How to determine a day for Vratha or a festival when a Nakshatra is shared between days?

Question

Recently on a Sathsang, I understood the values of Ekadasi Vratha, explained by a scholar. He explained the power of Ekadasi in various pakshas - Krishna paksha and Shukla paksha.

When I tried to follow the Vratha, I was stuck at a point. In the calendar (or in Panchang), it was mentioned as Ekadasi starts at 12:15 PM on Monday and ends at 11 PM on Tuesday (this is just an example).

Since this auspicious Vratha is shared by both days, when can one follow the Vratha?

Considerations:

1. Ekadasi is Vratha day, on which the people must chant Namas in the nighttime without sleeping.
2. The whole day, people must try to avoid drinking water, eating food, and sleeping.
3. The next day will be practiced as Dhwathasi Vratha and early in the morning, the Vratha has to be completed with a Sathviga food such as raw rice food or fruits, etc.

Now if one follows the Vratha on Monday since Monday night has the Ekadasi tithi, when can he start the Vratha and how can he end the Vratha in next day morning? Because Ekadasi extends up to 11 PM, and if he ends the Vratha in the early morning it will not be Dhwathasi.

Else if he follows the Vratha on Tuesday, the Ekadasi period Vratha will be a very short time i.e. until 11 PM.

What is the general practice in this situation?

Answer 1

There are two schools of thought on the observance of Ekadashi, and the calendar in general. Important days are noted by their tithi, which is a lunar phenomenon and moves independently of the sunrise/sunset.

Ekadashi timings have two major considerations:

1. fasting during the entire period of the Ekadashi tithi

2. one must break the fast (Parana) after sunrise the next day, during Dwadashi tithi, unless it's over before sunrise, and not during Hari Vasara, the first quarter of the tithi

Different groups emphasize one of these considerations over the other:

• Smartas give more weightage to the first point, ie, fasting during the entire Ekadashi tithi period. In the example given, since the tithi starts midday on Monday, fasting must begin at sunrise on Monday. Dwadashi begins at 11 AM the next day, and since the fast should not be broken in the first quarter of the tithi, Parana would be roughly 1-3 PM on Tuesday.

• Some Vaishnava groups feel that the sun must only rise during the Ekadashi tithi, and the second point is more important. In this scenario, Ekadashi fasting is observed from sunrise on Tuesday, and the Parana will happen early Wednesday morning.

Answer 2

Kindly accept this answer to your just question as it contains references to vedic literature. Reference provided by iSKCON, Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada ki jai.

NOTE: If the holy fast falls on Dvadasi, it is still called Ekadasi in the Vedic literature.Furthermore, in Garuda Purana (1:125.6), Lord Brahma states to Narada Muni:"Oh brahmana, this fast should be observed when there is a full Ekadasi, a mixture of Ekadasi and Dwadasi, or a mixture of three (Ekadasi, Dwadasi, and Trayodasi) but never on the day when there is a mixture of Dashami and Ekadasi.This is also upheld in the Hari Bhakti Vilas, Vaishnava smriti shastra, and upheld by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupad in his Navadwip Panjika introduction.