Ashwin Shukla Ekadashi
Papankusha Ekadashi
Papankusha Ekadashi falls on the eleventh day of bright Ashwin, just after Vijayadashami closes the Navratri season. Its name joins papa, wrongdoing, to ankusha, the goad an elephant-driver carries.
2026
Thursday, 22 October 2026
2027
Monday, 11 October 2027
The day at a glance
Loading the day’s timings…
Significance
Vishnu is worshipped here as Padmanabha, the lotus-navelled: the form from whose navel the lotus of creation rises. The katha is of Krodhana, a hunter of the Vindhya forests warned by Yama’s messenger that his death was days away, and sent by the sage Angira to this fast.
How Papankusha Ekadashi is observed
Devotees fast from grains and keep the day for Padmanabha with lotus flowers, tulsi and lamps. Giving away food, cloth and lamps belongs to the vrat, and the fast is broken at the Dwadashi parana.
FAQ
What does Papankusha mean?
Papa-ankusha: the goad held against wrongdoing, named for the driver’s hook that turns an elephant.
Which form of Vishnu is worshipped?
Padmanabha, “the lotus-navelled”, from whose navel the lotus of creation is said to rise.
Where does it fall relative to Dussehra?
In the same bright fortnight of Ashwin, one or two days after Vijayadashami depending on how the tithis fall: the Ekadashi that closes the Navratri season.
Around the same season
Plan around Papankusha Ekadashi
Never miss a date
Get the Astroyana almanac in your inbox — the season’s festivals, vrat & fasting days, and each month’s auspicious windows. Calm, practical, no fear-mongering; unsubscribe in one click.