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{{Short description|Hindu observance}}
{{Infobox holiday|
| holiday_name = Mokshada Ekadashi
| image = Bhagavata Gita Bishnupur Arnab Dutta 2011.JPG
| caption = The day [[Krishna]] delivers the [[Bhagavad Gita]] to [[Arjuna]] in the battlefield of [[Kurukshetra]]
| nickname = Margashirsha Mokshada Ekadashi day
| observedby = [[Hindu]]s
| date = {{Hindu festival date}}
| observances = Prayers and religious rituals, including [[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]] to [[Vishnu]] and [[Krishna]]
| type = Hindu
| significance = This vrat is believed to liberate the [[soul]] from the cycle of birth and death
| date2016 =
| date2018 =
| date2022 = December 3
}}

'''Mokshada Ekadashi''' ({{Langx|sa|मोक्षदा एकादशी|lit=The eleventh day of moksha|translit=Mokṣadā Ekādaśī}}) is a Hindu holy day, which falls on the 11th lunar day ([[ekadashi]]) of the fortnight of the waxing moon in the [[Hindu month]] of [[Margashirsha]] (Agrahayana), corresponding to November–December. Hindus, particularly [[Vaishnavas]], observe a 24-hour fast in honour of the deity [[Krishna]], an [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]].

Mokshada Ekadashi is an auspicious day dedicated to worship of Vishnu for liberation from sins, and to achieve [[moksha]] (liberation) after death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ekadashivrat.com/mokshada-ekadashi/95/|title=Mokshada Ekadashi 2018|date=31 December 2016|publisher=}}</ref> It is celebrated on the same day as [[Gita Mahotsav|Gita Jayanti]], the day when Krishna gave the holy sermon of the ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'' to [[Arjuna]], as described in the Hindu epic ''[[Mahabharata]]''. The 700-verse ''Bhagavad Gita'' told at the beginning of the climactic [[Mahabharata war]] between the Pandavas and their cousins, the [[Kauravas]] at [[Kurukshetra]], deals with a variety of Hindu philosophical ideas.{{Sfn|Melton|2011|p=585}}<ref name="Moksha">{{Cite web|url=http://www.hknet.org.nz/ekadasi-2.htm#Mokshada|title=Mokshada Ekadasi|access-date=26 November 2012|publisher=ISKCON}}</ref>

==Legend==
The legend about Mokshada Ekadashi is narrated by the god Krishna to the Pandava King [[Yudhishthira]] in the [[Brahmanda Purana]] and the [[Padma Purana]]. Once, a saintly king called [[Vaikhanasa]] ruled in the city of Champaka. One night, the king had a dream, where he saw his [[Pitrs|forefathers]] being tormented in [[Naraka (Hinduism)|Naraka]] (Hell) who begged the king to liberate them. The king was highly anguished and related this nightmare to the [[Brahmin|Brahmins]] of his council the next day. He sought their advice as to how to free his ancestors from tortures of Naraka, and grant them [[moksha]] (salvation). The council advised the king to approach the omniscient saint, Parvata Muni (sage of the mountain). The sage meditated and found the reason for the hellish torture of the king's father. He stated that his father had committed the sin of not fulfilling his sexual duty to his wife while she was ovulating, choosing to visit a village instead. As a solution to rectify the situation, the sage suggested to the king to observe ''[[vrata]]'' (vow) of the Mokshada Ekadashi day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2019-10-29 |title=The importance of the Mokṣadā Ekādaśī [Chapter 39] |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-padma-purana/d/doc365616.html |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref> On Moksha Ekadashi, the king observed the vrata with a complete fast along with his wife, children, and relatives with full faith and devotion. The king's [[Punya (Hinduism)|religious merit]] (obtained from the vrata) pleased the [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]] of [[Svarga]], who carried the king's father to their heaven. Mokshada Ekadashi is compared with the [[Cintamani (jewel)|chintamani]], the gem that yields all desires. Special merit is said to be achieved by the vrata, by which one can elevate someone from hell to heaven, or attain salvation himself.{{Sfn|Melton|2011|p=585}}<ref name=Moksha/>

==Practices==
The complete fast from sunrise on Mokshada Ekadashi to the dawn the next day is observed. People who cannot fast for that period observe a partial fast. Only vegetarian food, especially fruits, vegetables, milk products and nuts, are consumed. Eating rice, beans, pulses, garlic, and onions is prohibited on this day.{{Sfn|Melton|2011|p=585}}

Like most ekadashis, the rites involve worship and prayers to Vishnu. On this day, the avatar Krishna is also worshipped. Devotees properly observing the fast are believed to attain moksha after death.{{Sfn|Lochtefeld|2002|p=444}}

== See also ==
* [[Vaikuntha Chaturdashi]]
* [[Vaikuntha Ekadashi]]
* [[Vrata]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book |last= Lochtefeld |first= James G.|title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&q=Putrada+Ekadashi&pg=PA227|access-date=22 November 2012|year=2002|publisher= ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781598842050|pages=218–19, 226–27, 444}}
*{{cite book|last= Melton |first= J. Gordon |title= Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lD_2J7W_2hQC&q=Putrada+Ekadashi&pg=PA722 |access-date=22 November 2012|year=2011|publisher= ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781598842050|page=585}}

[[Category:Ekadashi]]
[[Category:Hindu holy days]]
[[Category:November observances]]
[[Category:December observances]]
[[Category:Hindu festivals]]

Mokshada Ekadashi - Revision history

TKMD at 15:53, 1 December 2025