👶 Paush Putrada Ekadashi Puja Vidhi — step by step
This is the household Ekadashi vidhi — the sankalp for a child's welfare, Vishnu/Bal Gopal puja, vigil, paran.
How to do Paush Putrada Ekadashi — the steps
- Sattvik food on the night of Dashami; on Ekadashi bathe before sunrise, wear yellow; sankalp — 'I keep the Putrada Ekadashi vrat for the blessing of a child / for my children's health' (best if husband and wife keep it together).
- Worship of Vishnu/Lakshmi-Narayana and Bal Gopal (Laddu Gopal) — panchamrit bath, yellow clothes, Tulsi leaves, yellow flowers, sandalwood, incense and lamp, naivedya (butter-mishri, fruit, yellow sweets); 'Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya' 108 times.
- The Santan Gopal mantra — 'Om Shreem Hreem Kleem Glaum Devakisuta Govinda Vasudeva Jagatpate dehi me tanayam Krishna tvamaham sharanam gatah' — 108 chants (or as many as possible); swing Bal Gopal, lullaby/bhajan.
- Fruit/waterless all day (as strength allows); no sleeping in the day; read or listen to the Bhagavata/Ekadashi katha; a lamp at the Tulsi platform and Vishnu aarti in the evening.
- Night vigil — bhajans/Vishnu Sahasranama; till midnight if not the whole night.
- Charity: grain, clothes and fruit in the child's/children's name; feeding a Brahmin; fodder to a cow; sweets and gifts to children.
- Paran: on Dwadashi after sunrise, once the Hari Vasar has passed and before the Dwadashi ends — charity first, then a meal with Tulsi water.
Puja samagri checklist
The items for serving Bal Gopal are the special feature of this Ekadashi.
- Picture of Vishnu/Lakshmi-Narayana, idol of Bal Gopal (Laddu Gopal), swing, yellow cloth, wooden seat
- For Bal Gopal: yellow clothes, crown, butter-mishri, flute, garland
- Panchamrit, Gangajal, Tulsi leaves, yellow flowers, sandalwood, roli, akshat, mauli
- Ghee lamp, incense, camphor, aarti thali
- Fruit, yellow sweets (besan laddoo/saffron kheer), paan-supari
- Santan Gopal mantra/Ekadashi katha book, rosary
- Charity: grain, clothes, fruit, dakshina; sweets and toys for children
Ekadashi fasting food and Gopal's bhog
No rice or grain on Ekadashi; butter-mishri, panjiri and yellow sweets for Bal Gopal. In the cold of Pausha, dry fruits and sesame-jaggery in the fasting food.
- Gopal's bhog: butter-mishri, coriander panjiri, saffron kheer (on Dwadashi), besan laddoo, fruit, Tulsi
- Fasting food: sabudana, singhara-kuttu, potato, peanuts, dry fruits, milk, fruit — rock salt
- Paran: Tulsi water, then khichdi/dal-rice (grain is essential on Dwadashi)
- For children: sweets, fruit, new clothes — charity in the child's name
- Pregnant/unwell with fruit and milk; never waterless
Rules — do's and don'ts
✅ Do
- Husband and wife keep the vrat together (for the wish of a child) — a clear wish in the sankalp
- Service of Bal Gopal — clothes, swing, butter-mishri; the Santan Gopal mantra
- Charity in the children's name; blessings and sweets for them
- Paran within the Dwadashi, after the Hari Vasar
- Pluck Tulsi leaves a day earlier
❌ Don't
- Rice/grain, plucking Tulsi, sleeping in the day — avoided on Ekadashi
- No paran after the Dwadashi has passed
- Pregnant/unwell never waterless — fruit and milk
- Do not treat the vrat as a substitute for medical treatment in the wish for a child — keep the treatment going
- Anger, quarrels, lies — on the vrat day
Vrat katha
King Suketuman of the city of Bhadravati and Queen Shaivya were righteous but childless — their worry was who would offer the pind, how the ancestors would be satisfied. One day the sorrowing king wandered into the fores… Read the full katha →
Frequently asked questions
When is Paush Putrada Ekadashi in {Y}?
The date at the top is this year's Pausha Shukla Ekadashi — from panchang calculations; the Dwadashi for paran is shown too.
What is the difference between the Pausha and Shravana Putrada Ekadashis?
Both are Ekadashis for the blessing of children — Pausha Shukla Ekadashi is prominent in north and east India (this page), Shravana Shukla Ekadashi in the west and south; the vidhi and spirit of the katha are the same. Both may be kept in one year.
Who should keep this vrat — only the childless?
No — childless couples for the blessing of a child, and mothers who have children for their health, progress and long life; the vidhi is the same for both.
How many times to chant the Santan Gopal mantra?
At least 108 (one rosary) on Ekadashi; if kept regularly, one rosary daily before Bal Gopal; faith matters, not the count.
The paran time?
On Dwadashi after sunrise, once the Hari Vasar (first quarter of Dwadashi) has passed and before the Dwadashi ends — usually 7-9 am; charity first, then a meal with Tulsi water.
🏠 Paush Putrada Ekadashi 2026 — date, muhurat, full page · All vrat & festivals