Shravana Putrada Ekadashi 2026 Date, Vrat Katha, Puja Vidhi

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi 2026, also widely known as Pavitra Ekadashi 2026, falls on Sunday, August 23, 2026. The Ekadashi tithi begins at 2:01 AM on August 23 and ends at 4:19 AM on August 24. The Shravana Putrada Ekadashi parana time is the next day, August 24, between 1:58 PM and 4:29 PM. This is one of the two Putrada Ekadashi fasts observed every year and is best known for blessing childless couples with a child.

For couples waiting and praying for a child, the journey can carry a hope that is difficult to put into words. In Hindu tradition, several vrat kathas and religious stories connect certain sacred observances with the blessing of santan sukh. Shravana Putrada Ekadashi is one of them.

The traditional story of this Ekadashi tells of King Mahijita, who remained childless despite being a righteous ruler. According to the katha, observing the Ekadashi and dedicating its spiritual merit to the king eventually brought him the blessing of a son. This story is one reason the day came to be associated with prayers for progeny.

These are traditional religious beliefs found in vrat kathas and sacred traditions, not a claim that the vrat can cause pregnancy or guarantee the birth of a child. For devotees, the day offers an opportunity to pray to Lord Vishnu, observe the fast with sincerity, and place their hopes and wishes before the divine.

Also known as Pavitra Ekadashi and Pavitropana Ekadashi, this sacred observance has its own traditions of fasting, Vishnu puja, prayer, and the Pavitra thread offering.

In this guide, we explore the Shravana Putrada Ekadashi 2026 date, vrat katha, puja vidhi, fasting rules, parana time, significance, and the traditional beliefs surrounding this Ekadashi.

What Is Shravana Putrada Ekadashi?

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is observed chiefly by married couples seeking the blessing of a child. The word “Putrada” means “giver of a son.” It is the eleventh lunar day of Shukla Paksha in the Hindu month of Shravana. 

This Shravana Putrada Ekadashi vrat is one of two Putrada Ekadashis observed every year, the other falling in the month of Pausha, around December and January. The Shravana version, arriving in the middle of the sacred rainy-season month, is the one more widely followed in western and southern India, while the Pausha observance holds greater weight in the north. 

Husband and wife traditionally keep this fast together, worshipping Lord Vishnu with sincerity in the hope of a healthy child and a happy household.

Putrada or Pavitra: Why Does This Ekadashi Have Two Names?

This Ekadashi carries two widely used names because it serves two purposes at once. Shravana Putrada Ekadashi refers to the blessing of progeny that its vrat katha describes, while Pavitra Ekadashi, also called Pavitropana Ekadashi, refers to its distinctive ritual: offering a sacred thread garland, the Pavitra, to Lord Vishnu as an act of purification.

Regional custom decides which name gets used more. In much of North India, the day is called Shravana Putrada Ekadashi, and the emphasis stays on the story of King Mahajita and the gift of a son. In Vaishnava communities and across large parts of western and southern India, it is called Pavitra Ekadashi or Pavitropana Ekadashi, and the emphasis shifts toward the Pavitra offering, an act of atonement for any lapses in worship over the past year. 

Both names describe the same fasting day, the same tithi, and the same underlying devotion to Lord Vishnu. Throughout this guide, both names are used interchangeably, exactly as devotees themselves tend to use them.

Putrada Ekadashi August 2026: Date and Tithi Timings

Putrada Ekadashi 2026 in the month of Shravana falls on Sunday, August 23. The Ekadashi tithi begins at 2:01 AM on August 23 and ends at 4:19 AM on August 24. Since Ekadashi tithi governs sunrise on August 23, that is the correct fasting day under the Udaya Tithi rule.

Event	2026 Timing
Ekadashi Tithi begins	2:01 AM, August 23
Shravana Putrada / Pavitra Ekadashi fasting day	Sunday, August 23
Ekadashi Tithi ends	4:19 AM, August 24
Parana (fast-breaking) window	1:58 PM to 4:29 PM, August 24
Hindu month	Shravana (Shukla Paksha)
Also known as	Pavitra Ekadashi, Pavitropana Ekadashi

Timings follow the Hindu Panchang calculated for New Delhi (IST). This year’s parana window falls in the afternoon rather than the morning, since Hari Vasara, the restricted first quarter of Dwadashi, extends well past sunrise. Confirm against a local Panchang for your city closer to the date.

What is Shravana Putrada Ekadashi Significance?

The Shravana Putrada Ekadashi significance lies in its dual promise: the vrat katha shows it can grant a child to a couple who has waited years, while the Pavitra ritual shows it can cleanse errors made in worship. Sources describing this vrat katha, including the Bhavishya Purana, state that even hearing the story brings substantial spiritual merit.

What makes this Ekadashi distinct from most others is that its central story is not really about the person doing the fasting. In the vrat katha, it is the king’s ministers and subjects who observe the fast on his behalf and dedicate its merit to him, a detail that gives this Ekadashi its collective, community-centered character. This is also why, in many households, the fast is kept jointly by husband and wife, and sometimes by extended family, rather than by one person alone.

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi Vrat Katha: The Story of King Mahajita

The Shravana Putrada Ekadashi vrat katha tells of King Mahajita of Mahishmati, a righteous king who remained childless despite ruling justly. A sage revealed that the cause lay in a past life, where the king had once denied water to a thirsty cow. His ministers then observed the Putrada Ekadashi fast on his behalf, and the king was blessed with a son.

The Story: Dharmraj Yudhishtir once asked Lord Krishna to describe the Ekadashi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Shravana, its name, its method of observance, and the results it brings. Krishna replied that merely hearing this story brings immense merit, and then shared the account. At the start of the Dvapara Yuga, in a city called Mahishmati, there ruled a king named Mahajita. He governed with fairness and cared for his people as though they were his own children, yet he had no child of his own. As the years passed and every effort to have an heir failed, his sorrow only deepened. One day, troubled beyond patience, Mahajita gathered his court and asked why a king who had wronged no one, exploited no subject, and never disrespected the gods or Brahmins should suffer such a fate. Unable to answer him, his ministers set out into the forest to seek the wisdom of the sages who lived there. They found Maharishi Lomasha, a sage of great insight, and explained the king’s grief. Lomasha closed his eyes and looked into the king’s past lives. After a while, he revealed the cause: in an earlier birth, Mahajita had once gone hungry for two days and, on reaching a reservoir, found a cow that had just given birth also drinking there. In his desperation, he drove the thirsty cow away and drank the water himself. That single act, the sage explained, was the reason for his childlessness in this life, even though his Ekadashi fasting in that same past life had earned him the throne he now held. The ministers, hearing this, asked Lomasha if anything could undo the sin. He told them that if they themselves observed the Putrada Ekadashi fast of Shravana Shukla Paksha, stayed awake through the night in devotion, and dedicated the merit of their fast to the king, his suffering would end. The ministers and citizens returned home and did exactly as instructed. On the following Dwadashi, they offered the full merit of their fast to King Mahajita. Not long after, the queen conceived, and in time she gave birth to a radiant and capable son. Krishna concludes by telling Yudhishtir that this is why the fast came to be called Putrada, the giver of sons, and that anyone who observes the Ekadashi of Shravana Shukla Paksha with proper devotion finds happiness in this life and reward beyond it. This is the Shravana Putrada Ekadashi vrat katha read on the day of the fast, and several sources trace it to the Bhavishya Purana.

Shravan Putrada Ekadashi Vrat Katha in Hindi

श्रावण पुत्रदा एकादशी व्रत कथा श्रावण शुक्ल पक्ष की एकादशी को पुत्रदा एकादशी कहा जाता है। इस एकादशी के महत्व को समझाने के लिए भगवान श्रीकृष्ण ने राजा युधिष्ठिर को राजा महीजित की कथा सुनाई। यह कथा केवल एक राजा के संतान प्राप्ति की नहीं, बल्कि कर्म, प्रायश्चित और श्रद्धा से जुड़े विश्वासों को भी सामने रखती है। राजा महीजित की चिंता द्वापर युग के आरंभ में महिष्मती नाम की एक समृद्ध नगरी थी। वहां महीजित नाम के राजा का शासन था। राजा अपनी प्रजा के प्रति दयालु और न्यायप्रिय थे। वह अपने राज्य के लोगों की देखभाल उसी तरह करते थे, जैसे कोई माता-पिता अपने बच्चों की करते हैं।राजा ने हमेशा धर्म और न्याय के अनुसार शासन किया। उन्होंने कभी प्रजा पर अन्याय नहीं किया और न ही किसी के अधिकार का अनुचित लाभ उठाया। इसके बावजूद उनके जीवन में एक ऐसी कमी थी, जिसने उन्हें भीतर से परेशान कर रखा था।राजा महीजित के कोई संतान नहीं थी।उम्र बढ़ने के साथ उनकी चिंता भी बढ़ती गई। उन्हें लगता था कि उनके बाद राज्य की जिम्मेदारी किसे सौंपी जाएगी। उन्होंने संतान प्राप्ति के लिए कई प्रयास किए, लेकिन कोई उपाय सफल नहीं हुआ।आखिरकार राजा ने अपने मंत्रियों और राज्य के प्रमुख लोगों को बुलाकर अपनी परेशानी बताई। उन्होंने कहा कि उन्होंने अपने जीवन में धर्म के विरुद्ध कोई ऐसा काम नहीं किया, जिससे उन्हें इस प्रकार का दुख मिले। उन्होंने हमेशा प्रजा की रक्षा की, जरूरतमंदों की सहायता की और अपने कर्तव्यों का पालन किया।फिर भी उन्हें समझ नहीं आ रहा था कि आखिर उनकी संतान क्यों नहीं है। ऋषि लोमश की खोज राजा की पीड़ा देखकर मंत्री और प्रजा के प्रतिनिधि उनके लिए समाधान खोजने निकल पड़े। उन्होंने कई ऋषियों और मुनियों से मिलने का प्रयास किया, ताकि कोई ऐसा ज्ञानी व्यक्ति मिल सके जो राजा की परेशानी का कारण बता सके।वन में उन्हें अंततः ऋषि लोमश का आश्रम मिला। लोमश ऋषि अत्यंत विद्वान और तपस्वी माने जाते थे। उन्हें धर्म, शास्त्रों और आध्यात्मिक ज्ञान का गहरा अनुभव था।मंत्रियों और प्रजा के प्रतिनिधियों ने ऋषि को प्रणाम किया और राजा महीजित की पूरी परिस्थिति उनके सामने रखी।उन्होंने कहा कि राजा अपनी प्रजा के प्रति हमेशा न्यायपूर्ण रहे हैं। उन्होंने राज्य की जिम्मेदारियों को पूरी निष्ठा से निभाया है, फिर भी वह संतानहीन होने के कारण अत्यंत दुखी हैं। राजा का दुख अब केवल उनका व्यक्तिगत दुख नहीं रहा था, बल्कि पूरी प्रजा इससे प्रभावित थी।उन्होंने ऋषि लोमश से विनती की कि वे राजा की इस समस्या का कारण बताएं और कोई ऐसा उपाय सुझाएं जिससे उन्हें संतान सुख प्राप्त हो सके। पिछले जन्म का कर्म मंत्रियों की बात सुनकर ऋषि लोमश ने ध्यान लगाया और राजा के पूर्व जन्म से जुड़ी घटना का वर्णन किया।उन्होंने बताया कि पिछले जन्म में राजा महीजित एक निर्धन वैश्य थे। जीविका के लिए वह अलग-अलग स्थानों पर व्यापार करने जाते थे।एक बार ज्येष्ठ मास के शुक्ल पक्ष की द्वादशी के दिन वह बहुत अधिक प्यासे थे। बताया जाता है कि वह दो दिनों से भोजन और जल के बिना थे। दोपहर के समय उन्हें एक जलाशय दिखाई दिया और वह पानी पीने के लिए वहां पहुंचे।उसी जलाशय पर एक गाय भी पानी पी रही थी। वह गाय हाल ही में अपने बछड़े को जन्म दे चुकी थी और स्वयं भी प्यासी थी।अत्यधिक प्यास के कारण उस वैश्य ने गाय को वहां से हटा दिया और स्वयं पानी पीने लगा।ऋषि लोमश ने बताया कि यही कर्म उसके वर्तमान जीवन में संतानहीनता का एक कारण बना। दूसरी ओर, पिछले जन्म में एकादशी के दिन उपवास करने से उसे पुण्य प्राप्त हुआ था, जिसके प्रभाव से उसे वर्तमान जन्म में राजा का जीवन मिला।इस प्रकार, कथा के अनुसार, उसके एक ओर के कर्म ने उसे राजपद दिलाया, जबकि दूसरे कर्म का प्रभाव उसके वर्तमान जीवन में संतान के अभाव के रूप में सामने आया। पुत्रदा एकादशी का उपाय यह सुनकर राजा के मंत्री और प्रजा के प्रतिनिधियों ने ऋषि लोमश से पूछा कि क्या इस कर्म के प्रभाव को दूर करने का कोई उपाय है।ऋषि ने उन्हें श्रावण शुक्ल पक्ष की एकादशी, जिसे पुत्रदा एकादशी कहा जाता है, का व्रत करने की सलाह दी।उन्होंने कहा कि सभी लोग श्रद्धापूर्वक एकादशी का उपवास करें, भगवान की पूजा करें और रात्रि में जागरण करते हुए भक्ति में समय बिताएं। इसके बाद इस व्रत से प्राप्त पुण्य को राजा महीजित के कल्याण के लिए समर्पित करें।मंत्रियों और प्रजा के प्रतिनिधियों ने ऋषि की बात स्वीकार की और वापस महिष्मती लौट आए।जब श्रावण शुक्ल एकादशी आई, तो उन्होंने विधिपूर्वक व्रत रखा और पूरी श्रद्धा के साथ भगवान की आराधना की। रात में जागरण किया और अगले दिन द्वादशी पर व्रत का पारण करने से पहले व्रत से प्राप्त पुण्य राजा महीजित को समर्पित किया। राजा को मिला संतान सुख कथा के अनुसार, इस व्रत के पुण्य प्रभाव से राजा महीजित की पत्नी ने गर्भ धारण किया। समय पूरा होने पर रानी ने एक तेजस्वी और गुणवान पुत्र को जन्म दिया।राजा और पूरी प्रजा के लिए यह अत्यंत आनंद का अवसर था। वर्षों से राजा के जीवन में जो कमी बनी हुई थी, वह दूर हो गई।भगवान श्रीकृष्ण ने राजा युधिष्ठिर को बताया कि इसी कारण श्रावण शुक्ल पक्ष की इस एकादशी को पुत्रदा एकादशी कहा गया। परंपरा में इसे संतान सुख और पारिवारिक कल्याण की कामना से जोड़ा जाता है। श्रावण पुत्रदा एकादशी कथा से मिलने वाली सीख राजा महीजित की कथा में केवल संतान प्राप्ति का प्रसंग ही नहीं है। यह कथा कर्म और उसके परिणामों के बारे में भी एक महत्वपूर्ण संदेश देती है।कथा के अनुसार, पिछले जन्म में किए गए एक छोटे से कर्म का प्रभाव राजा के वर्तमान जीवन में दिखाई दिया। वहीं, एकादशी व्रत से प्राप्त पुण्य ने उनके जीवन में सकारात्मक परिवर्तन लाने में भूमिका निभाई।इसी वजह से श्रद्धालु श्रावण पुत्रदा एकादशी को केवल उपवास के रूप में नहीं, बल्कि आत्मसंयम, प्रार्थना और भगवान विष्णु की भक्ति के अवसर के रूप में भी देखते हैं।परंपरागत मान्यता के अनुसार, इस व्रत का श्रद्धापूर्वक पालन करने और इसकी कथा सुनने से पुण्य प्राप्त होता है। संतान सुख की इच्छा रखने वाले भक्त विशेष रूप से इस एकादशी का व्रत रखते हैं और भगवान विष्णु से परिवार के सुख-समृद्धि की प्रार्थना करते हैं।

Step-by-Step Shravana Putrada Ekadashi Puja Vidhi

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi puja vidhi follows the standard Ekadashi structure, with an added focus on couples worshipping together and a night-long jagaran, since the vrat katha itself centers on merit earned through a collective, wakeful fast.

1. Prepare on Dashami Evening: On August 22, eat a light, grain-free meal before sunset, avoid tamasic food, and observe celibacy through the night as preparation for the fast ahead.

2. Wake Early and Bathe: Rise before sunrise on August 23, bathe, and wear clean clothing. Set up the altar with an idol or picture of Lord Vishnu, ideally with Goddess Lakshmi alongside.

3. Take the Sankalp: Sit facing Lord Vishnu and take a formal vow to observe the fast through the day and night. Couples wishing for a child often take this vow together.

4. Perform Panchamrit Abhishek: Bathe the deity with Panchamrit made of milk, curd, ghee, honey, and sugar, then offer fresh flowers, Tulsi leaves, incense, and a lit diya.

5. Recite the Vrat Katha and Chant: Read or listen to the story of King Mahajita, chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya,” and recite the Vishnu Sahasranama if time allows.

6. Offer the Pavitra: Where this custom is followed, offer a Pavitra, a sacred thread garland, to the deity as an act of purification. See the section below for full details.

7. Keep Jagaran Through the Night: Stay awake through the night singing bhajans, since the vrat katha specifically credits a night-long vigil as part of what made the original fast so powerful.

8. Break the Fast at Parana Time: Complete the vrat on August 24 within the parana window. Offer food or charity to a Brahmin or someone in need before closing the observance.

The Pavitra Thread Offering Ritual

The Pavitra is a sacred thread garland, usually woven from cotton, offered to Lord Vishnu on this Ekadashi as an act of atonement for any errors or omissions made in worship over the previous year. This ritual is the reason the day is also called Pavitropana Ekadashi, and it is what distinguishes this Ekadashi’s rituals from most others in the calendar.

In temples and homes that follow this custom, the Pavitra is draped over the idol or Shaligram Shila as part of the main puja. Some traditions tie the thread with a specific number of knots, each representing a prayer or intention, though the exact count varies by family and regional practice. 

The idea behind the ritual is simple: worship performed across a year, however sincere, can carry small errors, and the Pavitra offering is a way of symbolically setting those right and beginning the next cycle of devotion with a clean slate.

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi Fasting Rules

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi fasting rules ask devotees to avoid grains, rice, and lentils for the full day, observe celibacy from Dashami night, and stay awake through the Ekadashi night where possible. Couples observing this fast are especially encouraged to keep it together.

• Avoid all grains, cereals, and lentils, including rice, wheat, and pulses.
• Avoid onion, garlic, and heavily spiced or oily food.
• Choose a fasting style suited to your health: Nirjala, Jalahar, Ksheerbhoji, or Phalahari.
• Observe celibacy from the night of Dashami through the fasting day.
• Avoid anger, harsh speech, and negative thoughts through the day.
• Keep a night vigil where possible, singing bhajans in praise of Vishnu.
• Offer food or charity to a Brahmin or someone in need on Dwadashi.
• Break the fast only within the correct parana window the next day.

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi Parana Time and Rules

The parana time for 2026 is 1:58 PM to 4:29 PM on Monday, August 24. This year’s window falls in the afternoon rather than the morning, since Hari Vasara, the restricted first quarter of Dwadashi, extends past the usual early hours. Parana should always take place after sunrise on Dwadashi and never during Ekadashi itself.

Getting the parana timing right matters as much as the fast itself. Breaking the fast during Hari Vasara is treated as equivalent to not observing the vrat at all, so it is worth waiting for the correct window rather than breaking the fast the moment sunrise arrives.

If the window is missed, tradition advises continuing on light Phalahar food for the rest of the day and offering a quiet prayer of apology, along with resolving to plan better for the next Ekadashi.

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi Benefits and Importance

The benefits of observing Shravana Putrada Ekadashi, or Pavitra Ekadashi, include the blessing of a child for couples who have struggled to conceive, relief from the weight of unintentional sin, and the purification that comes from the Pavitra ritual. Sources describe both this-life happiness and merit that carries into the afterlife.

• Blessing of progeny: The vrat katha directly links this fast to King Mahajita finally receiving a son after years of childlessness.
• Undoing unintentional sin: The katha shows that even a single unkind act, committed unknowingly across lifetimes, can be resolved through sincere collective devotion.
• Purification through the Pavitra: The thread offering is specifically meant to correct small lapses made in worship over the preceding year.
• Merit for the whole household: Since the original fast was kept by ministers and citizens on the king’s behalf, many families treat this as an occasion for the whole household to fast together.
• Spiritual growth: Beyond the wish for a child, the fast is associated with peace, good fortune, and closeness to Lord Vishnu’s grace.

Conclusion

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi, also known as Pavitra Ekadashi, is observed with devotion to Lord Vishnu and prayers for family happiness and spiritual well-being. The story of King Mahijita reminds devotees that our actions carry consequences and that sincere devotion has an important place in Hindu tradition.

Devotees observe the Shravana Putrada Ekadashi vrat through fasting, Vishnu puja, chanting, listening to the vrat katha, and, in traditions that follow it, offering the Pavitra thread to Lord Vishnu. The day also gives families time to pause, pray, and strengthen their faith.

In 2026, Shravana Putrada Ekadashi falls on August 23, while the parana is observed on August 24 during the prescribed time. If you are observing the vrat, follow your family tradition and check the local Panchang for the timings applicable to your location.

May Lord Vishnu bless your home with peace, happiness, good health, and devotion.

Frequently Asked Questions About Shravana Putrada Ekadashi

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