Twice a month, on the eleventh day after each new and full moon, a noticeably quieter mood settles over devotee households and temple communities alike — no grains, no beans, and for many, a renewed focus on chanting and reading. This is Ekadashi, observed more frequently than any other day on the Vaishnava calendar.

Why the Eleventh Day?

Vedic tradition holds that the mind is especially restless around the new and full moon, when tides and biological rhythms shift most dramatically. Ekadashi — falling roughly midway through each lunar cycle's waxing and waning — is considered a naturally auspicious window for tempering that restlessness through fasting and increased spiritual focus. Traditional texts describe Ekadashi personified as a devotee herself, one whom Lord Krishna is especially pleased to see honoured.

What Observance Looks Like

Unlike a complete fast, Ekadashi observance typically involves abstaining specifically from grains and beans, while permitting fruits, milk products, and certain vegetables — the emphasis is less on total deprivation and more on lightening the body to support extended chanting, reading, and reduced sleep. Many devotees use the day to catch up on scriptural study they might otherwise not find time for, or to complete additional rounds of japa.

Each Ekadashi in the calendar year carries its own name and an accompanying narrative — Nirjala Ekadashi in the peak of summer, observed without even water; Kamika Ekadashi during the monsoon; Utthana Ekadashi marking the end of Lord Vishnu's four-month yogic sleep. At our temple, we mark each occurrence with a short evening class explaining that particular Ekadashi's significance, followed by kirtan.

A Practice for Ordinary Weeks

Where festivals like Janmashtami or Rath Yatra happen once a year with considerable fanfare, Ekadashi's power lies precisely in its regularity — twice a month, whether or not anything else is happening in one's life, there is a built-in occasion to pause, eat a little lighter, and turn attention inward. Many long-time devotees describe Ekadashi as the practice that, more than any single festival, structured their spiritual life into something sustained rather than occasional.

If you're new to the practice, we'd encourage starting simply — skip grains and beans for one Ekadashi, and see how the day feels different.