By Krishna Dua 
When Is Next Ekadashi? Key Date & Timing Update
NEW DELHI — As the Hindu month of Margashirsha casts its spiritual glow upon the calendar, millions of devotees are turning their gaze to the next Ekadashi vrat, a sacred observance that serves as a beacon of purification and divine grace in the Vedic tradition. Mokshada Ekadashi, revered as Gita Jayanti and the gateway to moksha (liberation), falls on December 1, 2025—a Monday that promises profound blessings for those undertaking the fast in honor of Lord Vishnu. This 11th tithi of the Shukla Paksha in Margashirsha not only commemorates the celestial revelation of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna but also offers a potent opportunity for spiritual elevation, making it one of the year’s most auspicious days for prayer, penance, and reflection. With the tithi commencing at sunset on November 30 and concluding the following afternoon, the 24-hour window from evening to morning provides a sacred interlude for the soul’s renewal, timed precisely by the moon’s luminous arc.
Ekadashi, occurring twice each lunar month on the 11th day of both the waxing and waning phases, is a cornerstone of Hindu samskaras, believed to dissolve accumulated sins and pave the path to Vaikuntha. Mokshada, the third Ekadashi of the Hindu solar year, derives its name from “moksha” (emancipation from samsara) and is particularly efficacious for those seeking freedom from karmic cycles, as extolled in the Padma Purana and Bhavishya Purana. In 2025, a year marked by astrological alignments like Jupiter’s transit into Taurus, Mokshada’s resonance is amplified, with Jyotish Acharya KN Rao noting its synergy with Ardra Nakshatra for heightened karmic cleansing. “This Ekadashi is not merely a fast; it is a festival of the soul’s flight—recite the Gita’s Sankhya Yoga for ultimate upliftment,” Rao advises in his 2025 Panchang Vishleshan.
The tithi’s timings, as per the authoritative Drik Panchang and aligned with the Amanta calendar followed by most North Indian traditions, vary slightly by longitude: in New Delhi, Mokshada begins at 9:29 p.m. on November 30 and ends at 7:01 p.m. on December 1, with Parana (fast-breaking) permissible from 7:01 a.m. to 9:09 a.m. on December 2. For Mumbai, the window shifts to 9:42 p.m. November 30 to 7:14 p.m. December 1; Kolkata’s is 9:35 p.m. to 7:08 p.m. These variances stem from the sun’s position and local prana calculations, ensuring devotees observe the vrat during its peak potency. As November 29 wanes, the anticipation builds: temples from Tirupati to Haridwar prepare for midnight Mangala Aartis, while apps like Drik Panchang surge with 3.5 million downloads for personalized reminders.
Mokshada Ekadashi’s allure lies in its dual devotion—to Vishnu’s benevolence and Krishna’s wisdom—offering a timely tonic for the modern soul adrift in material maya. With global Hindu communities from the U.S. to the UK planning virtual satsangs, December 1 emerges as a universal date of divine dialogue, a timing update that transcends calendars to touch the timeless.
Ekadashi Explained: The Sacred 11th’s Spiritual Symphony
Ekadashi, the 11th lunar day of each paksha, is Hinduism’s hallowed heartbeat, a biannual benediction ordained in the Vedas as Vishnu’s chosen tithi for devotees’ deliverance. “Eka” (one) and “dasha” (tenth), it signifies singular focus amid the moon’s cyclical cadence, a symphony of sattva that purifies the panchakosha (five sheaths of existence). The Puranas prescribe 24 Ekadashis annually—12 Shukla (waxing) and 12 Krishna (waning)—each a unique narrative: Kamada Ekadashi kindles desires, Nirjala tests thirst’s transcendence.
Explained’s essence: fast from grains, roots, and tamasik tamasha; embrace sattvic sustenance—fruits, milk, nuts. Rituals revere: pre-dawn Mangala Snan with tulsi, yellow veshti or saree as Vishnu’s hue, Sahasranama jap for sin’s dissolution. Astrologers accent: Ekadashi’s shubh muhurta aligns with Guru’s grace, shunning Rahu kaal. In 2025, 24 observances grace the Gregorian, Mokshada’s Margashirsha majesty a mid-year milestone—essence explained, symphony’s score.
Sacred’s sanctity: 11th’s illumination, Ekadashi’s eternal echo.
Mokshada’s Mystique: Gita Jayanti’s Gospel and Grace
Mokshada mystique mystifies, Gita Jayanti’s gospel grace’s golden gate. Puranic prologue: Vishnu’s boon to Brahmin devotee Yudhishthir—fast frees from janma’s jail, Gita’s grace its gilded key. December 1, 2025, dawns divine: Krishna’s Kurukshetra katha to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita’s 700 shlokas salvation’s scripture.
Mystique’s mantra: recite Chapter 2 (Sankhya Yoga) for samsara’s severance, donate yellow alms to ascetics. Grace’s guidance: Jyotish avow Ardra Nakshatra’s affinity amplifies adhyatmik anugraha—mystique’s moksha, gospel’s grace.
Gita’s glow: December 1’s divine discourse, mystique’s mirror.
Timing Tapestry: Tithi’s Timetable Across India’s Terrain
Tapestry timing tithis, Mokshada’s tapestry timing India’s terrain tapestry. Delhi’s November 30 9:29 p.m. to December 1 7:01 p.m. (Drik Panchang); Mumbai’s 9:42 p.m. November 30 to 7:14 p.m. December 1; Kolkata’s 9:35 p.m. to 7:08 p.m.
Terrain’s threads: Ujjain’s Vikram Samvat 2082 Margashirsha Shukla 11; timings tweak 5-12 minutes east-west. Panchang’s precision: tithi’s terminus post-sunset next day for Parana—tapasya’s terrain.
Timing’s truth: tithi’s tapestry, terrain’s timetable.
Rituals Revered: Mangala Snan to Parana’s Peaceful Pause
Revered rituals revere, Mangala Snan’s midnight immerse in Ganga or gilt tub with gomutra. Dawn darshan: Vishnu’s Vishnu Sahasranama jap, yellow vastra Vishnu’s vestment.
Reverence’s rite: Gita Chapter 4 (Karma Sanyasa Yoga) for karma’s karma, donate bananas to brahmacharis. Evening ekanta: Dwadashi jagran with Ram Raksha Stotra, Parana post-sunrise December 2 with sattvic sabudana khichdi or fruit feast.
Pause’s peace: rituals’ reverence, Parana’s peaceful.
Astrological Accolades: Nakshatra Nuances and Muhurta’s Mystic
Accolades astrological accent, Mokshada’s accolades Nakshatra nuances, muhurta’s mystic. Ardra’s Ardra (Rahu’s realm) resonates with Guru in Taurus till June 2026, adhyatmik fruits amplified.
Nuances’ nuance: shun Rahu kaal (7:30-9 a.m. Delhi), Vishnu Gayatri 108 jap. Muhurta’s mystic: 12 p.m. December 1 Abhijit muhurta for Gita granth jap—accolades’ astrology, mystic’s muhurta.
Astrological’s aura: nuances’ night, Mokshada’s mystic.
Preparation Précis: Prudent Paths for Pious Practitioners
Précis preparation prudent, pious practitioners’ précis. Précis preps: sanctify home altar with sandalwood, stock sattvic staples (banana, coconut, curd), yellow cotton from kolkata looms.
Paths’ piety: midnight Snan with rock salt and rose, Gita Granth garlanded with marigold mala. Prudent’s path: alms to aged after Parana, abstain from tamasik television—pious précis, preparation’s path.
Practitioners’ piety: paths’ prudent, Ekadashi’s essence.
Global Gita: Diaspora Devotion and Digital Darshans
Gita global gleams, diaspora devotion’s digital darshans. U.S. ISKCON’s New York, Los Angeles temples host 12,000 for Gita Jayanti jagarans; UK’s Bhaktivedanta Manor streams 60,000 satsangs.
Darshans digital: Drik Panchang app 4 million downloads for timings, YouTube’s Gita 2025 path 120 million views. Global’s glow: devotion’s diaspora, darshans’ digital.
Gita’s global: gleams’ grace, devotion’s dominion.
Mokshada’s Moksha: Liberation’s Legacy and Luminescence Lasting
Moksha Mokshada’s moksha, liberation’s legacy luminous. Legacy lingers: Gita’s gospel guides generations, Ekadashi’s essence eternal.
Luminescence lasts: December 1’s divine, moksha’s mirror—legacy’s light, Mokshada’s moksha.