Hello,

I am interested in learning more about Ekadasi and the Vaishnava calendar, and have gone to various web sites on this topic. It seems to be a very complicated task to calculate the proper dates and times for observing Ekadasi and when to break the fast etc. Fortuantely, I have located what appears to be a standard calendar generation software:Vcal401.exe.

The sites that I have seen describe what not to eat, and what to eat when one is breaking the fast (depending on what one ate during the fast). However, due to my ignorance, I do not know "when" the fast starts.

For instance:

12 Feb 2003 Wed Fasting for Bhaimi Ekadasi

When does one start fasting for this Ekadasi? At midnight of the 12th? At sundown on the 11th? When in general does one start Ekadasi fasting?

Also, when does one stop fasting? In my example:

13 Feb 2003 Thurs Break fast 06:44 - 10:14

MUST one break the fast between these times?

And what happens in THIS case:

13 Feb 2003 Thurs Break fast 06:44 - 10:14
Varaha Dvadasi: Appearance of Lord
Varahadeva
(The fast is observed till noon on
the Ekadasi.)
(Feasting is done today.)

One can not break the fast at the noted time... because of the fast till noon instruction? This is then followed by a feast day?

And what happens when Ekadasi FOLLOWS a feast day: when does the feasting time stop and the fasting time start?

As you can see, I know so very little about Ekadasi and the Vaishnava calendar. Any VERY basic help, instructions, suggestions, etc. would be very much appreciated. All the Internet sites I have gone to don't really address these most basic questions.

Many thanks for any help!

There must be one devotee who understands Ekadasi and the vaishnava Calendar and can offer some help...

As far as I know, Ekadasi starts on sunrise till next day when you break fast during the hours mentioned.
For breaking ekadasi during a fasting day you just put a grain in your mouth, that's it.
Hope that help.

February 12th is ekadasi and because 13th is Lord Varaha's day we do a complete fast until noon on the ekadasi day conmemorating Lord Varaha,and for the persons who want they can eat after noon non-grains preparations and others can continue a full fast for ekadasi. On the 13th you eat normally (breaking ekadasi during the hours mentioned) and have the feast for Varaha deva

Normally we fast, half day or more when is the appearance day of the Lord or His incarnations or His devotees but because is ekadasi the day before, we do the fast on the ekadasi day.

One devotee in Berkeley recalls Prabhupada once asking for puris and subji at midnight before ekadashi. Some people observe the fast from the previous sunset to the second sunrise. There are different ways one may follow the vows. The minimum would be sunrise to second sunrise.

Thanks for your help in better understanding Ekadasi!

http://www.hknet.org.nz/ekadasi-page.htm

http://www.acbspn.com/ekadashis/ekad...tory.htm#Rules

Some info for you.

Joy

When does one start fasting for this Ekadasi? At midnight of the 12th? At sundown on the 11th? When in general does one start Ekadasi fasting?

This is a good question; one which I had wondered about myself, although I had more or less been under the impression that it was "sunrise to sunrise." However, I emailed a devotee friend who has travelled extensively in India, visiting the Maths of Srila Sridhara Maharaja and Srila Narayana Maharaja and many others. He told me that it is fine to eat after sunset the night before Ekadasi. However, he told me that after midnight, it is best to begin observing Ekadasi. After all, there are many strict devotees who will arise and begin chanting their Ekadasi rounds at 2Am, 3AM, 4AM. Brahma-muhurta is the most auspicious time for chanting one's daily rounds, and this occurs before sunrise.

13 Feb 2003 Thurs Break fast 06:44 - 10:14 MUST one break the fast between these times?

It is best to break the fast at those times, if it all possible. However, I believe Srila Prabhupada was a bit more lenient with his Western disciples in this regard and wasn't all that particular about the exact times when the Ekadasi fasts were broken.

Hope this helps a little bit. I know for myself, being that I work night shifts sometimes, I will now try to begin Ekadasi fasts by Midnight, whereas in the past, I would often wait until close to sunrise.

Thanks for the Ekadasi web sites -- they answered many of the written and unwritten questions that I had.

Thanks for the Ekadasi web sites -- they answered many of the written and unwritten questions that I had.

> This is a good question; one which I had wondered about

> myself, although I had more or less been under the

> impression that it was "sunrise to sunrise."



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Today I found the following information in a letter by Srila Prabhupada:



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Letter to: Madhudvisa

--

England

30 September, 1969

69-09-30



My Dear Madhudvisa,

Please accept my blessings... Regarding you first question, we observe Ekadasi from sunrise to sunrise. The 12 midnight is western astronomical calculation, but the Vedic astronomical calculation begins either from the sunrise or the moonrise. Generally it is sunrise...



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February

5 Appearance of Visnupriya* (*variant Feb 6)

Disappearance of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura* (*variant Feb 6) <BT>
6 Appearance of Pundarika Vidyanidhi, Raghuananda Thakura and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami

8 Appearance of Advaita Acarya (fast until noon)

9 Bhismastami

10 Disappearance of Madhvacarya

11 Disappearance of Ramanujacarya

12 Bhaimi Ekadasi (fast from grains and beans). Fast until noon for appearance of Lord Varaha, feast tomorrow.

Lincoln's Birthday

13 Appearance of Lord Varaha

14 Appearance of Nityananda Prabhu (fast until noon)

Valentine's Day

16 Krsna Madhurotsava. Appearance of Narottama dasa Thakura.

Full Moon

17 President's Day

20 Appearance of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (fast until noon).

Disappearance of Gour Govinda Swami.

Srila Prabhupada founds BTG magazine, 1944.

22 Washington's Birthday

26 Vijaya Ekadasi (fast from grains and beans)

27 Disappearance of Isvara Puri

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana states, "In this world there are only two concrete procedures for attaining liberation and atoning for one's sins. These two things are-- fasting on the Ekadasi days and chanting of the names of Supreme Lord Sri Hari."

http://www.krsna.org/calendar.html

Can somebody please provide the scriptural reference for fasting on appearance days/ disapperance days of the Lord or his associates. I know there are clear instructions by Lord Krishna to fast on Ekadashis. But I am searching for scriptural reference for fasting on Appearance / Disappearance days of the Lord/ his associates / gurus etc ...

Thanks in anticipation of your kind replies. Please do not take any offence by my inquiry.

Hare Krsna !!