Nirjala Ekadashi

Nirjala Ekadashi (also known as Pandava Ekadashi or Bhima Ekadashi) is the most austere and meritorious fast among all the Ekadashis of the Vaishnava calendar. It is observed during the waxing fortnight of the month of Jyeshtha (May-June), and its name, "nirjala" (without water), indicates the nature of this vow: the practitioner abstains completely from all food and drink, including water, for twenty-four hours. According to the story narrated in the Puranas, this fast was prescribed by the sage Vyasadeva for the mighty Bhima, one of the five Pandavas, who, due to his insatiable appetite, was unable to observe all twenty-four annual Ekadashis. Vyasadeva offered him a solution: observe a single Nirjala Ekadashi with complete austerity, whose merit would equal that of all other Ekadashis of the year. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism practice, Nirjala Ekadashi is a day of intense devotion, where practitioners devote extraordinary hours to chanting japa, studying scriptures, meditation, and temple seva. Despite the physical austerity, acharyas teach that the true essence of this day is total immersion in the remembrance of Bhagavan.