व्रत · Vrat & Vrat Katha
Kamada Ekadashi
कामदा एकादशी
The ekadashi that grants every desire — first ekadashi of the new Hindu year
- When
- Chaitra Shukla Ekadashi — typically late March or April, just after Hindu New Year
- चैत्र शुक्ल एकादशी
- Deity
- Lord Vishnu
- भगवान विष्णु
- Purpose
- Fulfilment of all righteous desires for the year ahead, the opening Vaishnava observance of the new Hindu year
About this vrat
Kamada Ekadashi (कामदा एकादशी) — literally "the giver of desires" — is observed on the Shukla Ekadashi of Chaitra month, typically in late March or early April. It is the first ekadashi of the new Hindu year (which begins on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada with Ugadi/Gudi Padwa) and is described in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana as uniquely powerful for the fulfilment of all righteous desires for the year ahead.
The vrat is observed in the standard ekadashi pattern, with particular attention to the silent sankalpa and the offering of merit at the feet of Lord Vishnu specifically for the year's fulfilment. Many devotees use Kamada Ekadashi as the day to formally articulate their major sankalpas for the year.
Kamada Ekadashi — Katha
The legendary story recited as part of the vrat. Read aloud during the morning puja.
The Kamada Ekadashi Vrat Katha is the story of the gandharva Lalita and his wife Lalitā, a celestial couple who served in the court of King Pundarika in the city of Bhogavati. Lalita was a beautiful gandharva — a celestial musician — and was deeply in love with his wife.
One day, the king held an especially important audience. Lalita rose to sing — but his mind was elsewhere. He had quarrelled with Lalitā that morning; he was distracted; his voice trembled; he made errors he had never made before. The king, accustomed to Lalita's flawless performance, was offended. He summoned Lalita and said: "Gandharva, you have insulted my court with your distracted singing. For this, you are cursed: from this moment, you become a cannibal demon, a rakshasa, monstrous and ugly, banished from the celestial court to wander the mortal earth."
The curse fell at once. Lalita transformed into a hideous rakshasa. He fled the court in horror. Lalitā, watching her husband become the very image of his distraction, did not abandon him. She accompanied him into exile. She would not eat with him as he hunted humans (she fasted constantly); she stayed beside him through the years of his curse.
After many years, Lalita and Lalitā wandered into the ashram of a great sage. Lalitā fell at the sage's feet and begged for any remedy. The sage said: "Daughter, the Kamada Ekadashi of Chaitra falls in three days. Observe the vrat with full sincerity in your husband's name. Recite the Vishnu Sahasranama. Offer the merit at Lord Vishnu's feet for the dissolution of the curse. The Kamada Ekadashi has the power to grant any righteous sankalpa."
Lalitā observed Kamada Ekadashi three days later with extraordinary devotion. She fasted nirjala; she recited the Vishnu Sahasranama continuously while Lalita — still in his rakshasa form — sat beside her. By dawn the next morning, Lalita's form began to shift. By midday, Lalita stood before the sage in his original gandharva form, restored to his celestial beauty.
The katha closes with the affirmation that Kamada Ekadashi grants whatever righteous sankalpa is held silently through the day. Whoever observes Kamada at the start of the new Hindu year places themselves in the most powerful possible position to receive Vishnu's blessing for the year ahead.
Vrat Vidhi — How to observe
- Begin from Dashami evening. Standard ekadashi preparation. Use Dashami to formally articulate the major sankalpas for the new Hindu year.
- Pre-dawn bath on Ekadashi. Wear yellow.
- Worship Lord Vishnu. Offer tulsi, yellow flowers, akshat, fruit, kheer.
- Articulate the year's major sankalpas. Hold them silently through the day.
- Recite the Vishnu Sahasranama. At least once; ideally eleven times.
- Maintain the fast. Standard ekadashi rules.
- Parana on Dwadashi morning.
Mantras
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Salutations to the divine Vasudeva.
ॐ नमो नारायणाय
Om Namo Narayanaya
Salutations to Lord Narayana.
Udyapan — The concluding ceremony
Kamada Ekadashi typically has no formal udyapan. Devotees often use the next year's Kamada Ekadashi as the formal closing for the previous year's sankalpas: thank Vishnu for whatever has been fulfilled, surrender what has not been, articulate the new year's sankalpas.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kamada Ekadashi?
Kamada Ekadashi falls on the Shukla Ekadashi of Chaitra month — typically late March or April. It is the first ekadashi of the new Hindu year and is described as the 'giver of desires' — uniquely powerful for the fulfilment of righteous sankalpas held through the day.
Why is Kamada Ekadashi observed at the start of the Hindu new year?
Kamada falls just ten days after Ugadi/Gudi Padwa, when the new Hindu year has just begun. It is the first formal Vaishnava observance of the year — the day on which the year's major sankalpas are dedicated to Vishnu.
Can Kamada Ekadashi dissolve curses?
The Lalita-Lalitā katha specifically describes Kamada Ekadashi dissolving a curse. Tradition holds that the vrat carries the unique power to dissolve curses — in addition to its primary fruit of granting desires.
What kind of desires can Kamada Ekadashi fulfil?
The vrat is described as granting any sankalpa that is righteous — aligned with dharma and not directed against any other being. Marriage, children, career, recovery from difficulty, restoration of relationships — all fall within Kamada's domain.
Should I observe Kamada Ekadashi if I have no specific sankalpa?
Yes. Observed simply as the first ekadashi of the new Hindu year, it consecrates the year ahead and carries Vishnu's grace through whatever specific intentions arise.
When is Kamada Ekadashi 2026?
Kamada Ekadashi 2026 falls in late March or early April 2026 (about 10 days after Ugadi/Gudi Padwa). Verify the exact date with the Daanyam Panchang.