Ekadashi Parana Muhurtaएकादशी पारण मुहूर्त
Sacred window on Dwadashi morning for breaking the Ekadashi fast.
Best for
- ✓Breaking the Ekadashi fast with sanctified prasad
- ✓Offering Tulasi leaves to Vishnu before consuming food
- ✓Feeding brahmins, sadhus, and the needy
- ✓Drinking water and consuming grains for the first time after fasting
- ✓Donating cooked food, cloth, and dakshina
- ✓Reciting Vishnu Sahasranama before the first morsel
- ✓Concluding any sankalpa taken on Ekadashi morning
- ✓Sharing prasad with family members observing the fast
Avoid
- ✗Breaking the fast before sunrise on Dwadashi
- ✗Continuing the fast beyond the prescribed parana window
- ✗Consuming forbidden grains and lentils before completing parana
- ✗Beginning the meal without first offering to Vishnu
- ✗Forgetting to recite the parana mantra
- ✗Eating in haste without proper achamana
- ✗Skipping the Tulasi offering during parana
Spiritual Significance
The parana muhurta is the prescribed window on the morning following Ekadashi during which a devotee who has observed the previous day fast must break it. The Puranas teach that fasting on Ekadashi pleases Vishnu, but the merit of the vrata is completed only by proper parana within the appointed hour. Breaking the fast too early or too late is said to negate the spiritual gain accumulated through the previous day discipline. The window is specifically associated with the period after sunrise on Dwadashi and before the close of the first quarter of that tithi, a span shaped by the actual movement of the moon. Vaishnava acharyas emphasize that parana is itself a sacred act, not merely the end of the fast; the food consumed becomes prasad sanctified by Tulasi and the recitation of Vishnu names.
How to Calculate
After sunrise on Dwadashi consult the panchang to determine the moment when the first quarter of Dwadashi tithi ends. The parana window begins at sunrise and extends until that point. If the Dwadashi tithi ends very early in the morning, parana must be completed before its conclusion. In rare cases when Dwadashi is short the texts prescribe special rules involving completion before the end of Hari Vasara, which is the first quarter of Dwadashi. Trusted Vaishnava panchangs list the precise parana time for each Ekadashi at your locality.
Modern Application
Vaishnava devotees worldwide rely on panchang applications that publish the exact parana time for both Smarta and Vaishnava traditions. The window is treated as inflexible, with families adjusting morning schedules to ensure the first meal is taken within its limits. Temples organize community parana with sanctified prasad, especially on major Ekadashis such as Vaikuntha and Nirjala.
Today's Ekadashi Parana Muhurta in your local time
Live panchang shows today's exact timing for your city.