Nirjala Ekadashi 2026निर्जला एकादशी
Nirjala Ekadashi 2026 is on Thursday, June 25, 2026. Why Ved Vyasa gave this one vrat to Bhima, how the waterless fast is kept, the dana of water, and the parana.
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The story of Nirjala Ekadashi
Bhima could not fast. His hunger was Vrikodara, wolf-bellied, and while his brothers and Draupadi kept all twenty four Ekadashis of the year for Vishnu, he alone could not go a day without food and was ashamed of it. He went to Ved Vyasa and asked whether there was any way to gain the merit of all of them without keeping all of them. Vyasa gave him this one: the Ekadashi of the bright fortnight of Jyeshtha, kept nirjala, without even water, from sunrise to the next day’s parana. Bhima kept it, and it carries his name still as Bhimseni Ekadashi.
It falls in the hottest fortnight of the Indian year, which is exactly the point: a day without water in Jyeshtha is the hardest vrat the calendar asks for, and it is said to carry the fruit of all twenty four. That is also why its dana is water itself. Earthen pots, hand fans, sattu, curd, sugar and sherbet are given away, and water stands are put up on the roads, so that a fast from water becomes a day of giving water.
How Nirjala Ekadashi is celebrated
| The vrat | nirjala from sunrise to the parana next morning, without food or water; those who cannot keep it fully take fruit and water instead. |
| Puja | Vishnu is worshipped with tulsi, yellow flowers and the Vishnu Sahasranama, and the Ekadashi katha is read. |
| Jal dana | the day’s heart: earthen pots, fans, sattu, sherbet, curd, sugar and slippers given to those who work in the sun. |
| Parana | the fast is broken the next morning in the correct parana window, after offering water and dana. |
It is Bhimseni or Bhima Ekadashi across the North and in Gujarat and Maharashtra; in Odisha and the East it is kept as Pandava Nirjala; and everywhere the giving of water pots and sherbet stalls is as much a part of the day as the fast itself.
Frequently asked questions
When is Nirjala Ekadashi in 2026?
Nirjala Ekadashi is on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the Shukla Ekadashi of Jyeshtha.
Why is this Ekadashi kept without water?
Ved Vyasa gave it to Bhima, who could not keep the other twenty three, as a single vrat carrying the merit of them all. Kept in the hottest part of the year, the absence of water is what makes it that one.
What if I cannot keep a waterless fast?
Then keep it with fruit and water. The tradition is explicit that the sick, the elderly, children, and pregnant or nursing women should not attempt nirjala; the dana of water on this day carries its own full merit.
When is the parana?
The next morning, within the prescribed parana window after sunrise and before the Dwadashi ends. The exact window depends on your city, so check the daily Panchang or the Ekadashi dates page.
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Dates are verified against authoritative Panchang sources (Drik Panchang, New Delhi). Traditions vary by family and region; for muhurat and puja vidhi please also consult your family panditji.