Aparā means 'boundless' or 'incomparable', and the name reflects the tradition's claim that the merit of this vrata outweighs even grave sins. Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa 50, names the vrata Aparā and lists the wrongs for which it is praised as expiation. It then compares its fruit with bathing at sacred tīrthas and giving gifts at auspicious times. How the day is fixed: The day is the Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa Ekādaśī of amānta Vaiśākha, taken on the day the Ekādaśī prevails at local sunrise. Keep in mind: Pūrṇimānta calendars call the same tithi Jyeṣṭha Kṛṣṇa Ekādaśī. The day is the same, and only the month name differs. This year: The 2026 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. A grain-free fast: The fast follows the usual Ekādaśī convention, with no grain from the night of Daśamī. Phalāhāra of fruit, milk and roots is common, and water is allowed. Hearing the kathā: The Padma Purāṇa chapter ends by saying that hearing or reciting this māhātmya leads to Viṣṇu's realm, so many homes read or listen to it on the day. Pāraṇa on Dvādaśī: The fast is broken the next Dvādaśī morning within the prescribed window. The exact local time is best confirmed against a current pañcāṅga. Worth remembering: The waterless fast belongs to Nirjalā Ekādaśī, which comes after Aparā, not to this day. The Padma Purāṇa chapter on Aparā also does not contain the Mahīdhvaja preta story sometimes told with it. Aparā comes in the hot weeks of Vaiśākha and Jyeṣṭha in most of India. How strictly the fast is kept, and whether the kathā is read aloud, varies from family to family. Beyond the general rules, the fullest fruit comes from following the elders of one's own house.
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