Rama Ekadashi
Fasting day
From grains and beans, from sunrise
Break the fast ·
6:40 – 10:17 AM
Break the fast after sunrise and before a third of the day has passed.
What is Rama Ekadashi?
Rama Ekadashi, spelled Ramaa in some texts, comes on the eleventh day of the dark fortnight in the month of Kartika. In 2026 devotees keep the fast on Thursday, 5 November.
Significance
In the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Lord Sri Krishna describes this Ekadashi to Maharaja Yudhishthira and calls it most auspicious, for it at once removes the greatest sins and grants passage to the spiritual abode.
Its story concerns Prince Shobhana. He was weak, yet he tried to fast at the palace of his father-in-law, King Muchukunda, and he left his body by dawn. Because he had fasted without faith, the kingdom he won on Mandaracala Mountain was only temporary. His wife, Chandrabhaga, had fasted on every Ekadashi since the age of eight. She gave him her merit, and his kingdom became lasting.
Srila Prabhupada explained what the vow is for:
To observe Ekādaśī-vrata and Dvādaśī-vrata means to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.4.29, purport
How to observe it
Avoid all grains and beans. Keep the rest of the day simple and give it to chanting the holy names and hearing about Krishna. At Kurukshetra, break the fast on Friday, 6 November, between 6:40 AM and 10:17 AM.
This holy day falls in Kartik, the month of Lord Damodara, when devotees offer Him a lamp each evening and sing Damodarashtakam. Read about Kartik (Damodara) Month, and offer your own lamp from wherever you are through our Kartik Deep Daan Seva.
Questions
When is Rama Ekadashi in 2026?
Rama Ekadashi falls on Thursday, 5 November 2026, the eleventh day of the dark fortnight of Kartika.
What time should I break the Rama Ekadashi fast in Kurukshetra?
Break the fast on Friday, 6 November 2026, between 6:40 AM (sunrise) and 10:17 AM (one third of the day) IST.
Who told the story of Rama Ekadashi?
Lord Sri Krishna told it to Maharaja Yudhishthira. The account is recorded in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana.
What should I not eat on Rama Ekadashi?
Do not eat grains or beans. If a little grain is eaten, even by mistake, the fast is considered broken.
Reviewed by ISKCON Kurukshetra · Updated
Key facts
- Fasting day
- Break fast
- · 6:40–10:17 AM
- Fast from
- Grains and beans
- Narrated by
- Lord Sri Krishna to Maharaja Yudhishthira
- Purana
- Brahma-vaivarta Purana
Seva for this day
Feed devotees and visitors on this holy day, or begin the Bhagavad-gita course with us.