Indira Ekadashi
Fasting day
From grains and beans, from sunrise
Break the fast ·
6:13 – 10:13 AM
Break the fast after sunrise and before a third of the day has passed.
What is Indira Ekadashi?
Indira Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight in the month of Ashwin (September to October). Lord Sri Krishna gave it this name when Maharaja Yudhishthira asked Him about the Ekadashi of that fortnight. In 2027 devotees fast on Sunday, 26 September.
Significance
The story comes from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana. King Indrasena of Mahishmati was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. His father had been sent to the court of Yamaraja for breaking an Ekadashi fast too early, and the sage Narada Muni carried the father's request to the king. Indrasena kept Indira Ekadashi just as Narada described, and his father rose on Garuda to the abode of Lord Hari. Lord Krishna describes the fruit of this fast to Yudhishthira:
If a person fasts on this day, all his sins are eradicated and his forefathers who have fallen into hell are liberated.
Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Indira Ekadasi narration, Lord Krishna to Maharaja Yudhishthira
How to observe it
Keep away from grains and beans for the whole day, and fill the hours with chanting and hearing about Lord Krishna. Narada's instructions to Indrasena began on the day before, with an early bath, service to the Lord and a single meal. The sage also asked the king to stay awake through the night near the Deity of Lord Keshava. At Kurukshetra, break the fast on Monday, 27 September 2027, between 6:13 AM and 10:13 AM.
Read more: Indira Ekadashi
Questions
When is Indira Ekadashi in 2027?
Indira Ekadashi is on Sunday, 26 September 2027. It is the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Ashwin.
What time should I break the Indira Ekadashi fast in Kurukshetra?
Break the fast on Monday, 27 September 2027, between 6:13 AM and 10:13 AM IST. The window opens at sunrise and closes at one third of the daylight.
What is the story of King Indrasena and Indira Ekadashi?
Narada Muni told King Indrasena that his father was suffering in Yamaraja's court for breaking an Ekadashi fast too early. The king kept Indira Ekadashi, and his father rose to Lord Vishnu's abode.
What should I not eat on Indira Ekadashi?
Avoid grains such as wheat and rice, along with dal, peas and bean-type vegetables, for the whole of Ekadashi. Keep the fast until the break-fast time on Dvadashi.
Reviewed by ISKCON Kurukshetra · Updated
Key facts
- Fasting day
- Break fast
- · 6:13–10:13 AM
- Fast from
- Grains and beans
- Narrated in
- Brahma-vaivarta Purana
- Spoken by
- Lord Krishna to Maharaja Yudhishthira
Seva for this day
Feed devotees and visitors on this holy day, or begin the Bhagavad-gita course with us.