Nirjala Ekadashi 2027: Date, Parana Time and Rules

A relative once told me she’d rather do a full week of ordinary fasting than one day of Nirjala Ekadashi. That struck me as an odd trade until I actually looked at what the rules for this specific Ekadashi require, compared to the other 23 in the year.

Nirjala Ekadashi 2027 date

Nirjala Ekadashi 2027 falls on Monday, June 14, 2027. Parana, the time for breaking the fast, falls the next day, Tuesday, June 15, in the window from 01:45 PM to 04:33 PM.

Why this Ekadashi is considered the hardest of the year

There are 24 Ekadashi fasting days in a typical Hindu lunar year (two per lunar month, one in the waxing and one in the waning fortnight), and most permit some flexibility, water, fruit, or a single meal, depending on family tradition.

Nirjala Ekadashi is the exception: as the name suggests (nir = without, jala = water), it is meant to be observed without consuming even water, from sunrise until the Parana time the next morning. This is why it is often called the most rigorous of the Ekadashi fasts, and also why popular tradition holds that observing this one fast sincerely carries the same merit as observing all 24 Ekadashis in the year.

The mythological origin

The story behind Nirjala Ekadashi, as told in the Mahabharata, involves Bhima, the second of the Pandava brothers, known for his large appetite and inability to keep the standard Ekadashi fasts throughout the year.

Sage Vyasa is said to have prescribed this single, strict fast to Bhima, without water, as a way for him to gain the cumulative spiritual benefit of all the Ekadashis he could not otherwise observe. This origin story is why Nirjala Ekadashi is also sometimes referred to as Bhimseni Ekadashi or Pandava Ekadashi.

Rules of the fast

Because it falls in the peak of the North Indian summer (Jyeshtha month), abstaining from water for the full duration is physically demanding, and many observers who cannot manage a fully waterless fast will still avoid grains and eat only fruit, keeping the spirit of restraint without the strict no-water rule.

Those observing the full nirjala form typically also avoid sleeping during the daytime and are encouraged to donate water, or set up water-distribution points (pyau), as an associated act of merit, since the fast is understood to be as much about the virtue of giving water to others as it is about personal restraint.

Who should be cautious

Given the physical demands of a full waterless fast in peak summer heat, pregnant women, elderly people, and those with medical conditions requiring regular hydration or medication are traditionally advised to modify the fast (commonly to a fruit-and-water version) rather than attempt the strict nirjala form.

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