All 24 Ekadashi Names: Month-by-Month List and Significance
The names of every Ekadashi in the Hindu year, which lunar month each falls in, and what each one is known for, from Kamada to Papmochani.
Each of the 24 Ekadashis in a year has its own name, its own story in the Puranas and its own reward. Knowing the name helps you find the right vrat katha and understand why that day is special. For the exact dates this year, see our Ekadashi calendar.
How the names are assigned
An Ekadashi falls in every paksha, so there are two per lunar month: one in Shukla Paksha (waxing) and one in Krishna Paksha (waning). The list below follows the Purnimanta month names used in North India, where Krishna Paksha comes before Shukla Paksha in each month. In the Amanta calendar used in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the South, each Krishna Ekadashi belongs to the previous month, but the Ekadashi names and dates are the same.
The Ekadashi list
| Purnimanta month | Krishna Paksha Ekadashi | Shukla Paksha Ekadashi |
|---|---|---|
| Chaitra | Papmochani | Kamada |
| Vaishakha | Varuthini | Mohini |
| Jyeshtha | Apara | Nirjala |
| Ashadha | Yogini | Devshayani |
| Shravana | Kamika | Shravana Putrada |
| Bhadrapada | Aja | Parsva (Parivartini) |
| Ashwin | Indira | Papankusha |
| Kartika | Rama | Devutthana (Prabodhini) |
| Margashirsha | Utpanna | Mokshada |
| Pausha | Saphala | Pausha Putrada |
| Magha | Shattila | Jaya |
| Phalguna | Vijaya | Amalaki |
In a year with an Adhika (extra) month, two more Ekadashis occur: Padmini (Shukla) and Parama (Krishna).
The Ekadashis people ask about most
Nirjala Ekadashi (Jyeshtha Shukla)
The strictest fast of the year, kept without even water. Tradition holds that Bhima, unable to fast twenty-four times a year, was advised by Sage Vyasa to keep this one Ekadashi without water and so receive the merit of all of them.
Devshayani Ekadashi (Ashadha Shukla)
Lord Vishnu is said to enter his cosmic sleep on this day, beginning the four months of Chaturmas, when weddings and other major ceremonies are traditionally paused.
Devutthana Ekadashi (Kartika Shukla)
Vishnu "wakes" on this Ekadashi, ending Chaturmas. Tulsi Vivah is celebrated around this day, and the wedding season begins.
Mokshada Ekadashi (Margashirsha Shukla)
Associated with liberation and observed as Gita Jayanti, the day Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. Read more in SpiritualMarg's Gita Jayanti guide and the Bhagavad Gita itself. In South India the same day is celebrated as Vaikuntha Ekadashi.
Putrada Ekadashi (Shravana and Pausha Shukla)
Two Ekadashis share this name, and both are kept by couples praying for children.
Shattila Ekadashi (Magha Krishna)
Named for six (shat) uses of sesame (til): bathing, applying, offering in fire, giving, eating and drinking sesame water.
Amalaki Ekadashi (Phalguna Shukla)
The amla (Indian gooseberry) tree is worshipped, just before Holi.
Doing the Ekadashi puja
Whatever the Ekadashi, the core is the same: a sankalpa in the morning, worship of Vishnu with Tulsi leaves, the day's katha, and chanting. Many families close the puja with the Vishnu Aarti and use a naam jap counter for Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. The fast is broken the next morning at Parana time; see our Ekadashi vrat rules for what to eat and when to break it.
Why dates differ between calendars
Occasionally two dates are printed for the same Ekadashi. This happens when the Ekadashi tithi covers two sunrises. Smarta households usually fast on the first day, Vaishnava traditions often on the second. We explain this in why there are two tithis in one day.