Ekadanta Sankashti is the Saṅkaṣṭī Caturthī of the Vaiśākha month, when Gaṇeśa is worshipped as Ekadanta, the single-tusked one. The name recalls his most recognisable feature, a right tusk broken off either by Paraśurāma's axe or by his own hand to write the Mahābhārata. Devotees keep the fast through the day and break it at moonrise with arghya, praying that obstacles be removed. The Mudgala Purāṇa also reads Ekadanta as the form that subdues Madāsura, the demon of arrogance. How the day is fixed: The day is the amānta Vaiśākha Kṛṣṇa Caturthī that prevails at local moonrise. It usually falls in May, a few days after Vaiśākha Pūrṇimā, which is Buddha Pūrṇimā. Keep in mind: Pūrṇimānta calendars of North India list the same day in Jyeṣṭha. Because the rule depends on moonrise, the date can move by a day from one place to another. This year: The 2027 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. Fast and moonrise arghya: Devotees fast through the day and break the fast only after offering arghya to the rising moon. Evening pūjā: Gaṇeśa is worshipped with durvā grass and modaka in the evening. The Gaṇeśa Gāyatrī opens with 'ekadantāya vidmahe', which gives households a natural verse for this month's pūjā. Worth remembering: The broken tusk has two stories, and the name refers to the tusk itself rather than to a legend belonging only to this month. Each monthly Saṅkaṣṭī carries its own name of Gaṇeśa, and this one is distinct from Vināyaka Caturthī in Bhādrapada. Household custom shapes how the day is kept. Some families visit the Gaṇeśa temple before breaking the fast, others offer modaka at home or recite the Atharvaśīrṣa at dusk, and the offerings differ from region to region. Whatever the practice, the surest guide is what the elders of one's own house have followed.
Comments
Share how your family observes this day, or ask a question. Please keep it kind and on topic.