Saphala Ekadashi

Name: Saphala Ekadashi
Start: 2027-01-03
End: 2027-01-03
Location: ISKCON Kurukshetra

Disappearance Day of Sri Devananda Pandita

Sunday, 3 January 2027 · all day

ISKCON Kurukshetra · Brahma Sarovar Road, Kurukshetra, Haryana, 136118 · Map

Fasting day

From grains and beans, from sunrise

Break the fast · Mon 4 Jan

7:19 – 10:45 AM

6:007:19sunrise10:4512:00

Break the fast after sunrise and before a third of the day has passed.

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What is Saphala Ekadashi?

Saphala Ekadashi falls in the dark fortnight of Pausha, a month that runs from December into January. In 2027 the fast is kept on Sunday, 3 January, which is also the disappearance day of Sri Devananda Pandita.

Significance

In the Bhavishya-uttara Purana, Lord Sri Krishna tells Maharaja Yudhishthira the story of Lumpaka, the sinful eldest son of King Mahishmata of Champavati. Sent away into the forest, Lumpaka passed Saphala Ekadashi cold, hungry and awake beneath a banyan tree, and with tears he offered a few fallen fruits to Lord Hari. Without knowing it, he had kept the full fast. The Lord was pleased, and the kingdom was restored to Lumpaka.

Lord Narayana is the worshipable Deity of this Ekadashi. Speaking to Yudhishthira, Lord Krishna says what the fast means to Him:

I do not become as pleased by sacrifice or charity as I do by My devotee's observance of a full fast on Ekadasi.
Bhavishya-uttara Purana, narration of Saphala Ekadasi

How to observe it

Avoid grains and beans, keep the rest of the day's food simple, and give the extra time to chanting and hearing about Krishna. In the narration Lord Krishna asks for fresh seasonal fruits, ghee lamps and a night spent awake singing the glories of Narayana. At Kurukshetra, break the fast on Monday, 4 January, between 7:19 AM and 10:45 AM.

Questions

When is Saphala Ekadashi in January 2027?

Saphala Ekadashi falls on Sunday, 3 January 2027, which is also the disappearance day of Sri Devananda Pandita.

What time should I break the Saphala Ekadashi fast in Kurukshetra?

Break the fast at Kurukshetra on Monday, 4 January 2027, between 7:19 AM (sunrise) and 10:45 AM (one third of the day).

Who was Lumpaka in the story of Saphala Ekadashi?

Lumpaka was the sinful eldest son of King Mahishmata of Champavati. He kept the fast without knowing it, Lord Hari forgave him, and he later became a pure devotee.