Ekadasi, or Ekadashi, is an important Upvaas (fast) dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Millions of Hindu devotees observe Ekadasi, which is considered highly auspicious by Lord Vishnu devotees. The traditional approach is to abstain from food completely on the day. But nowadays a complete fast is not possible for many people. Such people consume certain food items on the Ekadasi day and observe only a partial fast.
It is believed that demon Mura found a dwelling place in the rice and Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Ekadasi to annihilate Mura. Therefore devotees who fast on the Ekadashi day avoid food made from grains.
Many devotees due to several reasons – like health and job commitments – observe partial fast on the day. Such people avoid non-vegetarian and food items made from beans, pulses and grains, especially rice. The most preferred Ekadasi fasting food in western parts of India is Sabudana Khichadi with potatoes and ground nut - but no onion and garlic.
The food that can be consumed on the Ekadasi day includes fresh and dried fruits, milk products, vegetables and nuts.
As the list of Ekadasi food expands there will be new issues cropping up like – Are you sure this can be consumed on Ekadasi?
So the golden rule is avoid pulses and grains on Ekadasi.
Drink lots of water and eat fresh and dried fruits.
In Hinduism, Upvaas is meant to bring a person close to Brahman. So forget about the rules and regulations and what you are going to gain from the Ekadashi fast. Spend the day in purifying the mind and body.
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59 comments:
Very useful information... Thanks
Nicely written about Vaikunta Ekadasi. Thanks
very useful information-RamyaBala, chennai
so nice to study about it on vaikunta ekadesi-RamyaBala, chenna
very useful stuff....was wondering wa is correct way to fast...thanks for info..especially on rice
can we eat Atukulu, pounded rice ?
well written.. nice to see so many people taking upavasam
Very useful information on fasting. No grains specially rice is a very good and simple to understand. Fruits and vegetables or nut sare good to give body a rest so we can meditate.
Thanks Lakshmi moorty Sunnyvale California USA
Very useful info on how to fast. No grains including roti and rice is easy.
Just fresh vegetable juice or fruits.
Good info.
The body needs rest from food so we can concentrate on chanting and praying.
Thanks
Excellent,
Thanks
Although I have been observing a fast on Ekadashi day, I did not know many of the facts enumerated here. It's really good. keep up the good work.
Dear All
you may also note , that one should avoid regular sea salt. One may use special himalya salt which has no minerals from the sea. This is due to the fact you have some microrganisms which are found in salt , so it is not totaly satvic - pure .
Enjoy your Fat
Love and light
Yagish
can we eat rice on the day before ekadashi begins?
There are many different things that are seemingly allowed on ekadashi. Alot of people eat potaoes, tomatoes, samo, sabudana, nuts and fruits. Some people even eat paneer made in tomoatoe sauce. The main purpose is to take time out from our busy lives every 2 weeks and spend the day remembering Vishnu, or Rama or Krishna (same thing). Proper maditation can only happen when you eat less. This is because the senses become weak with little food and as a result so does our passionate desire for things. The full mretis are when we dont drink or eat and stay awke the whole night. As long as Ekadashi fasting does not become ekadashi feasting & we remember god. It's a fruitful venture.
your advise is very importent for all devotees
thanks
deepak, faridabad
Thank You !!!
Sir,
Pranam.If observing partial fast,
1. how many times in a day can I eat fruits?
2.Can Honey be taken with medicine as i am undergoing medication with honey and bhasmas?
3. What is Viddha Ekadashi, how to know and avoid it?
Dear Pranay Kumar avoid observing the fast if your taking medicines. You can start fasting once you get better...
Consume the fruits when you have your normal food.
Always take medicines as directed by the doctor.
We will soon post an article about Viddha Ekadashi...
Thanks for posting this.
Thank God!!! I really found so many useful informations not only on Gods/ religions but also on spirituality, that too with scientific explanations in a simple way. Thank you very much.
good info. can u please tell me about the tulsi teerath and pachteerath vaas and ekashnas which are done from navami onwards.
@sandy Sure we will post articles on tulsi teerth pach teerth and ekashnas as we get the correct information.
hola primero muy buena informacion y segundo les qria contar q hace mucho q no cumplo con el ekadasi pero fracias a esta pagina hoy voy a empesar de vuelta
muchisimas gracias
For those in the US, as their is a time difference of 10 1/2 hours, should the fast start, around mid afternoon on December 27? Thank you in advance for your reply.
aum
palaniappan gurusamy fr ipoh, malaysia, says d article is precise,to d point n very practical 4 everyone esp d part on devotees with medical issues. i welcome more articles of this sort. TQVM. happy new year.
This is very good information. mostly for city people no body knows about all these. excellent work. have blessings of Lord Vishnu on you who is working on this blog
As of now, I am observing Ekadasi fasting Nirjala, meaning no water also on the said day, for 24 hours.
Is this ok as many around say starving is not right way to fast ?
Of course, I take full food the previous night and also dont forego my sleep, given my work commitments.
Thanks,
Ramani
Nicely written..but according to the rules of the fast we arent supposed to eat anything..not even fruits..
Hi everyone, here is one of the best ekadasi recipes link: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/ekadasi_recipes_cookbook.htm
The dishes are wonderful especially after been offered to the Lord.
Thankss a lot..I always check this calender for observing fasst..Veryy helpfull
if you miss fasting on Ekadashi, what sacrifice one has to do, can we keep the fast next day...
Excellent Work! As a young child i use to watch gradparents observing Vaikunda Ekadasi by all means.. ..Each and every aspect filled with faith and devotion. After such long years today i wintess the same by going through your blog. May Almighty bless you all.
Arvindkumar
Very Useful information ur sharing regarding everything.Good Job and thanks for sharing and ur sharing helps to share with others in detail.
If possible can u please share me about "Manideepa Varnana"
http://divyascookingjourney.blogspot.com
This is very useful information for those who want to know about all Hindu rituals.They may know about these things,but not completely.I am very happy that many people are knowing about Hindu rituals through this blog, and also explaining others about this.
I am very happy that I am knowing many things,so that I can explain all these things to my kids,this helps them to become a good human-being.
U CAN EAT SABOODANA (SUJA) ON THE DAY AVOID TAKING SALT INSTEAD ON YOU CAN USE SAINDAVA LAVANAM
you can use saboodana kichidi with potato and ground nut use saindavalavanm instead of salt
cant thank u enough for the info...keep it up
Thanks...!!
Regarding food on Ekadshi, I have to say, keep it simple by eating fruits and vegetables.
Hi
This site is very informative! I would like to observe the upcoming Ekadasi fast. Can ladies observe this fast during their monthly period? Can someone please advise on what can and cannot be done in relation to this?
Thank you
My information is that we can do the fasting and our japamala during these time also.
I have some queries about Ekadasi.When you say grains means does it include Chappathi and puri made of Maida flour or we only need to avoid rice.Since I am working on Ekadasi days can I stick to tea and fruit juice the whole day until Dwadasi or Fast on Ekadasi day alone will do? Since I eat food outside on that day it is difficult to have food without salt.Is there any other option?
No. You are not supposed to have either food stuff made of Maida or Tea.
Tea especially needs to be avoided as it is considered an intoxicant.
One should do this prayers after taking care of all human beings at home, kids etc. You just can't simply fast and not take care of others just because to attend salvation for yourself. Main religion is humanity first. There is no meaning of any prayers if your in laws or kids are hungry and dependent upon you for food and you are busy worshipping. First duty of any sansarik person is towards sansar.
thanks lot for giving so useful information
Thanks for ideas given about prformance of EKADASI in general.Kindly tell us about "RAVINARAYAN EKADASI.
Thank you very much for the Ekadasi recipe websites. This site is useful for beginners who want to fast on Ekadasi days.
Thanks for the recipe website. It is a useful site for the beginners who fast on Ekadasi.
Are Sesame seeds allowed on all Ekadasi days?
Thanks for sharing nice post.
pl tell me abt ekadasi vrat
A very useful information for all devotees. let's receive this kind of in formations---Thanks
A VERY USEFUL INFORMATION FOR DEVOTEES. THANKS FOR SUCH USEFUL INFORMATION
the best part is to say the last... getting close to bramha
Upavaas litereally means "to sit near ". The goal is think and act as if God is near us - constantly be in the presence of God or keep the mind on God all the time. This is the main goal. Fasting is only a means and not the end. If we spend all our energy fixated on particulars of the fasting and/or lose our temper/get angry because we are hungry, or unable to concentrate on God because we are feeling weak, we are defeating the original purpose. No need to be over fixated on the details of the fast. Let us start with keeping mind on God throughout the day (strengthen the practice as we repeat it and reduce distractions) and slowly reduce our food intake (as we keep repeating the fast twice a month and lose our fear of not eating), as much as we can (this can vary from person to person, situation to situation) to give our digestive organs a well needed break that will rejuvenate them and help us live longer/healthier (skip evening meal->skip grains/pulses-> skip more than 1 meal-> only vegetables -> only fruits -> only liquids -> total fast etc)
Rel: response to a question on timing of the fast.
Originally people would not do any outside work on these days. They would fast from the end of dasami to the end of ekadasi. These times can be found in the Panchang. Unfortunately the times may start/end anywhere during the day/night. To keep it simple these days, keeping the goal in mind (of keeping mind on God) we can observe it from daybreak to daybreak on the day Ekadasi starts, and breaking fast at breakfast the next day.
If it is a workday we may have to adjust by only skipping evening meal, whereas if it is a holiday/weekend we can aspire for total fast. While keeping the goal in mind and aspiring to observe the fast to the maximum, individual person can work out their own compromise. Hindusim is not rigid, that is one of its strengths.
will i use cooking oil on ekadashi
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