Pausha Putrada Ekadashi 2027: How to Fast?

When a Lamp of Hope Is Lit for an Empty Lap

There are few sorrows in this world as deep as the long wait for a child. In a home where a child's laughter does not echo, an emptiness remains despite wealth, fame and comfort. The Sanatan tradition understood this pain and showed a special path of taking refuge in Lord Vishnu. That path is the fast of Pausha Putrada Ekadashi. "Putrada" means the giver of children. It is believed that Lord Vishnu blesses couples who keep this fast with faith and discipline with the joy of children.

In 2027, Pausha Putrada Ekadashi will be observed on Monday, 18 January. This year the Ekadashi tithi touches two sunrises, so the Gauna (secondary) Pausha Putrada Ekadashi also falls on Tuesday, 19 January.

Detail	Information
Name of the fast	Pausha Putrada Ekadashi
Date	18 January 2027
Day	Monday
Hindu month	Paush
Paksha (fortnight)	Shukla Paksha (waxing fortnight)
Tithi (lunar day)	Ekadashi (eleventh lunar day)
Gauna Ekadashi	19 January 2027, Tuesday
Parana (breaking the fast) for the Smarta fast	19 January, after Hari Vasara ends
Parana for the Gauna fast	Morning of 20 January
Position of the Sun	Capricorn (Makar)
Sunrise in Delhi	Approximately 7:15 in the morning
Rahu Kaal (Delhi)	Approximately 8:35 to 9:55 in the morning
Deity worshipped	Lord Vishnu in his Santana Gopala form
Other observances on the same day	Masik Karthigai, Dharma Savarni Manvadi

The exact parana time differs from city to city. The Ekadashi fast must be broken within the Dwadashi tithi and only after Hari Vasara (the first quarter of Dwadashi) has ended. So check the parana time given in your local Panchang.

The Difference Between Smarta and Gauna Ekadashi

When the Ekadashi tithi touches the sunrise of two days, the scriptures prescribe fasting on two days. The Ekadashi of the first day is for householders and is called Smarta Ekadashi. The Ekadashi of the second day, called Gauna Ekadashi, is for sannyasis (renunciates), widows and seekers of moksha (liberation). Many followers of the Vaishnava tradition also fast on the second day according to their own reckoning.

Who observes	Date of the fast	Parana
Householders and couples wishing for children	18 January, Monday	19 January
Sannyasis, widows and seekers of moksha	19 January, Tuesday	20 January
Vaishnava sampradaya	According to their tradition's Panchang	According to tradition

Main Observances at a Glance

• Restraint and sattvic food from the evening of Dashami
• Complete avoidance of rice and grains on Ekadashi
• Taking the vow before Lord Vishnu after the morning bath
• Worship with yellow flowers, Tulsi leaves, panchamrit and yellow fruits
• Chanting the Santana Gopala mantra or a Vishnu mantra
• Listening to the story of Putrada Ekadashi
• Night vigil with devotional songs
• Breaking the fast on Dwadashi after giving charity

What Is Pausha Putrada Ekadashi?

There are 24 Ekadashis in a year and 26 in a year with an Adhik Maas (extra lunar month). Each Ekadashi has its own name, story and merit. Two of them are called Putrada, one in the waxing fortnight of Paush and the other in the waxing fortnight of Shravan. Pausha Putrada Ekadashi holds special importance in North India, while Shravana Putrada Ekadashi is better known in many other regions.

Paush is regarded as a month of Sun worship and this year Putrada Ekadashi comes just a few days after Makar Sankranti. It is the first Ekadashi after the beginning of Uttarayan. The scriptures call Uttarayan the day of the gods, so a fast kept during this period is considered even more fruitful.

It is also important to understand that the word "Putrada" should not be limited to sons alone. Its wider meaning is the joy of children. Today many couples keep this fast wishing for any child, son or daughter. Families who already have children keep it for their health, long life, good values and bright future.

The Story of Putrada Ekadashi

In the Bhavishya Purana, Lord Krishna tells the story of this Ekadashi to Dharmaraja Yudhishthira. In ancient times a righteous king named Suketuman ruled the city of Bhadravati. His queen was named Shaibya. The king had wealth, an army, a kingdom and the love of his people but he had no child. Because of this sorrow, both the king and the queen lived in worry day and night.

The king wondered who would offer pinda (ancestral offerings) after him and who would perform tarpan for the ancestors. He felt that his ancestors too were grieving over this. The pain grew so great that one day the king mounted his horse and rode into a dense forest without telling anyone.

Wandering in the forest, the king grew weak with hunger and thirst. At last he reached the bank of a beautiful lake where lotuses bloomed and many sages sat reciting the Vedas. The king dismounted and bowed to them. Pleased, the sages asked him what he wished for.

The king introduced himself, told them of his sorrow at having no child and asked who they were. The sages said they were the Vishvedevas and that it was Paush Shukla Putrada Ekadashi, so they had come to bathe in the lake. They told the king that if he kept the fast of this Ekadashi with faith, he would surely be blessed with a child.

That very day the king kept the fast according to the rules, stayed awake through the night and broke the fast on Dwadashi. Then he bowed to the sages and returned to his palace. Some time later Queen Shaibya conceived and in due time a radiant son was born. That son grew up to be a brave and virtuous king who cared for his people.

At the end of the story Lord Krishna says that whoever keeps this Ekadashi fast is blessed with children and whoever reads or hears this story also gains merit.

The Deeper Message of the Story

The king's pain in this story is not only the worry of continuing his lineage. It also holds his duty to his ancestors, the meaning of life and the wish to pass on values to the next generation. Only when the king set aside his pride, placed his sorrow before the sages and kept the fast with discipline did he receive the fruit. The story teaches that a prayer offered with faith, humility and restraint is never wasted.

The Puja Vidhi of Pausha Putrada Ekadashi

1. On the evening of Dashami, 17 January, eat one sattvic meal before sunset. Do not include rice, onion or garlic in this meal.
2. On the morning of Ekadashi, wake before sunrise and bathe. Add a little Ganga water to the bathing water.
3. Wear yellow or clean clothes and take the vow of the fast holding water, akshat (unbroken rice) and flowers in your hand.
4. Spread a yellow cloth at the place of worship and place an idol of Lord Vishnu or Bal Gopal.
5. Bathe the deity with panchamrit, then with pure water and offer yellow clothes.
6. Offer sandalwood, yellow flowers, akshat, incense and a ghee lamp.
7. Be sure to offer Tulsi leaves to the Lord. Pluck them a day before Ekadashi, because plucking Tulsi on Ekadashi is considered forbidden.
8. Offer yellow fruits, bananas, panchamrit and rock sugar as bhog.
9. Chant the Santana Gopala mantra or a Vishnu mantra 108 times.
10. Read or listen to the story of Putrada Ekadashi.
11. Recite the Vishnu Sahasranama or the Gopala Sahasranama.
12. Perform the aarti in the evening and keep a night vigil with devotional songs.
13. On Dwadashi, after bathing and worship, give food and charity to a Brahmin or someone in need, then break the fast.

Types of Fast

Type of fast	Rule	Suitable for
Nirjala fast	Not even water through the day	Fully healthy and experienced practitioners
Jalahara fast	Water only	Those who cannot go without water
Phalahara fast	Fruits, milk and dry fruits	Most householders
One fruit meal	One fruit based meal in the day	The elderly, the ill and the weak

Pregnant women, people who are unwell and those on medication should not keep a strict fast. For them, a fruit diet or simply the worship and listening to the story is considered enough. The essence of the fast is not to trouble the body but to fix the mind on God.

Main Mantras for Putrada Ekadashi

Mantra	Meaning	Purpose	Count
Om Devakisuta Govinda Vasudeva Jagatpate, Dehi Me Tanayam Krishna Tvamaham Sharanam Gatah	O son of Devaki, Govinda, Vasudeva, Lord of the universe, Krishna, grant me a child, I take refuge in you	Santana Gopala mantra, for the blessing of children	108 times
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya	Salutations to Lord Vasudeva	Grace of Lord Vishnu and peace of mind	108 times
Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah	Salutations to Krishna, with the seed sound of attraction and love	Grace and love of Bal Gopal	108 times

If husband and wife chant the Santana Gopala mantra sitting together, it is considered even more auspicious.

The Astrological Significance of Pausha Putrada Ekadashi

In Vedic astrology, children are judged from the fifth house of the horoscope. This house also shows intelligence, merit from past lives and success in mantra practice. The significator of children is Jupiter. When malefic planets influence the fifth house, when its lord is weak or when Jupiter is afflicted, delays or obstacles in having children are indicated.

Lord Vishnu is regarded as the presiding deity of Jupiter. So worshipping Vishnu on Ekadashi is considered the most direct way to strengthen Jupiter. On Putrada Ekadashi, this worship blesses both the fifth house and Jupiter, the significator of children.

The Special Alignment of 2027

This year Putrada Ekadashi falls on a Monday. Monday is the day of the Moon and on this day the Moon will be in Krittika nakshatra near its exaltation in Taurus. In astrology the Moon signifies the mother, the womb, the mind and nourishment. In a fast kept for the blessing of children, a strong Moon can be regarded as especially auspicious, because conception and motherhood are directly connected with the Moon.

The Sun is in Capricorn at this time and Uttarayan is under way. Masik Karthigai also falls on this day, when Lord Kartikeya is worshipped. Kartikeya is himself the child of Shiva and Parvati and remembering him in prayers for children is also considered auspicious. Dharma Savarni Manvadi falls on the same day too, a day that marks the remembered beginning of a new Manvantara (cosmic age). The coming together of a new cycle of creation and the wish for new life in the family makes this day meaningful.

Astrological Remedies Related to Children

Condition in the horoscope	Remedy on Putrada Ekadashi
Weak or afflicted Jupiter	Donate yellow items, chana dal and turmeric
Rahu or Ketu influencing the fifth house	Chant the Santana Gopala mantra 108 times
Saturn's aspect on the fifth house	Offer water to a peepal tree and light a lamp
Weak Moon	Since it is Monday, offer milk and water on the Shivalinga
Pitru Dosha (ancestral affliction)	Donate food and clothes in the name of the ancestors

These remedies are paths of faith and devotion. For any health concern related to having children, seeking the advice of a qualified doctor is equally necessary. Dharma and medicine complement each other. They are not opposed.

Benefits of the Putrada Ekadashi Fast

• The belief in the fulfilment of the wish for children
• Blessings for the health, long life and progress of children
• Calming of afflictions related to Jupiter and the fifth house
• The pleasure of the ancestors and the growth of the lineage
• Love and harmony between husband and wife
• Peace of mind and inner purification

Dos and Donts

Do	Do not
Keep restraint and sattvic food from Dashami	Do not eat rice or grains on Ekadashi
Pluck Tulsi leaves a day in advance	Do not pluck Tulsi on Ekadashi
Husband and wife should worship together	Avoid gossip, lies and anger
Keep a night vigil with devotional songs	Avoid sleeping during the day
Break the fast on Dwadashi after charity	Do not break the fast during Hari Vasara
Give food and gifts to children	Do not consume meat, alcohol or tamasic food

When Blessings Descend Into the Lap of Faith

Pausha Putrada Ekadashi is not just a fast. It is the name of a faith that says no prayer offered in the refuge of God remains incomplete. The story of King Suketuman gives hope to every couple waiting for a child and to every parent who wishes for a happy future for their children. On Monday, 18 January 2027, when the Moon will be near its exaltation and the holy period of Uttarayan will be under way, this fast kept with a sincere heart can awaken the hope of a new child's laughter in the courtyard. Wherever the lamp of faith burns, Bal Gopal himself comes to play.

FAQ

When is Pausha Putrada Ekadashi 2027?

Pausha Putrada Ekadashi 2027 falls on Monday, 18 January. The Gauna Putrada Ekadashi falls on Tuesday, 19 January.

When should the Putrada Ekadashi fast be broken?

Those fasting on 18 January should break the fast on 19 January after Hari Vasara ends. Check the exact time in your local Panchang.

Which mantra should be chanted on Putrada Ekadashi?

Chanting the Santana Gopala mantra "Om Devakisuta Govinda Vasudeva Jagatpate, Dehi Me Tanayam Krishna Tvamaham Sharanam Gatah" 108 times is considered most auspicious.

What is the story of Putrada Ekadashi?

King Suketuman and Queen Shaibya of Bhadravati had no child. On the advice of the sages, the king kept this fast and was blessed with a radiant son.

Is Putrada Ekadashi only for a son?

No, this fast can be kept with the wish for any child. Those who already have children keep it for their children's health and bright future.