Padmini Ekadashi Date 2029: Vrat Katha, Puja Vidhi, Parana and Adhik Maas Significance

Padmini Ekadashi is the Ekadashi of the Shukla Paksha (waxing fortnight) of Adhik Maas, the extra lunar month also called Purushottam Maas, and it is dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Purushottam. It does not come every year. An Adhik Maas is added roughly once every 32 to 33 months, so Padmini Ekadashi also comes only about once in three years.

According to tradition, Queen Padmini kept this fast on the advice of Mata Anasuya, and by Lord Vishnu’s grace she was blessed with the mighty son Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna). That is why devotees keep it for the blessing of children, freedom from sins and deeper devotion. In many places it is also called Kamala Ekadashi or Purushottami Ekadashi.

On this page you will find the next Padmini Ekadashi date, parana time, the full vrat katha, step-by-step puja vidhi, the four-prahar night vigil, mantras, fasting rules and a clear explanation of Adhik Maas.

When is Padmini Ekadashi in 2029? Date, Tithi and Parana Time

Quick answer: Padmini Ekadashi 2026 (late May, Adhik Jyeshtha) has passed. The next Adhik Maas is Adhik Chaitra in 2029 (16 March to 13 April 2029), and the next Padmini Ekadashi is on Monday, 26 March 2029. As per the New Delhi panchang, the Ekadashi tithi runs from about 11:36 PM on 25 March 2029 to about 9:36 PM on 26 March. Parana is on the morning of 27 March 2029.

Check the exact fasting date and parana time for your city in the table above, since timings change with local sunrise. In years without an Adhik Maas there is no Padmini Ekadashi at all. In 2029 the Smarta (householder) and Vaishnava (ISKCON and others) traditions keep the fast on the same day, but do confirm with your family or guru tradition’s panchang.

Meaning of Padmini Ekadashi and Other Names

What does “Padmini” mean?

The Ekadashi is named after Queen Padmini, the heroine of its katha, who was the first to observe it. “Padma” means lotus, so “Padmini” also suggests a woman as pure and graceful as a lotus. The lotus is dear to both Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, and devotees see that purity in the name.

Other names of Padmini Ekadashi

• Kamala Ekadashi: many North Indian panchangs also call the Adhik Maas Shukla Ekadashi by this name. Some use it for both Ekadashis of Adhik Maas.
• Purushottami Ekadashi: because it falls in Purushottam Maas.
• Adhik Maas Shukla Ekadashi: its plain panchang name.
• With the month’s name: it is also named after the month that is doubled, such as “Adhik Jyeshtha Padmini Ekadashi” in 2026 and “Adhik Chaitra Padmini Ekadashi” in 2029.

Month in the Purnimanta and Amanta calendars

Padmini Ekadashi has no fixed month. It falls in the Shukla Paksha of whichever month is doubled that year: Adhik Jyeshtha in 2026 and Adhik Chaitra in 2029.

Because Adhik Maas is counted from new moon to new moon, its name is the same in the North Indian (Purnimanta) and the South and West Indian (Amanta) calendars. In the Purnimanta reckoning the order becomes: the Krishna Paksha of regular Chaitra, then the whole of Adhik Chaitra, then the Shukla Paksha of Nija (regular) Chaitra.

Significance of Padmini Ekadashi

Religious significance

A normal year has 24 Ekadashis, but a year with Adhik Maas has two more: Padmini and Parama. Tradition holds that Adhik Maas belongs to Lord Vishnu himself, so its Ekadashis are considered especially fruitful. In the katha, the Lord says that Adhik Maas and its Ekadashi are very dear to him.

Devotees believe the fast removes sins, purifies the mind and leads to the Lord’s abode. Couples hoping for a child also keep it with faith, because its story is about a childless king and queen who were blessed with a son.

Spiritual message

The katha’s most beautiful lesson is that hard penance alone is not everything. The king performed austerities for ten thousand years, yet the blessing came only when the queen learned the right path and worshipped with love and discipline. Right understanding, humility and guidance from someone wiser matter as much as effort.

The second message is about a woman’s faith. Padmini left palace comforts to share her husband’s hard life in the forest, and when nothing worked, she went looking for a way herself. Her conversation with Mata Anasuya shows how one woman’s experience can become another’s strength.

Mention in the Puranas

By tradition, the Padmini Ekadashi katha is linked to the Skanda Purana, where Lord Krishna tells its glory to Yudhishthira. Some retellings link it to the Bhavishyottara Purana, and some have Arjuna asking the question. Within the katha, the story is told by sage Pulastya to Devarshi Narada.

The episode of Kartavirya Arjuna capturing Ravana also appears in texts such as the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana.

Padmini Ekadashi Vrat Katha

Yudhishthira’s question

Yudhishthira once asked Lord Krishna, “O Janardana, which Ekadashi falls in the bright fortnight of the extra month? What is its name, how is it observed and what is its fruit?” Krishna replied, “O King, this sacred Ekadashi is called Padmini. Sage Pulastya once told its story to Narada. Listen carefully.”

Ravana’s defeat and Narada’s question

In the Treta Yuga, Ravana had defeated even Indra and all the gods. Yet one king beat him in battle and held him captive in his city. This was Kartavirya Arjuna, king of Mahishmati. Ravana was freed only when his grandfather, sage Pulastya, went there and asked for his release.

Narada was amazed. “How could a human king defeat the Ravana whom even the gods could not?” he asked. Pulastya then told him how Kartavirya Arjuna was born.

King Kritavirya’s sorrow

In the Treta Yuga, King Kritavirya of the Haihaya dynasty ruled from Mahishmati. (Many Ekadashi retellings also call him Kartavirya.) He had a thousand queens, yet none bore a son fit to inherit the kingdom. Sacrifices and remedies performed by Brahmins brought no result.

At last the king left the kingdom in the care of his ministers and set out for the forest to perform penance. His beloved queen Padmini, daughter of the truthful King Harishchandra of the Ikshvaku dynasty, laid aside her jewels and royal clothes and went with him.

Penance on Mount Gandhamadana

On Mount Gandhamadana, the king meditated on Lord Gadadhara (Vishnu) and performed severe austerities for ten thousand years. His body wasted to a skeleton, but the boon of a son still did not come.

Grieved to see her husband this way, Padmini felt something must be missing in the method. She went to Mata Anasuya, the devoted wife of sage Atri, and asked humbly, “Mother, my husband has done penance for so long, yet the Lord is not pleased. Please tell me a vow by which we may be blessed with a child.”

Mata Anasuya’s advice

Anasuya said lovingly, “Daughter, besides the twelve months, an extra month comes about once in thirty-two months. It is very dear to Lord Vishnu. It has two Ekadashis: Padmini in the bright fortnight and Parama in the dark fortnight. Keep these fasts properly and stay awake all night, and the Lord will be pleased.” She then taught her the full method.

The fast and the Lord’s darshan

When Adhik Maas came, Padmini kept the Shukla Ekadashi fast strictly, without food or water. She worshipped the Lord and spent the whole night awake in bhajan and kirtan.

Pleased by her sincere devotion, Lord Keshava appeared on Garuda and offered her a boon. Padmini asked nothing for herself. With folded hands she said, “Lord, please give the boon to my husband.”

The boon and the birth of Kartavirya Arjuna

The Lord told the king, “Adhik Maas and its Ekadashi are very dear to me, and your queen has kept this fast. Ask for a boon.” The king prayed, “Give me a son loved by all, whom no god, demon or human can defeat, except you alone.” The Lord said “Tathastu” (so be it) and vanished.

In time Padmini gave birth to a radiant son, Kartavirya Arjuna, later famed as Sahasrarjuna or Sahasrabahu. No one in the three worlds matched his strength, and he even defeated Ravana.

Pulastya told Narada, “There is nothing surprising in Ravana’s defeat. It was all the power of the Padmini Ekadashi fast.” Krishna told Yudhishthira that, by tradition, whoever keeps this fast with faith, or hears or reads its katha, also receives the Lord’s grace.

Variants of the katha

• Who asks: Yudhishthira in ISKCON and many texts; Arjuna in some Hindi retellings.
• The king’s name: in the genealogies the father is Kritavirya and the son Kartavirya Arjuna. Many Ekadashi kathas call the father “Kartavirya” too.
• Number of queens: a thousand in most texts, a hundred in some.
• The queen’s name: Padmini in most texts. One well-known Hindi retelling calls her Pramada. Both call her Harishchandra’s daughter.
• Interval of Adhik Maas: “thirty-two months” in some texts, “thirty-six months” in others.
• Who fasted: the queen in most texts; in some simpler retellings both kept a three-day discipline from Dashami to Dwadashi.

Padmini Ekadashi Puja Vidhi (Step by Step)

Preparation on Dashami (the day before)

1. Eat one simple sattvic meal before sunset. Tradition advises avoiding urad, chana, masoor, honey, leafy greens such as spinach, food from others’ homes and bell-metal (kansa) utensils on this day.
2. Avoid onion, garlic, meat, alcohol and tamasic food completely.
3. Observe celibacy and, if possible, sleep on the floor or a simple bed.

Ekadashi morning and sankalp

1. Wake in Brahma muhurta and remember Lord Vishnu.
2. Bathe, in a holy river if possible, or at home with a little Ganga jal and sesame in the water. Kathas also mention using clay, sesame, kusha and amla powder before the bath.
3. Wear clean clothes, yellow if you can.
4. Holding water, akshat and a flower, take the sankalp: “I (your name) will keep the Padmini Ekadashi fast of Adhik Maas Shukla Paksha, as per my strength, for the pleasure of Lord Purushottam.”

Worship of Lord Vishnu (as Purushottam)

1. Place an idol or picture of Lord Vishnu or Shri Krishna on a yellow cloth. The kathas also mention worship of Radha-Krishna and Shiva-Parvati.
2. Set a clay or copper kalash of water on a little grain, wrap it in cloth and place a vessel on top.
3. Bathe the Lord with Ganga jal (or sprinkle it), then offer sandal, roli, akshat, yellow flowers and a lotus if available.
4. Light a ghee lamp and incense. Offer fruit, panchamrit and sweets with tulsi leaves picked the day before.
5. Chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” and read or listen to the katha above.
6. Recite the Vishnu Sahasranama and finish with the Om Jai Jagdish Hare aarti.

Evening puja and night vigil

1. Light the lamp again in the evening and do aarti.
2. The night vigil (jagran) is central to Padmini Ekadashi, since Anasuya prescribed it along with the fast. Spend the night in bhajan, kirtan, naam jap and katha.
3. The kathas give a different fruit offering for each of the night’s four prahars. See the four-prahar section below.
4. If you cannot stay up all night, keep bhajan at least till midnight. No rule is above your health.

Dwadashi and parana

1. On Dwadashi morning, bathe and worship the Lord.
2. Feed a Brahmin or someone in need and give charity as you can. The kathas also mention gifting the kalash and the deity used in the puja.
3. Break the fast with tulsi leaf within the parana time shown in the table above.

Puja Samagri List

• Idol or picture of Lord Vishnu, Shri Krishna or Laddu Gopal
• Chowki (low stool) and yellow cloth
• Clay or copper kalash and a little grain to set it on
• Ganga jal and clean water
• Tulsi leaves (picked on Dashami)
• Yellow flowers, a lotus if available, a garland
• Sandalwood paste, roli, turmeric, akshat (unbroken rice)
• Ghee lamp, cotton wicks, incense, camphor
• Panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar)
• Seasonal fruit, plus coconut, bael fruit, custard apple or orange and betel nut for the jagran
• Sweets or homemade sattvic bhog
• Betel leaf, cloves, cardamom
• Vishnu Sahasranama or vrat katha book
• Grain, clothes or dakshina for charity

Padmini Ekadashi Mantras

No ancient mantra specific to Padmini Ekadashi is found; the well-known Vishnu mantras are chanted, along with a popular Krishna mantra for Adhik Maas. If a mantra feels difficult, simply chant the Lord’s name with faith.

1. Dwadashakshara mantra

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय॥ (Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya)

Meaning: Salutations to Lord Vasudeva, who dwells in all beings. This twelve-syllable mantra is the most chanted on Ekadashi and through Adhik Maas. Chant a mala of 108 if you can.

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 our intellect. The queen succeeded once she found the right path, so this prayer for right understanding suits the day.

3. Vishnu Dhyana mantra

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, with a lotus at his navel, lord of the gods and support of the universe, vast as the sky and dark as a rain cloud, beloved of Lakshmi, lotus-eyed, reached by yogis in meditation, remover of worldly fear and sole lord of all the worlds.

4. Purushottam Maas Krishna mantra

गोवर्धनधरं वन्दे गोपालं गोपरूपिणम्। गोकुलोत्सवमीशानं गोविन्दं गोपिकाप्रियम्॥ (Govardhanadharam Vande Gopalam Goparupinam, Gokulotsavam Ishanam Govindam Gopikapriyam)

Meaning: I bow to Shri Krishna, who lifted Govardhan, protector of the cows, who took the form of a cowherd, the joy of Gokula, the Lord of all, Govinda, beloved of the gopis. In Vaishnava tradition, sage Kaundinya is said to have chanted it daily in Adhik Maas, and many devotees chant it every day of Purushottam Maas.

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

In the katha, Padmini fasted without food or water, and the mahatmya praises the nirjala fast. It also says those who cannot may take water, milk or light food. Choose your fast according to your age, health and ability.

What you can eat

• Seasonal fruit such as banana, apple, papaya, pomegranate, orange and melon (easy to find in March-April)
• Milk, curd, buttermilk, makhana
• Sabudana, kuttu (buckwheat) or singhara (water chestnut) flour dishes
• Boiled potato, sweet potato, arbi
• Sendha (rock) salt, black pepper, cumin
• Coconut water, lemon water, dry fruits

What to avoid

• Rice and anything made from rice
• Wheat, barley, maize and other grains, and all pulses
• Onion, garlic, meat, fish, eggs and alcohol
• Regular (iodised) salt if you are on a phalahar fast

Nirjala fast

A nirjala fast means no food and no water from Ekadashi sunrise until parana on Dwadashi. It is the strictest form and only for people in good health. March-April is already warm, so watch for dehydration. If you feel dizzy or weak, drink water.

Phalahar fast

Most householders keep a phalahar fast: no grains, but fruit, milk, water and fasting foods are allowed.

One meal (ekabhukta)

Those who cannot fast all day can take one sattvic fasting meal, such as sabudana khichdi or kuttu roti with potato. Rice, grains and pulses are still avoided.

Health caution: People with diabetes, blood pressure, heart or kidney conditions, pregnant or breastfeeding women, the elderly, children and anyone on regular medicines should consult their doctor before any strict fast. Do not skip medicines. A phalahar or one-meal fast with sincere puja is fully valid.

Padmini Ekadashi Parana: When and How to Break the Fast

Breaking the fast correctly (parana) matters as much as the fast. The main rules:

• Do parana within Dwadashi tithi. Breaking the fast after Dwadashi ends is not considered proper.
• Do not break the fast during Hari Vasara, the first quarter of Dwadashi tithi. Wait for it to end.
• Morning (pratahkal) is the best time; midday (madhyahna) is best avoided.
• Smarta and Vaishnava parana times can differ; follow your tradition.

The exact parana time depends on your city’s sunrise, so please do not guess. See your city’s parana time in the table above.

How to do parana

1. Bathe, worship Lord Vishnu and offer bhog.
2. Give food to a Brahmin, a poor person or a cow.
3. Break the fast first with a tulsi leaf or the Lord’s prasad.
4. Then eat a light sattvic meal. After a nirjala fast, start with a little water or lemon water and eat slowly.

Dos and Don’ts on Padmini Ekadashi

Dos

• Worship Lord Vishnu as Purushottam and read or hear the katha.
• Recite the Vishnu Sahasranama, Bhagavad Gita or Shrimad Bhagavatam.
• Keep a night vigil, or at least a few hours of bhajan.
• Worship with tulsi and light a lamp near the tulsi plant in the evening.
• Donate grain, clothes, fruit, ghee or water. In the warm season, offering drinking water is a good choice.
• Keep truth, calm and restraint in thought, word and deed.

Don’ts

• Do not eat rice, grains, pulses or tamasic food.
• Do not pluck tulsi leaves on Ekadashi; pick them on Dashami.
• Avoid anger, lies, gossip, harsh words and quarrels.
• Avoid daytime sleep, especially if you are keeping jagran.
• Do not force a nirjala fast when unwell.
• Do not begin new auspicious ceremonies such as weddings, griha pravesh or mundan in Adhik Maas.

Padmini Ekadashi Myths and Reality (Myth vs Reality)

Myth: Keeping Padmini Ekadashi guarantees a child.

Reality: Padmini was blessed with a son after the fast, so devotees keep it hoping for children. Tradition sees it as a prayer for grace, not a guarantee. For any fertility concern, consult a doctor; faith and medical care can go together.

Myth: Adhik Maas is inauspicious, so no puja should be done in it.

Reality: New auspicious ceremonies such as weddings and griha pravesh are postponed. But for puja, japa, fasting, charity and katha, it is considered the best month, because Lord Vishnu gave it his own name, Purushottam.

Myth: Only a nirjala fast gives the fruit of Padmini Ekadashi.

Reality: The mahatmya praises nirjala but also allows water or light food for those who cannot. Tradition values devotion and discipline, not hurting the body.

Myth: If you cannot stay awake all night, the fast is wasted.

Reality: The katha gives a separate merit for each prahar of the vigil, which itself shows that whatever vigil you can keep has value. The elderly, the unwell and those working the next day should do bhajan as they are able.

Myth: Padmini Ekadashi comes every year under another name.

Reality: It comes only in years with an Adhik Maas. The same is true of Parama Ekadashi.

Myth: Eating something by mistake breaks the fast and brings bad luck.

Reality: There is no need to fear. Ask the Lord’s forgiveness, chant his name and complete the fast with faith. Tradition calls the Lord hungry for devotion, not one who punishes.

Myth: Fasting “detoxes” the body, so everyone should fast strictly.

Reality: Ekadashi is a spiritual practice, not a treatment, and no firm health claim should be made about it. Anyone with a medical condition or on medicines should fast strictly only with a doctor’s advice.

What is Adhik Maas (Purushottam Maas)?

Why Adhik Maas happens

The Hindu calendar follows both the moon and the sun. Twelve lunar months make about 354 days, while the solar year is about 365 days, leaving a gap of roughly 11 days every year. In about three years the gap adds up to a month.

To balance it, an extra lunar month is added. This keeps festivals in their seasons, Holi in spring and Diwali after the monsoon. On average it happens about once every 32.5 months.

How the extra month gets its name

Normally the sun moves into a new zodiac sign (a sankranti) during every lunar month. A lunar month, new moon to new moon, in which no sankranti takes place becomes the Adhik Maas.

It takes the name of the regular month that follows it. First comes the extra month, then the “Nija” (regular) month of the same name. In 2026 Adhik Jyeshtha came before Nija Jyeshtha; in 2029 Adhik Chaitra will come before Nija Chaitra.

From Mal Maas to Purushottam Maas

By tradition, every month has a presiding deity, but the extra month had none. Called “Mal Maas” and thought unfit for auspicious work, it found no god willing to be its lord, so it took refuge with Lord Vishnu.

Vishnu accepted it and gave it his own name, Purushottam, promising that japa, penance, charity and devotion in this month would bear many times the fruit. “Purushottam” means the highest of all beings, the Supreme Lord. Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita is called “Purushottama Yoga”, and many devotees read it daily in this month.

Dos and don’ts of Adhik Maas

• Do: worship Vishnu and Krishna, japa, reading the Gita, Bhagavatam and Vishnu Sahasranama, deep daan, holy baths, charity, sattvic food and service.
• Avoid: weddings, engagements, griha pravesh, mundan, the sacred thread ceremony, building a new house or starting major new ventures. Necessary work such as medical treatment or repaying debts is not stopped.

Recent and next Adhik Maas

Recent extra months were Adhik Ashwin in 2020, Adhik Shravan in 2023 and Adhik Jyeshtha in 2026 (17 May to 15 June). The next is Adhik Chaitra in 2029, which is when the next Padmini Ekadashi falls.

The Four-Prahar Night Vigil of Padmini Ekadashi

A special feature of Padmini Ekadashi is its night vigil. The kathas divide the night into four prahars (about three hours each), with a fruit offered to the Lord in each and a separate merit for each watch.

Prahar	Offering (as per kathas)	Merit believed
First	Coconut	Equal to the Agnishtoma (Agnihotra) yajna
Second	Bael fruit	Equal to the Vajapeya yajna
Third	Custard apple or orange	Equal to the Ashvamedha yajna
Fourth	Betel nut (orange in some texts)	Equal to the Rajasuya yajna

Texts differ slightly on the fruits, so offer whatever is available with faith.

Padmini vs Parama Ekadashi

How the two Ekadashis of Adhik Maas differ:

Point	Padmini Ekadashi	Parama Ekadashi
Paksha	Shukla Paksha of Adhik Maas	Krishna Paksha of Adhik Maas
Order	Comes first	About fifteen days later
Katha	King Kritavirya, Queen Padmini, Mata Anasuya	Brahmin Sumedha, his wife Pavitra, sage Kaundinya
Main prayer	Children, freedom from sin	Relief from poverty, freedom from sin
Special practice	Four-prahar night vigil	Pancharatri vrat tradition

Benefits of Padmini Ekadashi (Religious Belief)

According to tradition and the katha, keeping Padmini Ekadashi with faith is believed to bring the following. See them as matters of faith, not guarantees:

• Release from sins committed knowingly or unknowingly.
• The Lord’s grace for couples hoping for a child.
• The mahatmya says its merit exceeds many yajnas, penances, charities and pilgrimages.
• Devotion in Adhik Maas is believed to bear manifold fruit.
• By tradition, finally reaching Lord Vishnu’s abode (Vaikuntha).

Related Ekadashis and Readings

About fifteen days after Padmini comes Parama Ekadashi in the Krishna Paksha of Adhik Maas, with the katha of the Brahmin Sumedha and his wife Pavitra; Mata Anasuya told Padmini about both. See the dates of every Ekadashi of the year on our Ekadashi dates page.

For the day’s puja and jagran, also read the Om Jai Jagdish Hare aarti, the Ekadashi Mata ki aarti and the Tulsi Mata ki aarti. For daily tithi and muhurat, see the daily panchang, and download all aartis together in our Aarti Sangrah PDF.

Padmini Ekadashi teaches that when our own efforts are exhausted, humbly asking the right way and taking loving refuge in the Lord opens a new path. This chance comes only about once in three years, so light a lamp, spend some time in naam jap and serve someone in need. May Lord Purushottam bless you and your whole family. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

Frequently asked questions