Padmini Ekadashi 2026 — Wednesday, 27 May 2026

About Padmini Ekadashi

Padmini Ekadashi comes only in an adhik (extra) lunar month, in its bright half, so it is kept roughly once in three years. The adhik month is also called Purushottam Maas, dedicated to Vishnu, which is why the day is also called Purushottami or Kamala Ekadashi.

Also called: Kamala Ekadashi, Purushottami Ekadashi

The katha

King Kritavirya of Mahishmati had many queens but no child, and years of penance brought none. Queen Padmini asked Anasuya, the wife of the sage Atri, what to do. Anasuya told her to keep the Ekadashi of the bright half of the adhik month. Padmini kept it with devotion, and her son Kartavirya Arjuna was born.

A summary of the Ekadashi mahatmya in the Padma and Bhavishya Uttara Puranas.

About this day

This day falls in an adhik (extra) lunar month, also called Purushottam Maas and Mal Maas. Festivals are not held in an adhik month; they move to the regular (nija) month that follows. The month itself is given to devotion: reading, charity and the worship of Vishnu.

How Ekadashi is kept

• The fast runs from sunrise on Ekadashi to the parana on the next day. Many eat a single simple, sattvic meal on Dashami evening, before the fast begins.
• Grains and pulses, rice above all, are traditionally avoided. Fruit, milk, curd, nuts and phalahar foods such as sabudana, kuttu, singhara and potato are commonly eaten; the exact custom differs from family to family.
• The fast can be kept at different levels: nirjala (without water), phalahar (fruit and milk), or one meal without grains. Choose what suits your body; no single level is required of everyone.
• The day is given to Vishnu: tulsi leaves, a lamp, the Vishnu Sahasranama or a mantra such as Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, and the katha of that Ekadashi. Tulsi is usually picked the day before, as many avoid plucking it on Ekadashi.
• Some stay awake at night singing bhajans (jagaran), and many give food or grain in charity.
• Parana is on Dwadashi, within the window shown in the list: after Hari Vasara, ideally early in the day, and before Dwadashi ends. The fast is usually broken with something light, often with a little tulsi water.
• Anyone who is pregnant or nursing, elderly, diabetic, on regular medication or unwell can keep a lighter fast — fruit and milk, or one meal — or simply keep the day in prayer. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor before fasting.

Ekadashi: the full guide and every date

Questions people ask