Vaikunta Ekadasi OR Mukkoti Ekadasi is a significant day for Vaishnava Hindus or devotees of Vishnu. On this day, it is believed that worshipping Vishnu and traversing the Vaikunta Dwaram built in temples for this special occasion can enable one to obtain Moksha.
The event occurs in the Tamil calendar month of Margazhi (Dec-Jan). This month’s Shukla Paksha has reached Ekadasi day. Shukla Paksha is the Moon’s waning fortnight. A month contains two Ekadasis, one in Shukla Paksha and the other in Krishna Paksha (waning lunar phase). There are likely to be one or two Vaikunta Ekadashis per year on the Gregorian calendar.
Vaikunta Ekadasi 2023 Date
Monday 2nd January 2023
Ekadashi Tithi Starts – at 7:10 PM on 01January
Ekadashi Tithi Ends – at 8:22 PM on 02-JanuarySaturday 23rd December 2023
Ekadashi Tithi Starts – 8:15 AM on 22-December
Ekadashi Tithi Ends – 7:11 AM on 23-December
Vaikunta Ekadasi Rituals
- Fasting on Vaikuntha Ekadashi is equivalent to fasting on the remaining 23 Ekadasis, according to the Vishnu Purana.
- However, according to Vaishnava tradition, fasting is obligatory on all Ekadasi days. On Ekadashi, the eleventh day of the Paksha (1 Paksha = 15 days), a complete fast is traditionally observed.
- Parana is the breaking of the fast. It is completed at daybreak on the day following Ekadasi. Parana must be prepared during Dwadashi Tithi. If not, it is like an offense.
- During Hari Vasara, the fast is not to be broken. Pratahkal is the optimum time.
- Occasionally, the fast is observed for two days in a row. Smartha Brahmins with families are only required to fast on the first day.
- The alternative Ekadasi fast, or the second, is observed by sanyasis, widows, and those seeking Moksha.
- In addition to the fast, worshippers stand vigil throughout the night and read or listen to sacred scriptures such as the Vishnu Sahasranamam, Vishnu Ashtatharam, etc.
Significance of Vaikunta Ekadasi
Vaikuntha Ekadashi is also known as Mokshada Ekadasi or Mukkoti Ekadasi. It is known as Swargavathil Ekadasi in Kerala. Devotees believe that on this day, Vaikuntha Dwaram, or the entrance to Vishnu’s dwelling, opens and that if they fast on Vaikunta Ekadasi, their sins would be cleansed and they will be able to enter heaven.
On this day, it is thought that Samudra Manthan (the churning of the Milky Ocean) occurred, and Amrit, the divine nectar of immortality, emerged from the ocean. This day is also known as Gita Jayanti, as it was on the battlefield of Kurukshetra that Krishna delivered Arjuna the Bhagavad Gita.
Vaikuntha Dwara (the gate to Vaikuntha), a specific entryway on the north side of the temple, is opened once a year on this particular day at all Vishnu temples to honor this occurrence. On this day, it is thought that anyone who enters the Vaikuntha Dwara would gain a spiritual abode.
FAQs
1. Which day is Vaikunta Ekadashi?
Ans – Vaikuntha Ekadashi has observed annually on the Shukla paksha or the eleventh lunar day of the Hindu month of Margasira or Margazhi. For example, the Vaikuntha Ekasi 2023 date is January 2, 2023.
2. What is special about Vaikunta Ekadasi?
Ans – Ekadashi is the eleventh lunar day (Tithi) between the New Moon and Full Moon. On Vaikuntha Ekadashi, you may fast and stay hungry despite the absence of scarcity. If there is a lack of food and you must go hungry, then this is poverty.
3. What can we eat in Vaikunta Ekadasi?
Ans – On this auspicious day, fasting is performed in its entirety. The majority of devotees fast the entire day, or they consume fruits and milk. No whole grains are eaten. If a full fast cannot be observed, a light tiffin can be prepared using broken rice, sabudana, Aval, or roti and consumed in the early evening.
4. What are the benefits of doing Ekadashi?
Ans – On Ekadashi, the eleventh day of the lunar fortnight, the mind is believed to be in its natural condition of enlightenment. Therefore, if we quickly and orient the mind, we are likely to behave more effectively.
