Nirjala Ekadashi (Bhima Ekadashi)
Vishnu — the year's hardest fast, equivalent to all 24 Ekadashis
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Nirjala Ekadashi — Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi, the year's hardest fast: no food, no water for 24+ hours in peak Marwar summer heat. Named for Bhima of the Mahabharata. Considered equivalent to all 24 Ekadashis. Bishnois pair the fast with jala-daan and anna-daan — distributing clay water-pots, gud-pani, and food to passersby and laborers in the desert heat.
Dates 2026–2027
Mantra
विष्णो विष्णो तू भजे रे प्राणी
Vishno Vishno tu bhaje re prani
O living being, chant Vishnu, chant Vishnu — Jambhoji's mool mantra, recited on Nirjala Ekadashi (Bhima Ekadashi).
How to recite
Nirjala Ekadashi (Jyeshtha Shukla Ekadashi, in the peak of summer heat) is the year's most demanding fast — observers take no food and no water from sunrise on Ekadashi to sunrise on Dwadashi (24+ hours). Named for Bhima of the Mahabharata, who couldn't fast on the other 23 Ekadashis but observed this one to gain the merit of all 24. Wake before dawn, bathe, perform sandhya, and resolve the nirjala vrat with sankalpa. Spend the day in continuous Vishno mantra recitation, Shabadvani study, and rest in the shade (the Marwar summer is brutal). Break the fast at dawn on Dwadashi with a sip of charanamrit, then a light bajra-and-milk meal. Dan-punya (charity of water-pots, fans, and food) on this day is especially meritorious — many Bishnoi families distribute clay water-pots filled with cool water and gud-pani to passersby and laborers.
Benefits
Nirjala Ekadashi is considered equivalent in merit to all 24 Ekadashis combined. For observant Bishnois, it is the year's spiritual peak in austerity — testing the body's tolerance, the mind's discipline, and the soul's faith. The complementary tradition of distributing water and food to others on this day (jala-daan, anna-daan) is uniquely Bishnoi-flavored, as the desert summer makes water itself the most precious gift. The fast is not recommended for the unwell, the elderly, pregnant women, or children — they observe the standard phalahari Ekadashi instead.
✦ Special Note
Per Drik Panchang. Nirjala Ekadashi 2026: May 27. Nirjala Ekadashi 2027: June 14. NOT recommended for the unwell, elderly, pregnant women, or children — they observe the standard phalahari Ekadashi instead. Consult your physician before attempting if you have any medical conditions. Dates per Drik Panchang (drikpanchang.com, Rajasthan/Marwar Purnimanta reckoning); community observance details per the Akhil Bharatiya Bishnoi Mahasabha and Mukam (Muktidham Mukam) Mandir Sansthan calendars.
Foods Allowed
Foods to Avoid
Meal Idea
NOTHING from sunrise to next sunrise. At dawn on Dwadashi, break with a sip of tulsi charanamrit and a small bowl of bajra-milk porridge with a tiny pinch of jaggery.
🪔 Aarti
Om Jai Jagdish Hare
ॐ जय जगदीश हरे, स्वामी जय जगदीश हरे । भक्त जनों के संकट, दास जनों के संकट, क्षण में दूर करे ॥ जो ध्यावे फल पावे, दुःख बिनसे मन का । सुख सम्पत्ति घर आवे, कष्ट मिटे तन का ॥ मात-पिता तुम मेरे, शरण गहूं मैं किसकी । तुम बिन और न दूजा, आस करूं मैं जिसकी ॥ तुम पूरन परमात्मा, तुम अंतर्यामी । पारब्रह्म परमेश्वर, तुम सबके स्वामी ॥ तुम करुणा के सागर, तुम पालनकर्ता । मैं सेवक तुम स्वामी, कृपा करो भर्ता ॥ तुम हो एक अगोचर, सबके प्राणपति । किस विधि मिलूं दयामय, तुमको मैं कुमति ॥ दीनबंधु दुःखहर्ता, ठाकुर तुम मेरे । अपने हाथ उठाओ, अपनी शरण में लाओ ॥ विषय विकार मिटाओ, पाप हरो देवा । श्रद्धा भक्ति बढ़ाओ, संतन की सेवा ॥
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