Yogini Ekadashi 2023 - Everything You need to Know!

• 2023-06-08
• 0

The Tithi of Ekadashi has a lot of religious significance attached to it in Hindu religion. There are approx. 24 Ekadashi tithis in a year and the number reaches to 25-26 if it is a year containing Adhik Maas. The Yogini Ekadashi Vrat is specifically observed by Lord Vishnu devotees who consider it to be the most pious amongst all ekdashi tithis. Lord Vishnu is associated with the planet Jupiter in Vedic Astrology. The planet is known to bring saubhagya or fortunes to the natives. By keeping the yogini Ekadashi fast, the devotees seek blessings of Lord Vishnu and thus the most benefic planet Jupiter.

As per Hindu Panchang, Yogini Ekadashi falls on the Ekadashi tithi of Krishna paksha in the Hindu month of Ashadha every year. The day is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is celebrated widely. According to Vedic Astrology, it is auspicious to observe fast this day. The fast is known to bring relief from the ill-effects of the malefic planets in your birth chart. The day falls during the months of June-July as per the Gregorian calendar every year. Yogini Ekadashi occurs before Dev Shayni Ekadashi and after Nirjala Ekadashi.

When is Yogini Ekadashi in the year 2023?

The Yogini Ekadashi is on June 14, 2023, Wednesday

Ekadashi Tithi Start: 13 June 2023, Tuesday from 09:28 AM

Ekdashi Tithi End: 14 June 2023, Wednesday upto 08:48 AM

Vrat Paran Shubh Muhurat: 15 June 2023, Thursday 08:32 AM

Why do people fast on Yogini Ekadashi?

Yogini Ekadashi Vrat is considered significant in Hindu religion. The fast of Yogini Ekadashi begins from the night of dashami tithi and is carried till the sunrise on dwadashi tithi. The Vrat can be observed by anyone with belief in Lord Vishnu. The day is believed to bless the natives with prosperity and happiness in their lives. The fast is kept only once a year and it is believed that the observer gains virtues equivalent to the virtue gained through feeding 88,000 brahmins. As per the Padma Purana, anyone who observes the Yogini Ekadashi Vrat with great faith and reverence gets his/her wishes fulfilled in no time.

Dev Utani Ekadashi 2023: Date, Shubh muhurat and importance

The significance of Ekadashi Vrat

• People worship Lord Vishnu and chant His name on the day of Yogini Ekadashi. His name, “shri hari” is known to put an end to all miseries in life.
• The fasting is very beneficial to get rid of all diseases or bad health.
• This fast is especially fruitful to those suffering from skin related diseases.
• The fast helps devotees to remove the malefic effects of any sins committed in present and past lives.
• The fast is particularly important to gain spiritual and moral consciousness.
• The fast is known to fulfill all desires and blesses the observers with abundant luxuries in life.
• The fast helps you to meditate on divine powers by detaching you from the materialistic world at least for a day. You realize where you are heading in life and also the purpose in life.
• The Yogini Ekadashi penance takes you closer to divinity and thus salvation.

Rituals to be observed during Yogini Ekadashi Vrat

• The observance of the Yogini Ekadashi fast begins from the evening of the dashmi tithi itself. The devotees should abstain from eating tamasic food items this day. One is supposed to follow brahmcharya and should not indulge in any kind of materialistic pleasures this day. The devotees should spend their day in remembrance of the Lord and His legends.
• The devotees should rise early and take bath in the morning. After that one should clear the puja room and it is also good to offer water to the Sun in the morning. After that one should take sankalpa of keeping fast throughout the day.
• Required items for worship e.g. incense stick, ghee filled earthen lamp, water vessel, and flowers, sweets etc. should be kept separately in a dish to offer them to the Lord.
• One should not pluck tulsi or basil leaves this day and it is advisable to get them the previous day for offering them to the Lord. It is auspicious to offer tulsi to Lord Vishnu on this day. People also worship the Peepal tree on this day.
• The devotees should worship, recite Yogini Ekadashi katha, perform aarti and distribute prasadam to others which consists of fruits and sweets.
• It is suggested to indulge in singing bhajans and chanting “shri hari” to attain health and prosperity in life. Remembering Lord gives auspicious results this day.
• The observer should eat only once that doesn’t contain grains and salt. The observer should avoid drinking water too often as well.
• It is preferred to not to sleep during daytime and spend the day in Lord’s remembrance.
• The food to be consumed should be prepared with care and should be salt free. One should remain pious and clean throughout the day and chant Lord Vishnu name.
• The fast also prescribes to stay awake at night to seek good health in the form of Lord Vishnu blessings.
• To appease Lord Vishnu, the devotees recite Vishnu mantras. Reciting the ‘Vishnu Sahastranama’ is also very auspicious.
• It is highly auspicious to make donations and charity to Brahmins and needy. One may donate food, clothes, useful items or money.
• On dwadashitithie. the next day, the devotees again visit temple to thank Lord for the blessings and perform donations as per choice.

Diwali 2023: Date, Shubh muhurat and Significance

Yogini Ekadashi Vrat Katha

The legend of Yogini Ekadashi or Yogini Ekadashi Vrat katha finds mentions in Brahma Vivarta Purana. There are two legends associated with yogini Ekadashi. One is related to Yudhishthir the eldest of the Pandava brothers and the other belongs to Hem Mali yaksha, the gardener of Lord Kubera- the Lord of wealth.

Lord Krishna who is the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu narrated Yudhishthira that yogni Ekadashi is considered best of all fasting days. The Ekadashi that occurs in the dark part of the month of Ashadha removes all sins and bad deeds to guide the devotees towards liberation. He told Yudhishthira while narrating the importance of yogini Ekadashi Vrat that one obtains merit equivalent to feeding eighty-eight thousand brahmins by observing a strict fast on Yogini Ekadasi. All those who fast on this sacred day get rid of all their sins to gain success and prosperity in life.

Krishna also narrated the tale of Hem Mali yaksha – the gardener to Kubera. In Alkapuri, there lived the Lord of wealth Kubera. The Lord used to worship Lord Shiva every day and his gardener Hem Mali would fetch flowers from the garden for the puja. Hem Mali had a beautiful wife named Swarupvati. Most of the time he used to remain engrossed in her. One day he forgot to bring flowers as he was busy in admiring his beautiful wife. Lord Kubera got angry at this and sent soldiers to check why Hem Mali didn’t appear at his duty. On knowing he was busy making love with his wife at the time of duty, Lord Kubera cursed him to descend to the Earth and get afflicted with the disease of leprosy.

To follow the effects of the curse, Hem Mali had to leave his wife to wander on the Earth in the state of leprosy.

It was then he reached Markandeya Rishi’s ashram and narrated his miserable story to him. On hearing the whole story, the saint advised him to follow the Yogini Ekadashi Vrat. Hem Mali observed it with full devotion and got free from the curse. He soon returned to Alka Puri to live his life happily with his wife. Thus, the Vrat is considered highly effective in getting rid from the skin diseases.

Raksha Bandhan 2023: Know about Date and Shubh muhurat