Nirjalā Ekādaśī

Please check the date and time for Ekādaśī in your area using below sites.

https://www.vaisnavacalendar.info/

https://vaishnavacalendar.org/

https://www.drikpanchang.com/iskcon/iskcon-ekadashi-list.html

How to perform Ekādaśī

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 12

Observe fasting on Ekādaśī day (this occurs on the eleventh day after the full moon and the eleventh day after the new moon). On such days no grains, cereals or beans are eaten; simply vegetables and milk are moderately taken, and the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa and reading of scriptures are increased.

Meditations on this auspicious day

Śrīla Prabhupāda's lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.1–8, New Vrindavan, May 23, 1969

So, parāvare brahmaṇi dharmato vrataiḥ. So, one should execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness, dharmataḥ, in right path, and vrataiḥ. Bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ. Just like today, ekādaśī-vrata. Vrataiḥ. This ekādaśī-vrata is required. Just see. Here it is that "You have performed all the vratas." The purpose of ekādaśī-vrata is that today we should not eat much usual food, grains. The actual prescription is fasting. Nirjala-ekādaśī. Nirjala means there are many devotees who does not take even water. Water, drinking water, according to śāstra, it is taking food... It is drinking of food or no food. We can take both ways. So sometimes drinking of water is excused as upavāsa also. But there are many devotees who even..., drink even a drop of water. Whole day and night they fast and observe ekādaśī-vrata. And the night is called harivāsara. Harivāsara means the whole night they would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma... This is called vrata. Dṛḍha-vrata. Dṛḍha-vrata.

Dṛḍha means very firm, steady. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has given us so many concession. But we should be... Because there are some concession, better we should not take advantage of the concession, but we should be very steady and strong in our conviction and perform devotional service strictly. That is nice. Vrataiḥ. Dharmato vrataiḥ.

"Today [Ekādaśī] is a very important day. It is Harivāsara. It’s the day of Lord Hari. We should respect mother Ekādaśī because if we respect mother Ekādaśī she will take care of us.

[The word Harivāsara is spoken by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and quoted in Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.138. śrī-hari-vāsare hari-kīrtana-vidhāna nṛtya ārambhilā prabhu jagatera prāṇa

On the fasting day of Śrī Hari-vāsara, Lord Gaurasundara began to dance and chant the names of Hari. The phrase śrī hari-vāsara means “the day of Lord Hari;” in other words, Ekādaśī.]"

Story of Nirjalā Ekādaśī

Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-Khaṇḍa, Chapter 51

Once, during a serene moment in Hastināpura, Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira approached Lord Janārdana with folded palms and a humble heart. He said, “O Janārdana, I have heard in full about the glories of Aparā Ekādaśī. O You who honor all living beings, please tell me about that Ekādaśī which falls in the bright half of the month of Jyeṣṭha.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa smiled gently and replied, “O King, the wise son of Satyavatī—Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the knower of all scriptures, master of the Vedas and Upaniṣads—will narrate the glories of this Ekādaśī to you.”

With reverence, Yudhiṣṭhira turned to Śrī Vyāsadeva and said, “I have heard the instructions of Manu and Vasiṣṭha on dharma. O Dvaipāyana, please now kindly explain properly the sacred duties of the devotees of Lord Viṣṇu.”

Śrī Vyāsadeva, seated in his meditative composure, began to speak. “O best of kings, you have indeed heard the dharma spoken by the sages. But know that the dharmas enjoined by Manu and Vasiṣṭha are difficult to follow in this age of Kali. O intelligent one, the vow of Ekādaśī, glorified in the Purāṇas, is the essence of all dharma. It is easy to perform, inexpensive, requires little effort, and bestows immense spiritual benefit. Those desiring to ascend to higher realms must observe Ekādaśī as long as they live. Even grievous sinners, those of wicked behavior and devoid of virtue, attain the Lord’s proximity if they simply fast on Ekādaśī.”

As these words of dharma were spoken, Bhīmasena—the mighty-armed warrior—began trembling like the leaf of an aśvattha tree. With humility, he bowed down to his grandfather and confessed. “O revered grandfather, please hear my sincere plea. My noble elder brother Yudhiṣṭhira, mother Kuntī, Draupadī, and even my brothers Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—all faithfully observe this sacred vow and never eat on Ekādaśī. They constantly urge me, ‘O Bhīma, you too should fast.’ But I tell them: ‘For me, hunger is too painful to bear. I will give charity and worship Lord Viṣṇu in other ways.’”

Vyāsadeva replied with gentle firmness, “O Bhīmasena, if you desire to go to heaven and if you fear the suffering of hell, then you must not eat on the Ekādaśīs of either fortnight.”

Bhīma, honest as ever, responded, “O grandsire, I cannot even sustain myself on one meal a day. How then can I fast completely? There is a fire within me—called Vṛka—that constantly burns in my stomach, and it is only pacified when I eat repeatedly. Yet I desire the result of the Ekādaśī vow. Please tell me of one fast that I can observe wholeheartedly and that will give the fruit of all Ekādaśīs.”

Understanding Bhīma’s unique nature, Vyāsadeva said. “O Bhīmasena, listen attentively, O son of Vāyu. The one who observes a nirjalā (waterless) fast from sunrise to the next sunrise attains the merit of observing all twelve Dvādaśīs in the year. Then, on Dvādaśī morning, after bathing, he should eat with contentment and purity. This practice grants the fruits of every Ekādaśī observed throughout the year. In Kali-yuga, where purity is scarce and Vedic rites are difficult, Ekādaśī is the most effective path. By fasting on the Jyeṣṭha-śukla Ekādaśī without even water, one earns untold merits—wealth, good health, noble progeny, and ultimately liberation. The fearsome messengers of Yama do not approach such a soul. Instead, Viṣṇu’s messengers—dressed in yellow robes, carrying the Sudarśana cakra, swift as the mind—escort him to the eternal abode.

This vow is so powerful that hearing its glories or narrating them with devotion grants the same merit as performing a śrāddha at Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse.

Those who observe this Nirjalā Ekādaśī with faith, charity, devotion, and self-restraint, not only liberate themselves, but also uplift a hundred members of their family—past and future—to the eternal shelter of Lord Viṣṇu.