Aja Ekadashi, the Ekadashi that falls in the Krishna Paksha of the Bhadrapad month, will be observed this year on 7 September 2026. According to Hindu belief, worshipping Lord Vishnu and keeping a proper fast on this day washes away a person's old sins and opens the door to happiness and prosperity at home. In Hindu tradition, the worship of any Ekadashi is considered incomplete unless the devotee reads or listens to that day's katha, which is why the well known story of King Harishchandra is recited on Aja Ekadashi.
The truthful king put to the test
According to mythology, King Harishchandra of Ayodhya is remembered with great reverence because he was known far and wide for his honesty and devotion to truth. It is said that the gods once wished to find out just how far the king would go to keep his vow of truth, and so they devised a test for him. As part of that test, King Harishchandra dreamt one night that he had donated his entire kingdom to sage Vishwamitra. The next morning, to his astonishment, Vishwamitra himself arrived at his palace gate and reminded him that a donation made even in a dream is considered binding and true.
Harishchandra had vowed never to break his commitment to truth, so without hesitation he handed over his whole kingdom to Vishwamitra. But he had nothing left to pay the dakshina that was owed alongside the donation. Bound by the fruits of deeds from a previous life, King Harishchandra was forced to sell his wife, his son and finally himself to raise the payment. He was bought by a Dom, a man whose work was to carry out cremations at the burning ghat.
Service at the cremation ground and a test of truth
The former king now became the slave of a Chandal, and his job was to collect the shrouds used to wrap bodies for cremation. For a man who had once ruled a kingdom, this was gruelling and humiliating work, yet even in this hardship he never let go of the truth. Years passed as he carried out this labour, but the sorrow of being made to do such lowly work weighed on him constantly, and he kept searching for a way to free himself from it.
One day, as Harishchandra sat lost in this very worry, sage Gautam arrived at his side. The king told him the whole sorrowful tale of his life, and Maharishi Gautam then advised him to observe the fast of Aja Ekadashi, which falls in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhadon. The sage assured him that keeping this one fast would destroy all his sins at their root.
The fruit of the fast and of hearing the katha
Following Maharishi Gautam's instructions, King Harishchandra observed the fast with full ritual and kept vigil through the night. The power of this single fast destroyed all the sins he had accumulated, and his life was once again filled with happiness. As a result of the fast, the king also regained the kingdom he had lost. When his time finally came, Harishchandra ascended to heaven along with his entire family.
It is believed that anyone who observes the Aja Ekadashi fast with full faith and proper ritual has all their sins washed away and ultimately attains heaven. It is also said that merely listening to the katha of this Ekadashi grants a devotee merit equal to performing an Ashwamedh Yagya.
