Saphala Ekadashi 2027: Date (Sunday 3 January), Parana Time by City, Tithi and Vrat Katha

Quick answer: Saphala Ekadashi falls on Sunday 3 January 2027 in India. Drik Panchang gives the Ekadashi tithi from 2:24 PM IST on Saturday 2 January to 4:08 PM IST on Sunday 3 January. In Delhi break the fast on Monday 4 January, 7:15 AM to 9:19 AM. In the USA and Canada most Smarta families fast on Saturday 2 January; in New York and New Jersey Vaishnava families fast on Sunday 3 January.

Last updated: 25 October 2026. If you searched for Saphala Ekadashi 2026: there is no Saphala Ekadashi in December 2026. The previous one was in mid-December 2025, and the next is this one, on 3 January 2027.

Saphala Ekadashi 2027 kab hai: date and tithi (सफला एकादशी 2027 कब है)

Ekadashi begins on Saturday afternoon in India, so the first sunrise it covers is Sunday's: the whole of India fasts on Sunday 3 January. The Hari Vasara is over by Sunday night, and Dwadashi lasts until Monday evening, so the parana is a normal Monday-morning window.

Also read: Rama Ekadashi 2026, Pausha Putrada Ekadashi 2027, Shattila Ekadashi 2027, Jaya Ekadashi 2027, Ekadashi dates and parana by city (all Ekadashis).

Saphala Ekadashi 2027 date and parana time by city (पारण का समय)

New York (Drik Panchang): Smarta fast Saturday 2 January with parana on Sunday 3 January, 12:57 PM to 2:49 PM, after the Hari Vasara ends at 12:10 PM; Vaishnava fast Sunday 3 January with parana on Monday 4 January, 7:20 AM to 7:45 AM, before Dwadashi ends.

All times are local clock times for each city, worked out separately for that city; they are not India's times shifted. Clocks used: US cities and Toronto on standard time (DST ended on 1 November 2026); London on GMT; Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland on summer time; and, under the 2026 provincial changes, British Columbia on UTC−7, Alberta on UTC−6 and Manitoba on UTC−5 all winter. Rows for Delhi, Hyderabad, New York, Vancouver, Seattle and the Bay Area use Drik Panchang's published windows where we checked them; the others come from our calculator, which matches Drik's windows to within one or two minutes. Where a window is very short, check Drik for your exact city.

Why North America fasts on Saturday, and the afternoon parana

In North America the Saphala Ekadashi tithi begins in the small hours of Saturday 2 January, so Saturday is the Smarta fast day. On Sunday the Hari Vasara (the first quarter of Dwadashi) lasts until late morning. When it runs past the early-morning parana period, Drik moves the parana to the afternoon, which is why many US and Canadian cities show an early-afternoon window on Sunday. In the Bay Area, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton the Hari Vasara ends just before the morning parana period closes, leaving only a short morning window; please confirm those on Drik for your exact city. New York and New Jersey also get a Vaishnava date, Sunday 3 January, because Dwadashi is current at two sunrises (a Vanjuli Mahadwadashi).

Saphala Ekadashi vrat katha: Prince Lumpaka and the peepal tree

This is our own retelling. The story is traditionally attributed to the Padma Purana and the Bhavishya-Uttara Purana, told by Krishna to Yudhishthira.

King Mahishmata ruled the city of Champavati and had five sons. The eldest, Lumpaka, was cruel and dishonest; he gambled, stole and mocked holy people. In the end the king banished him. Lumpaka went to live in the forest, near an old peepal (ashvattha) tree, and lived by hunting and stealing from travellers.

On the Dashami before Saphala Ekadashi a bitter cold fell. Lumpaka had no clothes to keep warm and lay unconscious all night under the tree. He woke only at midday on Ekadashi, too weak to hunt. He gathered fallen fruit, but he could not eat it; he laid it at the roots of the peepal and said, in despair, 'Let Lord Hari be pleased with this.' He did not sleep that night either.

Without meaning to, Lumpaka had fasted, offered fruit to Vishnu and kept a night vigil on Saphala Ekadashi. A voice from the sky told him that his wrongs were washed away. He returned to his father, who welcomed him; he ruled well for many years and later gave his kingdom to his son and devoted himself to Vishnu.

Variations: some tellings dwell on Lumpaka's father, who ruled from Champavati; some say Lumpaka's offering was the only fruit he had. Telugu Ekadashi mahatmya books tell it in almost the same way. The lesson families draw is that sincere effort, even late, bears fruit.

Customs of Saphala Ekadashi

• Fruit offerings: the day is named for fruit, so families offer seasonal fruit (oranges, bananas, guava, amla, coconut) to Vishnu or Krishna and share it as prasad after parana.
• Lamps: many light lamps at the household shrine or at a temple in the evening; in North India some light a lamp under a peepal tree, remembering the story.
• Dhanurmasam: in South India the day falls in Margazhi (Dhanurmasam), when Tiruppavai is sung before dawn; many families join the two practices.

Saphala Ekadashi vrat vidhi: a simple home puja

On Dashami, Saturday 2 January (India)

• Eat one light, sattvic meal; many families avoid grains and beans from sunset.
• Pick tulasi leaves today if you will use them, because many families do not pluck tulasi on Ekadashi.

On Ekadashi, Sunday 3 January (India)

1. Bathe early, clean the puja space and light a ghee or sesame-oil lamp before an image of Vishnu, Krishna or Lakshmi-Narayana.
2. Take a short sankalpa (intention) in your own words: that you will keep the vrat with devotion, as far as your health allows.
3. Offer tulasi leaves, flowers, a lamp and several kinds of fruit, the special offering of Saphala Ekadashi.
4. Read the story of Lumpaka, chant Vishnu Sahasranama or a short name-mantra.
5. Keep the fast at the level you can manage (see below). In the evening, do aarti; some families keep a night of bhajans (jagaran).

Parana on Dwadashi, Monday 4 January (India)

• Bathe, do a short puja and offer the food to the Lord first.
• Break the fast inside your local parana window (table above), after the Hari Vasara and before Dwadashi ends. Many begin with tulasi water or fruit, then a simple meal.
• If you can, share food with someone in need before you eat.

In North America shift each day one day earlier (Dashami Friday 1 January, fast Saturday 2 January, parana Sunday 3 January) unless you follow the Vaishnava date. A short mantra from our verified list:

ॐ नमो नारायणाय॥

oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya||

Meaning: Salutations to Lord Narayana.

Saphala Ekadashi 2027: fasting levels and what to eat

Commonly allowed: fruit, milk, curd, paneer, nuts, makhana, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sabudana, and flours of kuttu (buckwheat), rajgira (amaranth) and singhara (water chestnut), usually cooked with rock salt (sendha namak). Simple recipes: sabudana khichdi, kuttu puri and rajgira paratha.

Commonly avoided: rice, wheat and other grains, dals and beans, onion, garlic, meat, eggs and alcohol. Rules differ between families and sampradayas, so follow your elders or your temple.

Health note: if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, elderly, diabetic, have low or high blood pressure, take regular medication (especially insulin or other diabetes medicines, or blood-pressure tablets) or are recovering from illness, do not keep a strict or waterless fast without your doctor's advice. Do not skip prescribed medicines for a fast. Drink water and eat if you feel dizzy or unwell. Children do not need to fast. A sattvic meal with sincere prayer honours the day just as well; no vrat should put your health at risk, and no vrat promises a particular result.

Saphala Ekadashi for NRI families

• New Year weekend: the fast is on Saturday 2 January in North America and Sunday 3 January in the UK, India, the Gulf and Australia, so most families can keep it at home after the New Year holiday.
• Cold mornings: January sunrise is after 7 AM in most of North America and Europe; parana windows begin at sunrise or, in several US cities, in the early afternoon.
• Fruit for the shrine: winter citrus is easy to find abroad and suits the day's custom of fruit offerings.

Ekadashi dates: November 2026 to February 2027

For every Ekadashi with parana windows in 28 cities on one page, see our Ekadashi dates, parana times and vrat rules guide.

Saphala Ekadashi 2027: frequently asked questions

When is Saphala Ekadashi in 2026-27?

The next Saphala Ekadashi is on Sunday 3 January 2027 in India, per Drik Panchang. There is no Saphala Ekadashi in December 2026: the previous one was in mid-December 2025, and the one after January 2027 falls in December 2027.

What is the Saphala Ekadashi parana time?

In Delhi, break the fast on Monday 4 January 2027 between 7:15 AM and 9:19 AM (Drik); Dwadashi ends at 6:15 PM IST. In New York, Smarta parana is Sunday 3 January, 12:57 PM to 2:49 PM, and Vaishnava parana is Monday 4 January, 7:20 AM to 7:45 AM.

Why do some US calendars show 2 January and others 3 January?

In New York and New Jersey the Ekadashi tithi covers sunrise on Saturday and Dwadashi covers sunrise on both Sunday and Monday. Drik calls this a Vanjuli Mahadwadashi: Smarta families fast on Saturday 2 January and Vaishnava families on Sunday 3 January. Elsewhere in the USA and Canada our calculation gives Saturday 2 January for both.

What does Saphala mean?

Saphala means 'fruitful'. The Ekadashi is said to make one's efforts bear fruit, and fruit is the traditional offering of the day.

Is Saphala Ekadashi in Pausha or Margashirsha?

In the purnimanta calendar of North India it is Pausha Krishna Ekadashi. In the amanta calendar of the Telugu, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati regions it is Margashirsha Bahula Ekadashi. In the Tamil solar calendar it falls in Margazhi (Dhanurmasam).

Who should not fast?

People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, elderly, diabetic, unwell or on regular medication should not keep a strict fast without their doctor's advice. A sattvic meal with prayer is a valid way to keep the day.

Editor's note

Editor's note (25 October 2026): The India date, the Ekadashi tithi times and the parana windows for Delhi and New York come from Drik Panchang's Ekadashi pages. The 28-city table comes from our ephemeris calculator, which reproduces Drik's rules (Ekadashi at sunrise, the Dashami-at-arunodaya rule for Vaishnava dates, Hari Vasara, and the afternoon parana when Hari Vasara runs late) and matched every Drik Ekadashi date we checked for Delhi, New York and Sydney, and Drik's parana windows for Delhi, Hyderabad, New York, Vancouver, Seattle and San Jose to within one or two minutes, including the very short windows. The katha is our own retelling; customs vary by family, region and sampradaya. If your temple announces a different day, follow your temple. Nothing here promises any particular result.

Related guides

• Dhanurmasam 2026: dates and Tiruppavai schedule
• Makar Sankranti 2027
• Ekadashi dates, parana times and vrat rules
• Vishnu Sahasranama: complete guide
• December 2026 vrat and fasting calendar
• Why Hindus fast: the meaning of upavasa