Mokshada Ekadashi

Story of Mokshada Ekadashi (Vrat Katha)

King Vaikhanasa of Champaknagar once dreamt that his father was suffering in naraka and begging his son to free him. Worried, the king asked learned Brahmins, who sent him to Sage Parvata. The sage saw through his tapasya that the father had wronged his queen in a past life. He advised the king to keep the Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi with his whole family and give the merit to the father. The king did, and his father was set free and went to heaven.

This is the traditional story from the Puranas, retold in our own words. Details can differ a little between regions and tellers.

Significance of Mokshada Ekadashi

This is the day Lord Krishna told the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, so it is also Gita Jayanti. Reading or listening to the Gita is the main practice.

The tradition says that keeping Mokshada Ekadashi gives moksha for oneself and relief for ancestors. It falls in Margashirsha Shukla Paksha and is kept with the worship of Lord Vishnu.

How to keep Mokshada Ekadashi: vrat and puja vidhi

• Dashami evening: eat a light sattvik meal and avoid onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food.
• Ekadashi morning: bathe before sunrise and take the sankalp to worship Lord Vishnu.
• Puja: offer yellow flowers, tulsi leaves, fruit, panchamrit and a ghee lamp. Chant "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya" and read the katha on this page.
• During the day: no grains; phalahar or a waterless fast as your tradition says. Avoid anger and gossip.
• Night: stay awake with bhajans, kirtan or the Vishnu Sahasranama.
• Dwadashi: after bath and puja, give charity to someone in need and break the fast at parana time.

For the full rules, food list and parana details, read our complete Ekadashi vrat guide.