Vrat · Vishnu

Varuthini Ekadashi

The Ekadashi that is armour: its fast is said to shield the one who keeps it, as it did King Mandhata. Vallabhacharya’s birthday falls on it.

Varuthini Ekadashi 2027
Sunday 2 May 2027
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Sunday 2 May 2027

Krishna Ekadashi tithi

Begins
6:54 pm, 1 May
Ends
7:52 pm
Sunrise
5:40 am
Sunset
6:57 pm
Moonrise
3:25 am, 3 May
Moonset
2:59 pm

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

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Sunday 2 May 2027

Parana (breaking the fast), 3 May

5:39 am to 8:19 am

Hari Vasara ends
1:55 am
Dwadashi ends
8:05 pm
Ekadashi begins
6:54 pm, 1 May
Ekadashi ends
7:52 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 King Mandhata
  • Break the fast tomorrow in the parana time

What it remembers

Varuthini Ekadashi, the Ekadashi that protects, is the eleventh day of the dark fortnight of Chaitra (Vaishakha in North India), in April or May. Varuthini means one in armour, and the fast is held to guard those who keep it from harm and misfortune, as it guarded King Mandhata. Lord Vishnu is worshipped, above all as Varaha, and the Pushti tradition keeps the day as the birthday of Vallabhacharya. The fast is broken the next morning in the parana time.

The armour of the fast

The Bhavishya Purana tells how Yudhishthira asked Lord Krishna about the Ekadashi of the dark fortnight of Vaishakha, and Krishna told him it was Varuthini, the most auspicious of fasts in this world and the next. Whoever keeps it, he said, is freed from sin and finds lasting happiness. It freed King Mandhata, and it freed Dhundhumara of the Ikshvaku line from a curse laid on him by Lord Shiva. Its merit is like that of a gift of gold at Kurukshetra in an eclipse of the sun.

Mandhata and the bear

In the telling read in many homes, King Mandhata, a generous and devout ruler on the banks of the Narmada, went into the forest to meditate. As he sat, a wild bear seized his foot and dragged him away. The king did not grow angry or strike back; he prayed to Lord Vishnu. Vishnu came and slew the bear with his discus, but the king’s leg was badly torn: the fruit, Vishnu said, of a wrong done in a past life. He told the king to go to Mathura, worship him there as Varaha and keep the Varuthini fast. Mandhata did so, and his leg was made whole.

The greatest gift

Lord Krishna ranked the gifts a person can make. A horse is good, an elephant better, then land, then sesame, then gold, and food grains, which satisfy the ancestors, the gods and people alike, better still. Higher than all of them is to give knowledge to those who lack it. And the one who keeps the Varuthini fast, he said, gains the merit of all these gifts together.

Vallabhacharya’s birthday

The great teacher Vallabhacharya, who founded the Pushti way of devotion to Lord Krishna, was born on the dark Ekadashi of Vaishakha. So in the temples and homes of his followers, Varuthini Ekadashi is kept as his birthday too.

Keeping Varuthini Ekadashi

The fast runs from sunrise to the parana the next morning. It asks for care on the day before and the day after as well. 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. Avoid urad, red lentils, chickpeas and honey, and do not eat from bell-metal plates or at another’s house.
  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 Varaha if you can, with tulsi leaves, sandalwood paste, flowers, a lamp and incense.
  4. Through the day, keep from anger, lies, gambling and sleep by day, and do not oil the body or eat oily food.
  5. Read or hear the story of the fast, and chant Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya or read the Vishnu Sahasranama.
  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. Give what you can: food, or knowledge, the greatest gift.

What you need

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

Across India

North India

Kept in the dark fortnight of Vaishakha, in the first heat of summer, with the story of Mandhata read at home.

Gujarat, Maharashtra and the south

By the southern calendar, whose months end at the new moon, the same day is the dark Ekadashi of Chaitra. It is the same fast: only the month’s name differs.

Pushti Marg temples

The followers of Vallabhacharya keep the day as his birthday, with the fast and with the worship of Lord Krishna.

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 glories of the day read from the Bhavishya Purana.

When it falls

Krishna Ekadashi of Chaitra (Vaishakha in North India). 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.

Varuthini Ekadashi in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2027Sunday 2 May 2027
  2. 2028Thursday 20 April 2028

Questions

When is Varuthini Ekadashi in 2027?

Sunday 2 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 Varuthini Ekadashi fall?

Krishna Ekadashi of Chaitra (Vaishakha in North India). Kept on the day of the Ekadashi fast (the Smarta day).

How is Varuthini Ekadashi kept?

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

Who is honoured on Varuthini Ekadashi?

Vishnu. The Ekadashi that is armour: its fast is said to shield the one who keeps it, as it did King Mandhata. Vallabhacharya’s birthday falls on it.

What is the story of Varuthini Ekadashi?

King Mandhata was seized by a bear while he meditated in the forest. He prayed instead of fighting, and Lord Vishnu slew the bear, but the king’s leg was torn. Vishnu sent him to Mathura to worship him as Varaha and keep the Varuthini fast, and his leg was healed. Lord Krishna also told Yudhishthira that the fast freed Mandhata and King Dhundhumara.

What does Varuthini mean?

One who is armoured, or protected. The fast is held to be like armour, guarding those who keep it from harm, misfortune and sin.

What should be avoided on Varuthini Ekadashi?

Grains and beans, as on every Ekadashi. On the day before and the day after, the old rules also leave out urad, red lentils, chickpeas, honey, bell-metal plates and meals at another’s house; on the day itself, anger, lies, gambling, sleep by day and oiling the body.

Is Varuthini Ekadashi Vallabhacharya Jayanti?

Yes. Vallabhacharya, the founder of the Pushti way, was born on the dark Ekadashi of Vaishakha, so his followers keep Varuthini Ekadashi as his birthday.

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