Kamika Ekadashi

Kamika Ekadashi occurs in the Krishna paksha of Shravana, during the first weeks of Chaturmasya, when Vishnu is said to be asleep. Its presiding deity is Vishnu in the form of Sridhara, a name that points to Lakshmi, who rests on his chest. Because Shravana is a month associated mostly with Shiva worship in many regions, this Ekadashi offers a Vaishnava note in an otherwise Shaiva month.

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana is credited for the tradition that Kamika is unusually meritorious during Chaturmasya, so much so that keeping it is compared in the text with bathing at all sacred tirthas. The story speaks of a hunter who had killed a brahmana and was relieved by observing the fast, though the surviving retellings place the sinner and the sage differently. A better-known thread is the instruction to worship Vishnu with tulsi, since the leaf is held dear to him.

A hallmark of the day is tulsi worship. Families water the tulsi plant, offer a ghee lamp before it, and string fresh leaves for Vishnu. Others read the Vishnu Sahasranama or visit a temple. Grains are avoided and the fast is broken the next morning. Monsoon weather can bring stomach infections, so those who are frail or ill should keep to simple permitted foods, drink safe water, and consult a doctor about the fast.