A vrat is more than skipping a meal. It is a vow, and every vow comes with its own niyam (rules) about what you eat, how you behave, and when you break the fast. This guide to the Babu Lal Chaturvedi Calendar Vrat & Rules 2026-2027 explains those rules in plain language and pairs them with verified fasting dates, so you can look up a vrat on your wall Panchang and know exactly what to do on the day.
Vrat dates follow the lunar tithi in the Hindu Panchang, not the English date, so they shift every year. The most common fasts are Ekadashi (twice a month, dedicated to Lord Vishnu), Pradosh (twice a month, Lord Shiva), Sankashti Chaturthi (monthly, Lord Ganesha), plus Navratri and Karva Chauth. The rules that apply almost everywhere are a morning bath, a clear sankalp (intention), no onion, garlic, or non-vegetarian food, and breaking the fast only at the prescribed time.
What Is a Vrat and Why Do the Dates Change Every Year?
A vrat is a disciplined observance, usually involving fasting, prayer, and self-restraint, undertaken to honour a deity, seek a blessing, or express gratitude. Each major vrat is tied to a particular tithi, or lunar day. Because the lunar calendar and the English calendar don’t line up exactly, the same tithi lands on a different English date each year. That is why a printed Panchang matters: an incorrect tithi can mean fasting on the wrong day.
Two details trip people up every year:
- Tithis don’t start at midnight. They begin and end at different times of day, so most vrats are observed on the day the tithi is present at sunrise (the “udaya tithi” rule).
- Smarta and Vaishnava traditions can differ. For some Ekadashis, the Smarta household fasts on one day and the Vaishnava household on the next. In 2026, Devutthana Ekadashi is a good example, observed on 20 November by Smarta households and 21 November by many Vaishnava traditions.
Major Vrats at a Glance
| Vrat | How Often | Dedicated To | Core Niyam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ekadashi | Twice a month | Lord Vishnu | No rice, grains, or pulses; fast broken next morning |
| Pradosh | Twice a month (Trayodashi) | Lord Shiva | Fast through the day, main puja at twilight |
| Sankashti Chaturthi | Monthly (Krishna Chaturthi) | Lord Ganesha | Fast broken after moonrise |
| Purnima | Monthly | Lord Vishnu / Satyanarayan | Holy bath, katha, and charity |
| Amavasya | Monthly | Ancestors (Pitru) | Tarpan and donation |
| Monday (Somvar) | Weekly, optional | Lord Shiva | One satvik meal or fruit-based fast |
| Navratri | Twice a year, nine days | Goddess Durga | No onion, garlic, or grains; sendha namak only |
| Karva Chauth | Once a year | Shiva-Parvati and the Moon | Fast from sunrise until moonrise |
| Chaturmas | About four months | Lord Vishnu | No weddings; food restrictions in many families |
General Vrat Rules Almost Everyone Follows
- Rise early and bathe before sunrise, ideally before any food or drink.
- Take a sankalp. State your intention, silently or aloud, before the fast begins.
- Eat satvik or abstain. Avoid onion, garlic, alcohol, and non-vegetarian food, even on a partial fast.
- Skip grains on strict fasting days. Fruit, milk, and flours such as kuttu (buckwheat) and singhara (water chestnut) are common substitutes.
- Keep the mind calm. Avoid anger, arguments, and harsh speech. Most traditions treat a fast as incomplete without this.
- Avoid daytime sleep on major vrat days where your family custom asks for it.
- Break the fast on time. Parana should happen at the prescribed time, such as after moonrise for Sankashti Chaturthi or the next morning’s parana window for Ekadashi, not whenever it is convenient.
What to Eat and Avoid During a Vrat
Food rules vary between households, but this table reflects what many families follow on a typical fasting day.
| Commonly Allowed | Commonly Avoided |
|---|---|
| Fresh fruit, dry fruit, makhana | Rice, wheat, and most pulses (strict on Ekadashi) |
| Milk, curd, paneer, ghee | Onion and garlic |
| Kuttu, singhara, rajgira, sabudana, sama millet | Non-vegetarian food and alcohol |
| Potato, sweet potato, peanuts | Regular table salt in strict fasts |
| Sendha namak (rock salt) | Packaged snacks with grain-based ingredients |
Vrat-Wise Niyam
Ekadashi Vrat
Ekadashi falls on the eleventh lunar day of each fortnight and is one of the strictest regular fasts. Rice and grains are avoided, and many devotees eat only fruit or a single satvik meal. A common practice is to eat lightly the evening before, observe the fast through Ekadashi, and break it the next morning on Dwadashi within the published parana window. Panchangs also warn against breaking the fast during Hari Vasara, the first part of Dwadashi, so check the parana timing for your city before you eat.
In 2026, Ekadashi dates were unusually numerous. The extra lunar month (Adhik Maas, 17 May to 15 June) added two additional Ekadashis, Padmini on 27 May and Parama on 11 June, bringing the year to roughly 26 observances.
Pradosh Vrat
Pradosh falls on Trayodashi, twice a month, and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Devotees fast through the day and offer water, milk, and bel patra to the Shivling during the Pradosh Kaal, the twilight window around sunset. Traditions differ on exactly how long that window lasts, so use the Pradosh puja muhurat printed in your Panchang for your city. A Pradosh that lands on a Monday (Som Pradosh) or Saturday (Shani Pradosh) is considered especially significant.
Sankashti Chaturthi
Observed on the fourth day of the waning fortnight each month, Sankashti Chaturthi is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The fast is kept through the day and broken only after sighting the moon and offering prayers. Moonrise time varies by city, so check it locally. When the Chaturthi falls on a Tuesday, it is called Angarki Chaturthi and is considered more powerful.
Purnima and Amavasya
On Purnima (full moon), many families bathe in a river or at home, perform a Satyanarayan katha, and donate food or clothing. Amavasya (new moon) is traditionally the day for ancestral rites such as tarpan, and for charity in the name of forefathers. Somvati Amavasya (on a Monday) and Shanishchari Amavasya (on a Saturday) carry extra significance in many households.
Navratri
Navratri runs nine days, twice a year, in Chaitra (spring) and Sharad (autumn). Most devotees avoid onion, garlic, grains, and alcohol, and cook with sendha namak instead of table salt. Some fast all nine days, while others fast only on the first and last day, or on Ashtami and Navami, when kanya pujan is commonly performed. If you are reading this in mid-October 2026, Sharad Navratri is underway: it began on 11 October, and Dussehra falls on 20 October.
Karva Chauth
Karva Chauth is traditionally a nirjala vrat, meaning no food or water from sunrise until the moon is sighted. It is kept for a spouse’s well-being and ends with Arghya to the moon. In 2026 it falls on 29 October. Moonrise time differs from city to city, so don’t rely on another city’s timing. Many families today observe modified versions of the fast, and that is a personal and medical choice (see the health section below).
Chaturmas
Chaturmas is the four-month period when Lord Vishnu is believed to rest. In 2026 it began on Devshayani Ekadashi, 25 July, and ends on Devutthana Ekadashi, 20 November. During this stretch, weddings and other major ceremonies are traditionally postponed, and many families follow extra food restrictions, which vary by region and by month. Devutthana Ekadashi marks the return of the wedding season and is followed by Tulsi Vivah.
Key Vrat Dates: October 2026 to April 2027
This table covers the upcoming stretch that a 2026-2027 Panchang year spans. Ekadashi dates for 2027 are for New Delhi, and a few Panchangs list neighbouring days, so verify against your own Panchang.
| Date | Day | Vrat / Observance | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11-19 Oct 2026 | Sun-Mon | Sharad Navratri | Dussehra on 20 Oct |
| 22 Oct 2026 | Thu | Papankusha Ekadashi | |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Thu | Karva Chauth | Nirjala fast until moonrise |
| 20 Nov 2026 | Fri | Devutthana (Prabodhini) Ekadashi | Smarta; many Vaishnavas observe 21 Nov |
| 24 Nov 2026 | Tue | Kartik Purnima / Dev Deepawali | |
| 6 Dec 2026 | Sun | Utpanna Ekadashi | |
| 20 Dec 2026 | Sun | Mokshada (Vaikuntha) Ekadashi | Also observed as Gita Jayanti |
| 3 Jan 2027 | Sun | Saphala Ekadashi | |
| 15 Jan 2027 | Fri | Makar Sankranti | |
| 19 Jan 2027 | Tue | Pausha Putrada Ekadashi | |
| 2 Feb 2027 | Tue | Shattila Ekadashi | |
| 11 Feb 2027 | Thu | Vasant Panchami | |
| 17 Feb 2027 | Wed | Jaya Ekadashi | |
| 4 Mar 2027 | Thu | Vijaya Ekadashi | Some Panchangs list 3 Mar |
| 6 Mar 2027 | Sat | Maha Shivratri | |
| 18 Mar 2027 | Thu | Amalaki Ekadashi | |
| 21-22 Mar 2027 | Sun-Mon | Holika Dahan and Holi | |
| 2 Apr 2027 | Fri | Papmochani Ekadashi | |
| 7 Apr 2027 | Wed | Chaitra Navratri / Hindu New Year | Vikram Samvat 2084 begins |
| 15 Apr 2027 | Thu | Ram Navami | |
| 17 Apr 2027 | Sat | Kamada Ekadashi |
How to Read Your Panchang for a Vrat
Once you know the rules, the calendar does the rest. A practical routine looks like this:
- Find the tithi. Locate the Ekadashi, Pradosh, or Chaturthi marked on your monthly page.
- Check the day it is present at sunrise. If the tithi spans two days, the sunrise rule usually decides the fasting day.
- Note the parana window. For Ekadashi, write down the parana time for the following morning in advance.
- Confirm your tradition. If your household follows Vaishnava custom, check whether it differs from the Smarta date.
- Verify local timings. Moonrise and sunset vary by city, so use your own city’s times for Karva Chauth, Sankashti, and Pradosh.
Health and Safe Fasting
Fasting is a spiritual practice, but physical wellbeing comes first. People with diabetes, low blood pressure, kidney conditions, or any condition requiring regular medication, as well as pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, and older adults, should speak with a doctor before a strict or waterless fast. A modified version, such as a fruit-and-milk fast or one that permits water, is accepted in many traditions and is a perfectly valid way to observe a vrat. Break a fast gently with light food rather than a heavy meal, stay hydrated wherever your rules allow, and stop if you feel unwell. No vrat requires you to put your health at risk.
Getting the Printed Panchang
The printed Babu Lal Chaturvedi Panchang is a copyrighted publication, and this page is not a substitute for it, so there is no PDF download here. For the full daily detail, such as minute-by-minute Rahu Kaal, city-specific timings, and the complete Choghadiya grid, the printed edition or a trusted digital Panchang is the right source. For a quick vrat lookup, bookmark this page or use your browser’s Print, then Save as PDF, to keep an offline copy of the tables above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is the most important rule of an Ekadashi vrat? Avoiding rice and grains is the best-known rule, along with a calm, disciplined mind and breaking the fast during the correct parana window the next morning.
Q2. Why do vrat dates change every year? Vrats are tied to lunar tithis, not fixed English dates. Because the lunar and solar calendars don’t align exactly, the same tithi falls on a different date each year, and leap months like 2026’s Adhik Maas shift things further.
Q3. What is the difference between Ekadashi and Pradosh Vrat? Ekadashi is observed on the eleventh lunar day and honours Lord Vishnu, with a fast broken the next morning. Pradosh is observed on the thirteenth lunar day, honours Lord Shiva, and centres on an evening puja at twilight.
Q4. When does Chaturmas end in 2026? Chaturmas ends on Devutthana Ekadashi, 20 November 2026 for Smarta households (21 November in many Vaishnava traditions), after beginning on 25 July. Wedding muhurats resume after it.
Q5. When is Karva Chauth in 2026? Karva Chauth falls on Thursday, 29 October 2026. Check your own city’s moonrise time before planning when to break the fast.
Q6. Can pregnant women or people with medical conditions keep a nirjala fast? They should consult a doctor first. Modified fasts that allow fruit, milk, or water are widely accepted and are a valid way to observe the vrat.
Q7. Is a sankalp compulsory before every vrat? Not for every minor fast, but it is considered good practice and is strongly recommended for major vrats such as Ekadashi and Navratri.
Q8. Can I use this guide instead of consulting a priest? For everyday vrat dates and rules, yes. For personal matters such as wedding muhurats or matching horoscopes, a qualified priest or astrologer is the right authority, since a general Panchang cannot account for your individual chart.