Mokshada Ekadashi 2025 Date, Rituals, Significance & Benefits

Ekadashi is a significant religious fast celebrated by Hindus throughout India and the rest of the world. According to the Hindu lunar calendar, there are two Moon cycles: Shukla Paksha (waxing Moon fortnight) and Krishna Paksha (waning Moon fortnight). Ekadashi refers to the 11th day of each lunar cycle. As a result, Ekadashi occurs twice a month, with a total of 24 Ekadashis every year. Ekadashi fasts are held in honor of Bhagwan Vishnu. Ekadashi fasts are regarded as the best type of fasting, and the day is considered fortunate and sacred. Bhagwan Vishnu bestows pleasure, excellent health, prosperity, relational harmony, and abundance are thought to prepare the path for emancipation. Aside from fasting, staying awake during the night of Ekadashi, singing praise, and praying to Shri Hari, is an important aspect of the fast. It is suggested that you stay awake all night to maximize the benefits of the Ekadashi Fast. The Vaishnavs fast regularly on Ekadashi, with some adopting the Waterless Fast (Nirjala Upvas), which is claimed to be the kind of fasting that Lord Vishnu prefers on that particular day.

Mokshada Ekadashi occurs on the 11th day of Shukla Paksha, or waxing Moon phase, in the months of November and December (Margashirsha in the Hindu calendar). On this auspicious day, Lord Sri Krishna taught the wisdom of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, thus the name Gita Ekadashi. It is stated that giving someone a Bhagavad Gita on this day will bring them Lord Krishna's blessings. Mokshada Ekadashi is also known as Vaikuntha Ekadashi because it is thought that Lord Vishnu's dwelling, Vaikuntha, is available to anyone who observes and worships Lord Vishnu on this day. In Southern India, this Ekadashi is known as Mukkoti Ekadashi. 

Table of Contents

1. Mokshada Ekadashi 2025 Date, Time, and Muhurat
2. What to Do on Mokshada Ekadashi
3. Rituals and Vrat Vidhi
4. Spiritual and Material Benefits of Mokshada Ekadashi

Mokshada Ekadasi 2025: Date, Time, and Muhurat

Mokshada Ekadashi falls on Monday, December 1, 2025.
"Ekadashi Tithi Begins - 09:29 PM on Nov 30, 2025
Ekadashi Tithi Ends - 07:01 PM on Dec 01, 2025"
Those who keep the fast must break it after sunrise the next day, after Ekadashi. It is important to note that the fast (Parana) must be broken within Dwadashi Tithi. Another crucial factor is that one should not break the fast on Hari Vasara, which is the fourth day of Dwadashi. The greatest time to break the fast is in the morning, or Pratah Kala.  

What to Do on Mokshada Ekadashi ?

The rites of Mokshada Ekadashi are described in ancient Hindu texts, and Lord Sri Krishna is supposed to have outlined them while answering Yudhishthira's (one of the Pandava brothers from the Mahabharata) question. The ceremonies are: One day before Mokshada Ekadashi, or the tenth day of the Krishna Paksha, a person should thoroughly clean his or her teeth in the afternoon and eat supper soon before sunset. On the morning of Mokshada Ekadashi, the person should be determined to keep the fast diligently. The person should bathe in a river (which is claimed to be the most cleansing) or a lake, and if neither are available, in pond water.
While showering, the person should apply mud on his or her body and sing a prayer to Mother Earth. The prayer: O Asvakrante! O, Rathakrante! O, Vishnukrante! Oh
Vasundhare! • Mrttike! O, Mother Earth! Please eliminate all of my sins from previous life so that I can enter the abode of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Lord. Worship Lord Govinda with entire dedication and offer an amazing 'Bhog' (meal to Divine) together with flowers and other offerings. If one does not have access to a natural water body, one can simply take a shower and apply a Mud Pack (Multani Mitti or Soil or anything available on the market). Light a lamp at home to worship Bhagwan Vishnu.
Chant Bhagwan Vishnu's praises throughout the day and stay in a pleasant mindset during the fast. The next morning, the individual should provide alms to Brahmanas and politely seek for pardon for any offense. People who maintain a complete fast till the next day should say the prayer while breaking it.
"O Pundarikaksha, O lotus-eyed Lord, now I shall eat. Please provide refuge for me. After the prayer, the devotee should place flowers and water at Lord Vishnu's lotus feet and beg that the Lord eat by singing the eight-syllable mantra three times. To fully reap the benefits of the fast, the devotee should consume water that has been presented to the Lord. 

Rituals and Vrat Vidhi

If the devotee desires, they can perform Vishnu or Krishna Homa. From the day of Ekadashi until the following morning, devotees should bathe, sing and chant praises to the Lord, engage in Bhajan and Kirtan, worship Lord Vishnu with total devotion, and give to charity. According to guidelines found in ancient texts, one must strictly follow the rules in order to benefit from fasting on Ekadashi. On the morning of Mokshada Ekadashi, the devotee who is fasting ought to take a bath. On Ekadashi, it is forbidden to eat beans or grains.
Beans and grains are banned to eat on Ekadashi. The slaughter of any animal is banned on this day for the devotee. The devotee fasting should not encounter or communicate with any cheaters, fraudsters, or individuals engaged in any illegal activity. The scriptures also suggest that if by chance the devotee gets into vicinity of such a person then one should cleanse by standing beneath the sun and staring straight at it. Ekadashi and Dwadashi abstain from sexual activity. If owing to any cause the devotee is not able to break the fast on the next day, then he/she should drink water to mark the end of the fast and then have food when convenient.  

Spiritual and Material Benefits of Mokshada Ekadashi

The significance of fasting on this Ekadashi has been made explicit in the Uttara Purana. According to the ancient literature, Bhagwan Krishna tells Yudhisthira that it is more important than all sacrifices, charitable giving to the poor, horse sacrifices (Ashvamedha), or even meeting Bhagwan Vishnu. According to legend, anyone who fasts on this day and follows the guidelines would be freed and granted a spot in Bhagwan Vishnu's home.
When Yudhisthira questions Shree Krishna how fasting on Ekadashi could be so meaningful that it transcends the finest of deeds by human beings, the Bhagwan relates the account of Mokshada Ekadashi and its significance.