted her a boon: whoever fasted on her day with devotion would be freed from wrongdoing and reach his abode. The Purana says that this is where the Ekadashi vrat begins — which is why this one is called Utpanna, the Ekadashi that was born.

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 2026 with tithi and parana times

All Utpanna Ekadashi 2026 muhurat · New Delhi

Utpanna Ekadashi muhurat

Utpanna Ekadashi is the day Ekadashi herself is said to have been born, and the fast with which many people begin keeping the Ekadashi vrat. In New Delhi it falls on Friday, 4 December 2026: the fast runs from sunrise to parana on Dwadashi, 5 Dec, 6:58 AM to 9:04 AM. It is the Ekadashi of Margashirsha Krishna in North India's purnimanta calendar (Kartika Krishna in the amanta one), the first after Dev Uthani.

All Utpanna Ekadashi 2026 muhurat in New Delhi
MuhuratTime in New DelhiWhat it is for
Parana: the time to break the fast5 Dec, 6:58 AM to 9:04 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 Utpanna 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 ends5 Dec, 6:02 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 Muhurta5:09 AM to 6:03 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.

Sunrise6:58 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)
  • Chal 6:58 AM to 8:16 AM
  • Labh 8:16 AM to 9:34 AM
  • Amrit 9:34 AM to 10:52 AM
  • Shubh 12:11 PM to 1:29 PM
  • Chal 4:05 PM to 5:24 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 lamps5:24 PM to 8:07 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 vigil11:44 PM to 12:38 AM (5 Dec)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 of10:52 AM to 12:11 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 Muhurat11:50 AM to 12:32 PMAuspicious
Amrit Kaal5:02 AM to 6:43 AMMost Auspicious
Brahma Muhurat5:09 AM to 6:03 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 Kaal10:52 AM to 12:11 PM
Yamaganda Kaal2:47 PM to 4:05 PM
Durmuhurta First9:03 AM to 9:45 AM
Durmuhurta Second12:32 PM to 1:13 PM
Varjyam6:51 PM to 8:33 PM

Every time above is computed for New Delhi around Friday, 4 December 2026, 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

Utpanna Ekadashi puja vidhi

  1. The day before: Dashami

    Eat a single simple meal on Dashami, before sunset, without onion, garlic or rice, and keep the evening light and quiet. Clean the puja corner and pick the tulsi leaves you will need, since tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi itself.

  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, and the vow if you are beginning

    Sit before the altar with a little water and a flower in your right hand and resolve to keep the vrat: say your name, that you are keeping Utpanna Ekadashi for Vishnu, and how you will fast. If you are taking up the Ekadashi vrat from today, say that too, promising only what your health allows. Then let the water fall; the 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 Vishnu

    Bathe a metal idol or the Shaligram with water, then panchamrit, then water again (for a picture, sprinkle water with a flower). Offer sandalwood, yellow flowers, a yellow cloth or mauli, incense, the lamp and tulsi leaves picked the day before, chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Many households keep rice out of the Ekadashi puja altogether and offer a flower or a few sesame seeds where akshat would go.

  6. Remember Ekadashi devi

    After Vishnu, light a second lamp and offer a flower in the name of Ekadashi devi, the power that came forth from him in the katha. Today is her day, and families honour her by name beside him.

  7. 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.

  8. Katha and aarti

    Read or listen to the Utpanna 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. The night vigil

    Stay awake for as much of the night as you can, in kirtan, japa or reading; the middle of the night is the heart of the jagran. Those who cannot keep the whole night keep a part of it.

  12. Dwadashi: give, then break the fast

    Next morning bathe, worship Vishnu briefly and give food, grain or a gift to a brahmin or someone in need. Then break the fast inside the parana window: a tulsi leaf with water, or a fruit, first, saying the parana verse, and after it a simple sattvic meal.

Samagri · what to keep ready

Utpanna Ekadashi puja samagri list

  • 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.
  • A second ghee lamp Lit for Ekadashi devi beside Vishnu's lamp.

Mantras · in Devanagari, with meaning

Utpanna 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.

The maha-mantra: Hare Rama Hare Krishna

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.

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 Utpanna Ekadashi is kept

Utpanna is the Ekadashi from which all the others are counted. In the Bhavishyottara Purana's account, Ekadashi is not only a date but a power that came forth from Vishnu himself to protect him while he slept, and the Purana says Vishnu promised that whoever fasted on her day with devotion would be freed from wrongdoing and reach his abode.

For anyone taking up the practice, this is the customary first fast, and the vow made here carries through Mokshada a fortnight later, the winter and spring fasts, Nirjala in the summer heat and the four months of Chaturmas, until Vishnu wakes again in autumn. Begin gently: a fruit fast and the evening aarti, then a stricter rule only once the body has learnt the rhythm. The vow is meant to be kept for years, not won in a single day.

Upay · traditional practice

Utpanna Ekadashi upay: traditional remedies

Begin the vow here

If you mean to keep Ekadashi regularly, take the sankalp today for the year ahead, as many families do. Promise only what your health allows, and keep the fasts that follow the same way.

A lamp for Ekadashi devi

Light a second ghee lamp beside Vishnu's in the name of Ekadashi devi and offer her a flower; many families remember her by name on her own day.

Keep the night of her birth

In the katha Ekadashi arose while Vishnu slept, so keeping some part of the night awake in his names is the traditional way to honour the day.

Warm clothes and a hot meal

Utpanna comes in early winter. Giving a blanket, warm clothes or a hot meal to someone in need is the season's form of the Ekadashi daan.

Read the story aloud

Read the Utpanna katha to the family, children especially, since it explains why every Ekadashi is kept; tradition counts hearing the katha as part of the vrat.

Feed a cow or the birds on Dwadashi

Before your own parana, set aside fruit or green fodder for a cow, or grain for birds, as many households do on Dwadashi morning.

The custom, in short

Utpanna 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.
  • If you are beginning the Ekadashi vow, take the sankalp for the year today.

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.

Across India

Utpanna 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.

Utpanna 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.

Utpanna Ekadashi across five years
YearDateStatus
2024Tuesday, 26 November 2024past
2025Saturday, 15 November 2025past
2026This yearFriday, 4 December 2026upcoming
2027Wednesday, 24 November 2027upcoming
2028Monday, 13 November 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 Utpanna Ekadashi?

In New Delhi, Utpanna Ekadashi falls on Friday, 4 December 2026. Ekadashi tithi runs 11:04 PM (3 Dec) to 11:45 PM, and the fast is kept on the day whose sunrise falls inside it. It is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight after Dev Uthani: Margashirsha Krishna in North India's purnimanta calendar, Kartika Krishna in the amanta one.

Why does another calendar give a different Utpanna 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 Utpanna Ekadashi observed?

Utpanna Ekadashi is the day Ekadashi herself is said to have been born — utpanna means "arisen". It is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight after Dev Uthani: Margashirsha Krishna in the purnimanta reckoning of North India, Kartika Krishna in the amanta one. Because the katha is the origin of every Ekadashi fast, many people who want to take up the twice-monthly vrat begin with this one, and the day is kept for Vishnu and for Ekadashi as a goddess.

Where does the Utpanna Ekadashi vrat katha come from?

It is told in the Bhavishyottara Purana, in Krishna's account to Yudhishthira of how the Ekadashi fast began. The katha is retold in full above.

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

Not this year — both keep Friday, 4 December 2026. The Vaishnava rule reads Ekadashi at arunodaya, and Ekadashi already holds that day's arunodaya.

What is the Utpanna Ekadashi parana time, and can I break the fast tomorrow morning?

Yes: parana is on Dwadashi, the next day, and in New Delhi the window is 5 Dec, 6:58 AM to 9:04 AM. It opens only after Hari Vasara, the first quarter of Dwadashi, has ended (5 Dec, 6:02 AM). If you miss the morning, tradition prefers waiting until midday has passed, and the fast should still be broken before Dwadashi ends.

What is the story of Utpanna Ekadashi?

The demon Mura drove the gods from heaven, and Vishnu fought him for so long that he withdrew to rest in the Himavati cave near Badrikashrama. As Mura raised his weapon over the sleeping Vishnu, a radiant, armed maiden came forth from Vishnu's body and struck him down. Vishnu named her Ekadashi, after the eleventh tithi on which she was born, and blessed her day as a fast that frees its keeper from wrongdoing. The full katha is above.

Why is it called Utpanna, and what is its other name?

Utpanna means arisen or born: it is the Ekadashi on which Ekadashi devi came into being, which is why it is also called Utpatti Ekadashi, the Ekadashi of the origin. By month it is Margashirsha Krishna Ekadashi in the purnimanta calendar, and Kartika Krishna Ekadashi in the amanta calendar followed in Maharashtra, Gujarat and much of the South.

Can I start keeping Ekadashi fasts from Utpanna Ekadashi?

Yes, and many people do. Because its katha is where every Ekadashi fast begins, Utpanna is the traditional day to take the vow of keeping Ekadashi through the year. Take the sankalp in the morning, keep the fast in a form your health allows and continue with the Ekadashis that follow.

Who is Ekadashi Mata?

Ekadashi Mata, or Ekadashi devi, is the power that came forth from Vishnu's own body to protect him in the Utpanna katha. Pleased, Vishnu named her after the eleventh tithi and made her day a fast that frees its keeper from wrongdoing. Families who honour her on Utpanna light a lamp and offer a flower in her name beside Vishnu.

Which aarti is sung on Utpanna Ekadashi?

Om Jai Jagdish Hare, the Vishnu aarti printed in full above, is sung on every Ekadashi. Many families also sing an aarti of Ekadashi Mata from their vrat-katha book, which names the year's Ekadashis month by month; on Utpanna, her own day, it follows the katha.

Why is rice not eaten on Ekadashi?

Grains and pulses, rice above all, are left out on every Ekadashi. Vaishnava tradition, citing the Padma Purana, says that on Ekadashi sin takes shelter in grain, so the one who fasts keeps away from it. Whatever the explanation a family gives, the rule is the same in every tradition, and rice returns with the parana.

What can I eat during the Utpanna Ekadashi fast?

Those who do not keep a waterless or water-only fast take phalahar: fruit, milk, curd, makhana, sabudana, potato, sweet potato and, where the family's custom allows, kuttu or singhara flour, with rock salt in place of common salt. Utpanna comes in early winter, so warm milk, roasted makhana and sabudana khichdi are what most homes make. No grain, pulses, onion or garlic.

How do I do the Utpanna Ekadashi puja at home?

Bathe early, take the sankalp and worship Vishnu on a yellow cloth with water, panchamrit, sandalwood, yellow flowers, tulsi leaves picked the day before, a ghee lamp and fruit. Offer a flower and a lamp to Ekadashi devi as well, read the Utpanna katha, sing the aarti, light lamps at dusk and keep part of the night awake. The step-by-step vidhi above follows this order.

What are the rules of the Ekadashi vrat?

Eat one sattvic meal on Dashami before sunset. On Ekadashi keep away from rice and every other grain and pulse, and from onion and garlic; do not pluck tulsi, sleep in the day or speak harshly; worship Vishnu, read the katha and keep part of the night awake. On Dwadashi give something away and break the fast inside the parana window, after Hari Vasara.

Who should not keep a strict Utpanna Ekadashi fast?

Tradition itself excuses children, the elderly, the sick, pregnant and nursing women and anyone on regular medication from a strict fast. They can keep the day with one phalahar meal, or with the puja, the katha and the mantra alone. Fasting customs are tradition, not medical advice: ask a doctor first if you have diabetes or any other condition.