Aja Ekadashi Date 2027: Vrat Katha, Puja Vidhi, Parana, Mantras and the Story of King Harishchandra

Aja Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the Krishna Paksha (waning fortnight) of Bhadrapada, a day of fasting and worship of Lord Vishnu in his Hrishikesha form. It is also widely known as Annada Ekadashi. It falls just a few days after Janmashtami, so many devotees see it as the next step of devotion after celebrating Krishna’s birth.

The katha of this Ekadashi belongs to King Harishchandra, the king famous for truth. Holding on to his word, he lost his kingdom, his family and his dignity, yet never turned away from satya. On the advice of Rishi Gautama he observed the Aja Ekadashi fast, and, according to tradition, his family and kingdom were restored to him.

It is believed that this vrat removes sins committed knowingly or unknowingly, and that hearing its katha brings merit equal to an Ashvamedha yajna. This guide covers the date, parana time, the full vrat katha, puja vidhi, mantras, fasting rules and the beliefs connected with this Ekadashi.

When is Aja Ekadashi in 2027? Date, Tithi and Parana Time

Quick answer: Aja Ekadashi 2026 (7 September) has passed. The next Aja Ekadashi is on Saturday, 28 August 2027. For New Delhi, the Ekadashi tithi runs from about 3:26 PM on 27 August 2027 to about 12:43 PM on 28 August, and parana is on the morning of 29 August 2027 — see the table below for the exact parana time in your city.

Check the table above for the exact fasting date and parana time in your own city, because the timings change with local sunrise. In India in 2027, Smarta (householder) and Vaishnava (ISKCON and others) devotees fast on the same day. In some cities abroad the two traditions may fall on different days, so devotees outside India should check the table.

Meaning of Aja Ekadashi and Its Other Names

The word “Aja” means “the unborn”, one who is eternal and without beginning. It is a name of Lord Vishnu. Aja Ekadashi is therefore the Ekadashi dedicated to the unborn, eternal Lord. The name is a reminder that the body, wealth and status keep changing, while the soul and the Supreme remain.

Other names of Aja Ekadashi

• Annada Ekadashi: the name used by ISKCON and many Vaishnava calendars. “Annada” means “the giver of food”, that is, the giver of nourishment and prosperity.
• Bhadrapada Krishna Ekadashi: the tithi name used in North Indian panchangs.
• Shravana Krishna Ekadashi: the name used for the same day in regions that follow the Amanta calendar.

Which month: Purnimanta and Amanta calendars

In the Purnimanta calendar used in North India, the month ends on Purnima, and Aja Ekadashi falls in Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha. In the Amanta calendar followed in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and much of South India, the month ends on Amavasya, so the same Ekadashi is called Shravana Krishna Paksha Ekadashi.

The fasting date is the same in both systems; only the month name changes. This is why Yudhishthira asks about “Shravana Krishna” Ekadashi in some versions of the katha and “Bhadrapada Krishna” in others. In the Gregorian calendar it usually falls in late August or September.

Significance of Aja Ekadashi

Religious significance

In the katha, Lord Krishna tells Yudhishthira that Aja Ekadashi destroys all sins and that few vows in this world or the next equal it. By tradition, those who keep it with faith are freed from the weight of past karma and find peace and happiness in life.

Worship of Lord Vishnu as Hrishikesha is prescribed on this day. Hrishikesha means “master of the senses”. That is also the heart of the fast: for one day we hold the senses and mind in restraint and turn them towards God.

Spiritual message

The central message of Aja Ekadashi is satya, or truthfulness. When Harishchandra had nothing left, he still did not give up truth. The story teaches that staying honest and dutiful in hard times is itself a great tapasya.

The second message is patience and hope. Harishchandra suffered for years but never stopped looking for a way out, and when he received the right guidance he followed it with his whole heart. Hard phases in life are not permanent; faith, effort and good company open a path.

Mention in the Puranas

According to tradition, the glory of Aja Ekadashi is told in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana as a dialogue between Krishna and Yudhishthira. This is the source named in the ISKCON tradition. Some other sources link it to the Brahmanda Purana, while most Hindi katha texts simply say “in the Puranas”.

The longer story of Harishchandra, with Vishvamitra’s test, the sale in Kashi and the death of his son, comes mainly from the Markandeya Purana and the Devi Bhagavata Purana. The Ekadashi katha ties the end of that famous story to the Aja Ekadashi fast.

Aja Ekadashi Vrat Katha

Yudhishthira’s question

Once Yudhishthira asked Lord Krishna, “O Janardana, what is the name of the Ekadashi that comes in the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada? How is its fast observed and what is its fruit? Please tell me in detail.” (In some versions, Arjuna asks the question.)

Krishna replied, “O King, this Ekadashi is called Aja. It destroys all sins. Whoever worships Lord Hrishikesha on this day and keeps the fast is freed from sin. Now listen carefully to its story.”

Harishchandra, the truthful king

Long ago, the chakravarti King Harishchandra of the Solar dynasty ruled from Ayodhya. He was emperor of the whole earth, mighty and devoted to dharma. Above all, he was known for truth: whatever he promised, he fulfilled at any cost. His queen was Taramati and his son was Rohitashva.

(In some traditions the queen is called Shaivya, and in South Indian and ISKCON tellings she is Chandramati. The son is also called Rohita or Lohitashva.)

The gift made in a dream

In the popular telling, the gods decided to test the king’s truthfulness. One night Harishchandra dreamt that he had given his entire kingdom to Maharishi Vishvamitra. The next day Vishvamitra actually arrived at court and reminded him of the gift made in the dream.

Anyone else might have said a dream is only a dream. Harishchandra said a promise is a promise, whether given awake or asleep. He handed over the whole kingdom without hesitation and left the palace with his wife and son.

(Some versions leave out the dream and simply say that, through destiny or past karma, the king lost everything.)

Separation and service at the cremation ground

To fulfil his word and the promised dakshina, the king had to sell his wife and son, and finally sold himself to a Dom (chandala). The former emperor of the earth became the keeper of a cremation ground. His work was to collect the fee and the shrouds from the families of the dead. Popular tellings place all this in Kashi.

Even in these hard days, Harishchandra did not give up truth and served his master honestly. Inside, though, he was in deep sorrow. “What should I do? Where can I go? How will I be freed?” he kept thinking, and many years passed this way.

The son’s death and the hardest test

In the well-known Harishchandra legend, his son Rohitashva died one day of a snake bite. The grieving queen carried the body to the very cremation ground that Harishchandra guarded.

Harishchandra recognised his wife and son, yet he did not abandon his duty. He said the cremation could not happen without the fee, because that was his master’s rule. The queen had nothing to give. This was the hardest test of his truth. (Some Aja Ekadashi texts skip this scene and say only that the dead son was restored at the end.)

Rishi Gautama’s advice

In this hour of sorrow, by the strength of the king’s past good deeds, Maharishi Gautama arrived there. The king bowed and told him his whole painful story, and the sage was filled with compassion.

Gautama said, “O King, you are fortunate. On the seventh day from now comes the Ekadashi of Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha called Aja. Fast on that day as prescribed and stay awake through the night remembering the Lord. By the power of this vow all your sins will be destroyed.” Saying this, the sage vanished. (The detail of “seven days” comes from the ISKCON telling; many Hindi texts give only the advice to fast.)

The fast, the vigil and the deliverance

When Aja Ekadashi came, Harishchandra fasted with full faith and stayed awake all night in meditation on the Lord. By the power of the vrat, all his sins were destroyed at once.

Celestial drums sounded and the gods showered flowers. The king saw Brahma, Vishnu, Mahadeva, Indra and other gods standing before him. His dead son rose alive, and his queen came to him in royal clothes and ornaments. He regained his lost kingdom too.

Some tellings add that the whole ordeal was an illusion created by the gods and Vishvamitra to test the king’s truth, and that it ended through the power of the vrat. In the end, Harishchandra went to heaven (the supreme abode) with his family and subjects.

The fruit of the katha

Krishna said, “O King, all this was the power of Aja Ekadashi. Whoever keeps this fast properly and stays awake at night is freed from sin and finally reaches the highest realm. Merely reading or hearing this katha gives merit equal to an Ashvamedha yajna.”

Aja Ekadashi Puja Vidhi (Step by Step)

This is a simple method for householders. If your family tradition or guru gives different rules, follow those.

Dashami (the day before)

1. Eat one simple sattvic meal before sunset. Avoid onion, garlic, meat, alcohol and tamasic food.
2. Keep the evening light and hold the next day’s vow in mind.
3. Clean the puja space and keep the puja items ready.

Ekadashi morning and sankalp

1. Wake in Brahma muhurta or before sunrise, bathe and wear clean, preferably yellow, clothes.
2. Offer water to the Sun.
3. Take water, akshat and a flower in your hand and make the sankalp: “Today I will keep the Aja Ekadashi fast, as per my ability, for the pleasure of Lord Vishnu.” Also resolve to speak only the truth today.

Worship of Lord Vishnu (Hrishikesha)

1. Spread a yellow cloth on a low stool and place an image of Lord Vishnu or Krishna. You may also set a kalash of water with mango leaves.
2. Bathe the deity with Ganga jal or sprinkle water, and apply yellow chandan.
3. Offer yellow flowers, tulsi leaves, incense and a ghee lamp. Do not pluck tulsi on Ekadashi; pick the leaves the day before.
4. Offer fruit, sweets or panchamrit as bhog, always with a tulsi leaf.
5. Chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya”. If you have time, recite the Vishnu Sahasranama.
6. Read or listen to the Aja Ekadashi vrat katha with your family.
7. Finish with the Om Jai Jagdish Hare Aarti and the Ekadashi Mata Ki Aarti.

During the day and evening

1. Spend the day in bhajan, naam jap or Gita reading. Avoid lies, anger, gossip and harsh words.
2. Avoid sleeping during the day, as the fasting rules advise.
3. In the evening, light the lamp again, do Vishnu aarti and place a lamp near the tulsi plant.

Night jagran

In the katha, Rishi Gautama told Harishchandra to fast and also stay awake through the night, so jagran has special value on this Ekadashi. Spend the night in kirtan, katha or naam jap. If you cannot stay awake all night, remember the Lord for as long as you can.

Dwadashi and parana

1. On Dwadashi morning, bathe and worship Lord Vishnu.
2. Give food grains, clothes or dakshina to someone in need, a Brahmin or a gaushala, as you can.
3. Break the fast within the parana time shown in the table, with a tulsi leaf and water, then take a sattvic meal.

Puja Samagri List

• Image or picture of Lord Vishnu or Krishna
• Low stool (chowki) and yellow cloth
• Kalash, water, Ganga jal and mango leaves
• Yellow chandan, roli, akshat (whole rice, for worship only)
• Yellow flowers and a garland
• Tulsi leaves (picked the day before)
• Dhoop, incense, ghee lamp, cotton wicks and camphor
• Panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar)
• Seasonal fruit, dry fruit and sweets for bhog
• Paan, supari, cloves, cardamom
• Tulsi mala for japa
• Katha book or this page, and an aarti collection
• Grain, clothes or dakshina for daan

Aja Ekadashi Mantras

Faith and focus matter most in japa. Chant any one or more of these as you are able. Chanting 108 times on a tulsi mala is considered auspicious.

1. Dvadashakshara mantra

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय॥ (Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya)

Meaning: Salutations to Lord Vasudeva (Vishnu), who dwells within all beings. This twelve-syllable mantra is the one most chanted on every Ekadashi.

2. Vishnu Gayatri mantra

ॐ नारायणाय विद्महे वासुदेवाय धीमहि। तन्नो विष्णुः प्रचोदयात्॥ (Om Narayanaya Vidmahe Vasudevaya Dhimahi, Tanno Vishnuh Prachodayat)

Meaning: We contemplate Narayana and meditate on Vasudeva. May Lord Vishnu guide and inspire our understanding.

3. Vishnu dhyana shloka

शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं, विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम्। लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यं, वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम्॥

Meaning: I bow to Lord Vishnu, peaceful in form, resting on the serpent, lotus-navelled, lord of the gods and support of the universe, vast as the sky and dark as a rain cloud, beloved of Lakshmi and lotus-eyed, reached by yogis in meditation, remover of the fear of worldly life and the one lord of all worlds.

4. Hare Krishna Mahamantra

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे। हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे॥

Meaning: The Lord is called again and again by the names Hari, Krishna and Rama, as a prayer for loving devotion and constant remembrance. Coming right after Janmashtami, Annada Ekadashi is a day when many Vaishnava devotees chant and sing this mahamantra.

No separate mantra specific to Aja Ekadashi is found in reliable sources, so the well-known Vishnu mantras above are what devotees chant on this day.

Aja Ekadashi and King Harishchandra: The Message of Truth

“Satyavadi Harishchandra” is still a byword for truth in India. The Aja Ekadashi katha links the darkest period of his life to this vrat. So this Ekadashi is not only a fast from food but also a vow to live by truth.

What Harishchandra’s story teaches

• Honour your word: keep promises, small or big.
• Honesty in hard times: do not take a wrong path even when life is difficult.
• Respect for duty: do every honest job with full integrity; no honest work is small.
• Seek guidance: do not suffer alone; like Harishchandra with Gautama, speak to people who can guide you.

Many devotees add a small “satya vrat” to the fast: not telling a single lie all day, fulfilling an old promise, or asking forgiveness for a past mistake. It suits the spirit of the katha and makes the fast meaningful.

Aja Ekadashi After Janmashtami

Aja Ekadashi comes about three days after Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, Shri Krishna Janmashtami. Many families break the Janmashtami fast and keep the Ekadashi fast within the same week. In ISKCON temples it is celebrated as Annada Ekadashi.

If you kept a strict Janmashtami fast and your body has not fully recovered, a lighter phalahar or one-meal fast on Aja Ekadashi is a wise choice. The Lord looks at the bhava, not the severity. Eat nourishing sattvic food and drink enough water between the two fasts.

Merit Equal to an Ashvamedha Yajna, and Anna Daan

The katha says that hearing or reading the Aja Ekadashi story gives merit equal to an Ashvamedha yajna, the grandest sacrifice performed by emperors in ancient times. The comparison shows how highly a dharmic story heard with a sincere heart is valued.

The deeper sense is that the real fruit of hearing the katha comes when its message enters life. Listening alone is not the point; living by truth and dharma is.

Daan on Annada Ekadashi

Because of the name “Annada”, giving food is considered especially auspicious. Grains are not eaten on Ekadashi, but donating them, or feeding people after parana on Dwadashi, is valued in tradition.

• Rice, flour or dal for those in need
• A meal for hungry people or needy children
• Fruit, clothes and dakshina
• Green fodder or jaggery at a gaushala

Aja Ekadashi Fasting Rules: What to Eat and What to Avoid

What you can eat

• Seasonal fruits, banana, apple, papaya, coconut
• Milk, curd, buttermilk, paneer, butter
• Dry fruits and makhana
• Sabudana, singhara flour, kuttu flour, rajgira (as per tradition)
• Potato, sweet potato, arbi, pumpkin, bottle gourd
• Sendha (rock) salt, black pepper, cumin
• Coconut water, lemon water, plain water

What to avoid

• Rice and anything made from rice (rice is traditionally forbidden on Ekadashi)
• All grains: wheat, barley, maize, millet
• Dals and beans
• Onion and garlic
• Meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, tobacco
• Ordinary table salt, if you follow the sendha namak custom
• Heavy, deep-fried food

Nirjala fast

In a nirjala fast no food or water is taken all day. It is the strictest form and should be kept only by healthy people who know their limits. August and September are humid and hot, so watch for dehydration.

Phalahar fast

In a phalahar fast, grains are given up while fruit, milk, nuts and fasting foods are taken, along with water and juice. Most householders keep this form.

Ek samay (one meal)

Those who cannot fast all day can take one grain-free sattvic meal, such as sabudana khichdi or kuttu roti with potato. This suits elders, working people and those with weaker health.

Health caution: If you have diabetes, blood pressure, kidney or heart conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding, are elderly or take regular medicines, consult your doctor before a strict or nirjala fast. Phalahar, one meal, or simply puja and naam jap is also a complete fast of devotion.

Aja Ekadashi Parana: When and How to Break the Fast

The Ekadashi fast is broken the next day, on Dwadashi tithi. This is called parana. The right time depends on your city’s sunrise and the Dwadashi tithi, so see the exact parana time for your city in the table above.

• Within Dwadashi: parana should be done before Dwadashi tithi ends.
• Not during Hari Vasara: the first quarter of Dwadashi is called Hari Vasara, and parana is not done then.
• Morning is best: pratahkal is the preferred time. Avoid madhyahna (midday); if the morning is missed, break the fast after midday.
• Smarta and Vaishnava: in years when Ekadashi spans two days, Smarta householders fast on the first day and Vaishnavas on the second. Follow your tradition; the table shows both.

How to do parana

1. Bathe, worship Lord Vishnu and offer bhog.
2. If possible, first give food or grain to someone in need.
3. Break the fast with a tulsi leaf and a little water.
4. Then eat a light sattvic meal; avoid very heavy or fried food straight after the fast.

Aja Ekadashi Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

• Wake early, bathe and make the sankalp.
• Meditate on Lord Hrishikesha and offer tulsi.
• Read or hear the katha of King Harishchandra.
• Make a special effort to speak the truth all day.
• Keep jagran with bhajan and kirtan if you can.
• Give food, grain or clothes in charity.
• Break the fast on time on Dwadashi.

Don’ts

• Do not eat rice or grains.
• Avoid lies, deceit, anger, gossip and criticism.
• Do not pluck tulsi leaves on Ekadashi.
• Stay away from meat, alcohol, tobacco and tamasic things.
• Avoid sleeping in the daytime.
• Do not do parana during Hari Vasara or after Dwadashi ends.
• Do not ignore your health to keep a strict fast.

Aja Ekadashi Myths and Facts (Myth vs Reality)

Myth: Keeping Aja Ekadashi will bring back lost money, a job or status by itself, with no effort needed.

Reality: Harishchandra regains his kingdom in the katha, so the fast is seen as a symbol of hope in hard times. But tradition presents the fast as a means of inner purification and divine grace, not a substitute for effort. Faith and honest work go together.

Myth: Just hearing the katha gives the fruit of an Ashvamedha, so conduct does not matter.

Reality: The statement stresses the value of hearing the katha. Yet its hero is a king who kept truth after losing everything. The essence is to live its message of satya and duty, not only to listen.

Myth: Harishchandra suffered because God was angry with him; anyone who suffers must be a sinner.

Reality: In the popular telling, his suffering is a test of his truth, not a punishment. Linking someone’s hard times to their sins is neither the spirit of the katha nor of compassion. Supporting a person in pain is dharma.

Myth: Without a nirjala fast, Aja Ekadashi gives no merit.

Reality: Tradition accepts nirjala, phalahar and one-meal fasts according to one’s capacity. The sick, elderly, pregnant women and those on medicines can keep a light fast, or only puja and japa, on a doctor’s advice. The bhava matters most.

Myth: Eating even one grain of rice on Ekadashi is a grave sin that ruins the next birth.

Reality: Avoiding rice and grains on Ekadashi is a widely followed rule, and keeping it is good. But fear is not the purpose of the fast. If you eat something by mistake, ask the Lord’s forgiveness, chant his name and continue the fast with care.

Myth: If you kept the Janmashtami fast, Aja Ekadashi is unnecessary, or keeping both is harmful.

Reality: They are separate observances, each with its own meaning. Those who keep both should eat well and drink enough water in between, and keep a lighter fast on Ekadashi if needed. With any health condition, ask your doctor first.

Benefits of Aja Ekadashi (Religious Beliefs)

The benefits below are beliefs rooted in tradition and faith. Each person’s experience depends on their bhava and conduct.

• Freedom from sin: the fast is believed to lessen the effect of sins committed knowingly or unknowingly.
• Hope in hard times: because of Harishchandra’s story, it is seen as a source of patience in crisis, loss or separation from family.
• Practice of truth: a day of satya, restraint and devotion strengthens honesty within.
• Family harmony: hearing the katha and worshipping together brings families closer.
• Food and prosperity: because of the name Annada, giving food on this day is believed to bless the home with plenty.
• Spiritual progress: by tradition, an Ekadashi kept with faith brings Lord Vishnu’s grace and leads towards the supreme abode.

Related Ekadashi and Readings

Before Aja Ekadashi comes Shravana Putrada Ekadashi in Shravana Shukla Paksha, and after it comes Parivartini Ekadashi in Bhadrapada Shukla Paksha, when Lord Vishnu is said to turn sides in his Chaturmas sleep. For all Ekadashi dates of the year, see our Ekadashi Kab Hai page.

During puja you can sing the Om Jai Jagdish Hare Aarti, the Ekadashi Mata Ki Aarti and the Tulsi Mata Ki Aarti. The Satyanarayan Ji Ki Aarti, to the Lord worshipped as Truth itself, also suits the spirit of this day. See the Daily Panchang for each day’s tithi and the Aarti Sangrah PDF for all aartis.

Aja Ekadashi reminds us never to let the lamp of truth go out, even in the darkest times. Like King Harishchandra, hold on to patience, honesty and trust in God, and keep this fast with faith as your health allows. May Lord Hrishikesha fill your mind with peace and your life with the light of truth. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

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