Pausha Putrada Ekadashi
The eleventh tithi of bright Pausha — one of the two Putrada Ekadashis, kept by those seeking a child.
Where it is kept All India; kept most widely in the north and in Vaishnava households.
When it falls
Computed from the Moon's elongation from the Sun. The civil day is the one carrying the tithi running at sunrise.
Overview
Twenty-four Ekadashis fall in a year and each carries its own name, story and stated fruit. This is the Pausha one — Putrada, giver of a son — and it is kept by couples seeking a child, though the vrat is open to anyone.
The observance is the standard Ekadashi form: a fast from sunrise on Ekadashi, a night vigil with the reading of the vrat katha, and the parana after sunrise on Dwadashi within the tithi.
Where it comes from
The Bhavishya Purana carries the story, told by Krishna to Yudhishthira: a childless king of Bhadravati and his queen, and the vrat prescribed to them by sages in the forest. A second Putrada Ekadashi falls in Shravana, with its own narrative.
The Ekadashi cycle as a whole — twenty-four names, twenty-six in an intercalary year, each with a katha — is set out in the Padma Purana's Uttara Khanda, which is the reference for all of them.
Why it matters
It is included here because a complete festival calendar shows the Ekadashi structure rather than only the famous ones. The Pausha Putrada is the one most widely kept in that month.
The stated fruit is a child, and the observance is named for it. Whether one keeps it for that reason or as one of the twenty-four, the vrat is the same.
How to celebrate
- Fast from sunrise on Ekadashi to the parana on DwadashiThe standard rule for every Ekadashi.
- Keep the night vigil and hear the vrat kathaThe jagarana is part of the Ekadashi form.
- Break the fast within the Dwadashi tithi, after sunriseBreaking outside the window is held to void the fast.
What to avoid
These are not all the same kind of thing. Some are prohibitions from a named text, some are Indian law, some are practical, and some are a confusion worth not repeating. Each item says which it is.
- Do not eat rice or any grainThe Ekadashi prohibition; it applies to all twenty-four.
- Do not pluck Tulsi leaves on the dayForbidden in the Padma Purana; gather them the evening before.
- Do not read the promised fruit as a guaranteeThe katha states a result. This site reports what the text says and does not endorse it as an outcome.
Where this comes from
Everything above is either computed by this site’s own panchang engine, or drawn from the works listed here. Where a custom is modern, commercial or contested, the page says so rather than presenting it as ancient.
- Bhavishya Purana, for the Pausha Putrada Ekadashi narrative.
- Padma Purana, Uttara Khanda, for the twenty-four Ekadashis, their names and the vrat rules.
Dates are computed for the place named above and will differ elsewhere. Regional traditions vary; where two reckonings are in use, both are named rather than one being chosen silently.
Other festivals
All festivals, with dates for any year · The calendar on the home page