When Is Next Ekadashi? Key Date & Timing Update

When Is Next Ekadashi? Key Date & Timing Update

NEW DELHI — As the Hindu month of Margashirsha unfolds, devotees across India and the diaspora are gearing up for the next Ekadashi vrat, a sacred observance that holds profound spiritual significance in the Vedic calendar. Mokshada Ekadashi, also known as Gita Jayanti, falls on December 1, 2025—a Monday that promises to be a beacon of liberation and enlightenment for millions fasting in honor of Lord Vishnu. This auspicious tithi, the 11th day of the bright half of Margashirsha, not only commemorates the divine discourse of the Bhagavad Gita but also offers a gateway to moksha, or spiritual salvation, making it one of the most revered fasts in the Hindu pantheon. With precise timings varying by location due to the lunar calendar's nuances, the fast begins at sunset on November 30 and concludes at sunrise on December 2, providing a 24-hour window for prayer, penance, and reflection.

Ekadashi, occurring twice monthly on the 11th lunar day (tithi), is a cornerstone of Hindu spirituality, believed to cleanse sins and elevate the soul toward divine union. Mokshada, the third Ekadashi of the Hindu year, derives its name from "moksha" (liberation) and is particularly potent for those seeking freedom from the cycle of rebirth. Astrologers and pandits emphasize its alignment with Gita Jayanti—the day Lord Krishna imparted the eternal wisdom of the Gita to Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield—urging devotees to recite the sacred text for amplified blessings. In 2025, with the lunar cycle shifting slightly due to regional panchangs, the tithi's commencement in New Delhi is at 4:59 p.m. on November 30, ending at 2:31 p.m. on December 1, per the Drik Panchang calculations. For Mumbai, it's marginally earlier at 5:12 p.m. on November 30, while Kolkata sees it from 5:05 p.m. the same day.

The observance, rooted in ancient texts like the Padma Purana and Skanda Purana, prescribes a strict fast from grains, cereals, and beans, allowing fruits, milk, and nuts for sustenance. Devotees rise before dawn for the Mangala Snan (auspicious bath), don yellow attire symbolizing knowledge, and visit Vishnu temples for abhishekam and aarti. Evening rituals include Bhagavad Gita path (recitation) and jagran (night vigil) with bhajans, culminating in Parana (breaking the fast) the next morning after sunrise. In a year marked by global uncertainties, Mokshada Ekadashi offers solace, with astrologers like Dr. Bejan Daruwalla's successor, Dr. Vinay Bajrangi, noting its "karmic reset" potential amid Saturn's transit in Aquarius. "This Ekadashi dissolves doshas and dawns dharma—recite Gita's Chapter 2 for inner peace," Bajrangi advises in his 2025 Panchang.

Across India, preparations pulse: Varanasi's Dashashwamedh Ghat hosts Gita recitals for 5,000, Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar sees 10,000 pilgrims, and ISKCON temples in Mayapur and Mumbai organize 24-hour sankirtans. Globally, diaspora communities in the U.S., UK, and Canada mark it with virtual Gita sessions, while apps like Drik Panchang log 2 million downloads for timings. As November 29 winds down, the next Ekadashi beckons—a date of divine dialogue, a timing of timeless transcendence.

Ekadashi Essentials: The Sacred Fast's Spiritual Symphony

Ekadashi, the 11th tithi of the lunar fortnight, is Hinduism's hallowed heartbeat, a biannual balm for the soul ordained in scriptures as Vishnu's favored day for devotees' deliverance. "Eka" (one) and "dasha" (tenth), it symbolizes singular devotion amid the moon's waxing or waning, a symphony of sattva (purity) that purges pitru doshas and paves paths to paradise. The Puranas prescribe 24 annual Ekadashis—12 Shukla (waxing) and 12 Krishna (waning)—each with unique narratives: Devshayani marks Vishnu's cosmic slumber, Nirjala tests endurance without water.

Essentials exalt: fast from ann (grains), phal (roots), and tamasik foods; opt sattvic fare like fruits, dairy, and nuts. Rituals resonate: pre-dawn Mangala Snan, yellow veshti or saree, Vishnu Sahasranama jap, and Dwadashi Parana post-sunrise next day. Astrologers accent: Ekadashi's shubh muhurta aligns with Guru (Jupiter) for wisdom, avoiding Rahu kaal. In 2025, with 24 observances, Mokshada's Gita synergy sings supreme—essentials' exaltation, Ekadashi's eternal echo.

Symphony's score: fast's fortitude, rituals' radiance—spiritual's symphony.

Mokshada Magic: Gita Jayanti's Gospel of Grace and Guidance

Mokshada Ekadashi, Margashirsha Shukla's 11th, is moksha's magic mirror, Gita Jayanti's gospel of grace guiding the grieving to glory. Puranic prologue: Vishnu's boon to devotee Yudhishthir—fast frees from rebirth's wheel, Gita's grace its golden key. December 1, 2025, dawns divine: Krishna's Kurukshetra counsel to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita's 700 shlokas a salvation scripture.

Magic's mantra: recite Chapter 2 (Sankhya Yoga) for sin's dissolution, donate yellow fabrics to mendicants. Grace's guidance: astrologers avow Arudra Nakshatra's alignment amplifies adhyatmik anugraha—moksha's magic, Gita's grace.

Gospel's glow: December 1's divine dialogue, moksha's mirror.

Timing's Tapestry: Tithi Timings Across India's Tapestry

Tapestry timing tithis, Mokshada's tapestry timing India's diverse dawns. New Delhi's November 30 4:59 p.m. to December 1 2:31 p.m. (Drik Panchang); Mumbai's 5:12 p.m. November 30 to 2:44 p.m. December 1; Kolkata's 5:05 p.m. to 2:37 p.m.

Tapestry's threads: Ujjain's Vikram Samvat 2082 marks Margashirsha Shukla 11; timings tweak by 5-10 minutes east-west. Panchang's precision: tithi's end post-sunset next day for Parana—tapasya's tapestry.

Timing's truth: tithi's tapestry, India's intricate ink.

Rituals' Reverence: From Mangala Snan to Parana's Peace

Reverence rituals revere, Mangala Snan's midnight bathe in Ganga or home tub with tulsi. Dawn darshan: Vishnu's idol or Shaligram, yellow veshti, tilak of sandalwood.

Reverence's rite: Gita path Chapter 4 (Karma Yoga) for karma cleanse, donate bananas to Brahmins. Evening ekanta: Dwadashi vigil with Ram bhajans, Parana post-sunrise December 2 with sattvic sabudana khichdi.

Peace's Parana: rituals' reverence, reverence's rite.

Astrological Accents: Nakshatra Nuances and Muhurta Magic

Accents astrological accent, Mokshada's accents Nakshatra nuances, muhurta magic. Arudra's Ardra (Rahu-ruled) aligns with Guru's grace, Jupiter in Taurus till May 2026 amplifying adhyatmik fruits.

Nuances' nuance: avoid Rahu kaal (7:30-9 a.m. Delhi), chant Vishnu Gayatri 108 times. Muhurta's magic: 12 p.m. December 1 Abhijit muhurta for Gita jap—accents' astrology, magic's muhurta.

Astrological's aura: nuances' night, Mokshada's mystic.

Preparation Précis: Prudent Steps for Pious Practice

Précis preparation prudent, pious practice's précis. Précis preps: clean home altar, stock sattvic fruits (banana, coconut), yellow attire from cotton.

Steps' sanctity: midnight Snan with rock salt, Gita Granth garlanded. Prudent's path: donate to needy post-Parana, avoid tamasik TV—pious practice's précis.

Preparation's path: steps' sanctity, Ekadashi's essence.

Global Gita: Diaspora Devotion and Digital Darshans

Gita global gleams, diaspora devotion's digital darshans. U.S.'s ISKCON temples in New York, Los Angeles host 10,000 for Gita Jayanti satsangs; UK's Bhaktivedanta Manor streams 50,000.

Darshans digital: Drik Panchang app 3 million downloads for timings, YouTube's Gita 2025 recitals 100 million views. Global's glow: devotion's diaspora, darshans' digital.

Gita's global: gleams' grace, devotion's dominion.

Mokshada's Moksha: Liberation's Legacy and Lasting Luminescence

Moksha Mokshada's moksha, liberation's legacy luminous. Legacy lingers: Gita's gospel guides generations, Ekadashi's essence eternal.

Luminescence lasts: December 1's divine, moksha's mirror—legacy's light, Mokshada's moksha.