Indira Ekadashi

Indira (Indirā) is the ekadashi of krishna paksha in the seventh lunar month, Ashvin (September-October). The name comes from the Sanskrit "indirā" — one of the names of Lakshmi. Tradition connects it with easing the lot of the ancestors and cleansing the lineage.

Place in the system

Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of the lunar month. Indira falls eleventh in the dark half of Ashvin, within pitru paksha — the period of remembrance for the ancestors that ends before Navaratri; immediately before Pashankusha — the ekadashi of shukla paksha in the same month.

"Indira" is a name of Lakshmi as Vishnu's consort and queen of heaven. The Indira ekadashi is named so because its fast is tied to care for the ancestors and to cleansing the whole lineage.

Practical meaning

The Indira fast is favorable for easing the lot of the ancestors, for cleansing the lineage, for the well-being of the living. Tradition connects it with the idea that a sincere fast on this day helps the ancestors find release from suffering they may bear in the subtle world.

The Indira background works through remembrance. It is a day on which the bond with the ancestors becomes especially plain — and through that bond a blessing arrives.

In Indian folk practice Indira is a day on which devout Hindus often perform tarpana (an offering of water to the ancestors) and hold memorial rites for the departed. Indira is the only ekadashi of the year that falls entirely within pitru paksha: this sixteen-day period is, as a whole, bound up with the theme of the ancestors.

In daily practice

Indira is a day for the remembrance of ancestors. If your lineage holds departed relatives you remember, this day suits quiet remembrance: light a lamp, say a short prayer, turn your thoughts to them.

Indira also suits charity in the name of the ancestors: give to the poor, support a teacher, leave an offering at the temple. Merit here is passed on.

Indira also suits fasting: fruit, milk, water, light food. The fast here is a sign of the bond with those who have gone.

How much this day is yours is refined by Tara Bala. Indira sets a background of remembrance and compassion, and the personal layer shows how far it matches your circumstances today.