Shravana Putrada Ekadashi (23 August): Vrat Vidhi, Katha and Significance
Sunday, 23 August 2026 is Shravana Putrada Ekadashi, the Sawan month fast kept by parents for their children's wellbeing — puja vidhi, katha and parana timing explained.
Sunday, 23 August 2026 is Shravana Putrada Ekadashi — the Ekadashi that falls in Shukla Paksha of the Sawan (Shravan) month, one of only two Putrada Ekadashis in the Hindu calendar (the other comes in Paush). "Putrada" means "one who grants a child," and this vrat is traditionally kept by couples praying for a child, and by parents already blessed with children who pray for their long life, health and prosperity. Coming as it does inside Chaturmas and Sawan — months already given over to Vishnu and Shiv ji's worship — this Ekadashi carries extra weight for families observing the season's fasts.
Why this Ekadashi matters
Every Ekadashi is sacred to Lord Vishnu, but Putrada Ekadashi has a very specific promise attached to it — the wellbeing of one's children. In a culture where a child's health, education and future are treated as a shared family concern rather than a private one, this vrat has stayed popular across generations. It is also one of the vrats that devotees who began their Chaturmas sankalp on Devshayani Ekadashi continue to observe faithfully, since skipping an Ekadashi mid-Chaturmas is considered inauspicious by tradition.
Puja vidhi — how the vrat is kept
The rules are close to any Ekadashi vrat, with a few points specific to this one.
- Wake before sunrise, bathe, and take a sankalp (vow) to observe the fast for the wellbeing of your children or for progeny.
- Clean the puja area and set up an idol or picture of Lord Vishnu (or Bal Gopal). Some households also place a tulsi plant nearby, since tulsi is dear to Vishnu.
- Offer Panchamrit, yellow flowers, tulsi leaves, fruits and yellow sweets. Yellow is considered Vishnu's colour and is preferred for the offerings and, where possible, for one's clothing too.
- Light a ghee diya and chant "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya," recite the Vishnu Sahasranama, or read the Ekadashi katha aloud with the family.
- Most devotees avoid grains and cereals through the day; some keep a nirjala (waterless) fast, others take fruits and milk (phalahar). Choose according to your health and capacity — the intention matters more than the severity.
- A jagran, or night vigil with bhajans and Vishnu katha, is traditionally kept by those able to manage it.
- The fast is broken the next morning, Dwadashi, at the parana muhurat, ideally after feeding a Brahmin or someone in need.
The katha, in brief
The story most associated with this vrat comes from the Bhavishya Purana. King Mahijit ruled his kingdom well but remained childless, which troubled him deeply. On the advice of his ministers, he approached a group of sages returning from pilgrimage and asked why he had no heir despite a righteous life. The sages, through their spiritual insight, told him this was the result of an act from a previous birth. They then guided him to observe the Putrada Ekadashi vrat with full devotion, together with his queen. Following their instruction, the king and queen kept the fast with sincere faith — and in time, the queen conceived and gave birth to a son. Since then, the vrat has been observed by couples seeking the same blessing.
Who traditionally keeps this vrat
Shravana Putrada Ekadashi is kept mainly by married couples wishing for a child, and by parents who want to pray for the health, success and long life of children they already have. It is also observed by devout Vishnu bhakts as part of their regular Ekadashi vrat cycle, and by those continuing their Chaturmas vows through Sawan. As with all Ekadashi fasts, elderly people, pregnant women, and those with medical conditions are advised to keep a lighter version — fruits and milk instead of a full waterless fast — since the spirit of devotion, not hardship, is what the day asks for.