Vrat · Vishnu

Mohini Ekadashi

The Ekadashi named for Mohini, the enchantress Lord Vishnu became to win back the amrita for the gods; its story tells of Dhrishtabuddhi and the sage Kaundinya.

Mohini Ekadashi 2027
Sunday 16 May 2027
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Sunday 16 May 2027

Shukla Ekadashi tithi

Begins
6:18 pm, 15 May
Ends
5:14 pm
Sunrise
5:30 am
Sunset
7:05 pm
Moonrise
3:20 pm
Moonset
3:00 am, 17 May

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Sunday 16 May 2027

Parana (breaking the fast), 17 May

5:30 am to 8:13 am

Hari Vasara ends
11:03 pm, 16 May
Dwadashi ends
4:29 pm
Ekadashi begins
6:18 pm, 15 May
Ekadashi ends
5:14 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Fast without grains or beans
  • Hear the story of Mohini and the amrita
  • Break the fast tomorrow in the parana time

What it remembers

Mohini Ekadashi is the bright eleventh day of Vaishakha, in April or May. It takes its name from Mohini, the enchanting form Lord Vishnu took at the churning of the ocean to win the amrita, the nectar of immortality, for the gods. Its story is of Dhrishtabuddhi, a merchant’s son lost to every vice, who was set free by this one fast, as the sage Vasishtha told Lord Rama. The fast is broken the next morning in the parana time.

Mohini and the amrita

When the gods and the asuras churned the ocean of milk together, the amrita rose from its depths at last, and the asuras seized it for themselves. Then Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini, an enchantress so lovely that the asuras forgot their quarrel and handed her the pot of nectar to share out. She gave it all to the gods, and the asuras went without. This Ekadashi bears her name.

Rama’s question

When Yudhishthira asked Lord Krishna about the bright Ekadashi of Vaishakha, Krishna told him a story that the sage Vasishtha once told Lord Rama. Grieving in his separation from Goddess Sita, Rama asked his teacher for the best of all vows, one that would end sin and sorrow. Vasishtha named Mohini Ekadashi, and told him of a city called Bhadravati, on the banks of the Sarasvati, ruled by King Dyutiman of the lunar line.

The merchant’s youngest son

In Bhadravati lived a merchant, Dhanapala, devoted to Lord Vishnu, who spent his wealth digging lakes and wells and planting gardens for the city. The youngest of his five sons, Dhrishtabuddhi, was his sorrow. He gambled and drank, kept low company, scorned the gods, his elders and his guests, and wasted his father’s wealth. When Dhanapala saw him in the street with a courtesan, he turned him out of the house. Penniless, Dhrishtabuddhi took to stealing; the king’s men flogged him and drove him from the kingdom, and he lived on for years in the forest as a hunter.

Drops from the sage’s cloth

One day in Vaishakha he came to the hermitage of the sage Kaundinya, just as the sage returned from bathing in the Ganga. Drops of water from the sage’s wet clothes fell on him, and at their touch his mind cleared. He begged for some way to atone. Kaundinya told him to keep the fast of Mohini Ekadashi, which could destroy sins as great as Mount Sumeru. Dhrishtabuddhi kept it by all its rules; his sins fell away, and he was carried on Garuda to the abode of Lord Vishnu.

Keeping Mohini Ekadashi

The fast runs from sunrise to the parana the next morning. Families keep it in many ways, strictly or simply; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. On Dashami, the day before, eat one simple meal before sunset, and pick the tulsi leaves you will need: tulsi is not plucked on Ekadashi.
  2. Bathe early and take the vow (sankalpa) to fast. Keep it without grains or beans, on fruit and milk, or without water, as your health allows.
  3. Worship Lord Vishnu, as Mohini or as Narayana, with tulsi leaves, flowers, a lamp and incense.
  4. Read or hear the story of Dhrishtabuddhi and the sage Kaundinya, and chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya or read the Vishnu Sahasranama.
  5. Keep the mind on Lord Vishnu, away from anger and idle talk, and give to those in need.
  6. Many keep awake in the night with kirtan (jagaran), and sing Om Jai Jagdish Hare.
  7. On Dwadashi, break the fast in the parana time shown on this page, starting with tulsi water, then a simple meal.

What you need

  • Tulsi leaves, picked the day before
  • Fruit, milk and the foods allowed in the fast (sabudana, kuttu, singhara, potato)
  • Flowers, a lamp and incense
  • The Mohini Ekadashi story, or the Vishnu Sahasranama

Across India

Across India

The bright Ekadashi of Vaishakha has the same name in the northern and the southern calendars, so it is kept as Mohini Ekadashi everywhere.

Vaishnava and ISKCON tradition

Kept by the Vaishnava rule, which can move the fast a day later when Dashami touches Ekadashi’s dawn, with the story of Dhrishtabuddhi told in temples.

When it falls

Shukla Ekadashi of Vaishakha. Kept on the day of the Ekadashi fast (the Smarta day).

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Mohini Ekadashi in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2027Sunday 16 May 2027
  2. 2028Friday 5 May 2028

Questions

When is Mohini Ekadashi in 2027?

Sunday 16 May 2027, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Mohini Ekadashi fall?

Shukla Ekadashi of Vaishakha. Kept on the day of the Ekadashi fast (the Smarta day).

How is Mohini Ekadashi kept?

Families fast without grains or beans, hear the story of Mohini and the amrita and break the fast tomorrow in the parana time. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Mohini Ekadashi?

Vishnu. The Ekadashi named for Mohini, the enchantress Lord Vishnu became to win back the amrita for the gods; its story tells of Dhrishtabuddhi and the sage Kaundinya.

Why is it called Mohini Ekadashi?

After Mohini, the enchanting form Lord Vishnu took at the churning of the ocean. The asuras had seized the amrita; Mohini charmed them into handing it to her, and she gave it to the gods.

What is the story of Mohini Ekadashi?

Dhrishtabuddhi, the wicked youngest son of the merchant Dhanapala, was turned out of his home and his kingdom. Years later, in the forest, drops of water from the sage Kaundinya’s clothes woke him to his sins. The sage told him to keep Mohini Ekadashi, and by the fast he was freed and went to the abode of Lord Vishnu.

Who told the story of Mohini Ekadashi?

The sage Vasishtha told it to Lord Rama, when Rama asked for the best of vows in his grief for Goddess Sita. Lord Krishna told it again to Yudhishthira.

Who is Mohini?

Mohini, the enchantress, is the form Lord Vishnu took to win the amrita for the gods at the churning of the ocean. The same Mohini is remembered on this Ekadashi, which bears her name.

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