{"id":28941,"date":"2026-01-02T12:58:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T07:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/?p=28941"},"modified":"2026-01-02T12:58:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T07:28:33","slug":"papmochani-ekadashi-vrat-katha-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/papmochani-ekadashi-vrat-katha-date\/","title":{"rendered":"Papmochani Ekadashi 2026: Date, Parana Time, Vrat Katha &#038; Significance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@graph\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Article\",\n      \"headline\": \"Papmochani Ekadashi 2026: Date, Parana Time, Vrat Katha & Significance\",\n      \"description\": \"Papmochani Ekadashi 2026 is on March 15. Read the powerful Vrat Katha of Sage Medhavi & Manjughosha, check the Parana time, and learn how to remove past sins.\",\n      \"image\": \"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha.jpg\",\n      \"author\": { \"@type\": \"Organization\", \"name\": \"SmartPuja\" },\n      \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-12\",\n      \"dateModified\": \"2026-01-12\"\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Event\",\n      \"name\": \"Papmochani Ekadashi 2026\",\n      \"startDate\": \"2026-03-15\",\n      \"endDate\": \"2026-03-16\",\n      \"description\": \"A sacred Hindu fasting day dedicated to Lord Vishnu, known for absolving devotees from all past sins and guilt.\",\n      \"location\": { \"@type\": \"Place\", \"name\": \"India\" }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n      \"mainEntity\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"When is Papmochani Ekadashi in 2026?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Papmochani Ekadashi will be observed on Sunday, March 15, 2026.\" }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"What is the story behind Papmochani Ekadashi?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"It revolves around Sage Medhavi, who was seduced by Apsara Manjughosha. Both were later liberated from their sins by observing this Vrat.\" }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"What is the Parana time for Papmochani Ekadashi 2026?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"The fast should be broken (Parana) on March 16, 2026, between 06:30 AM and 08:54 AM.\" }\n        }\n      ]\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"papmochani-container\" style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; max-width: 100%; color: #444; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6;\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-28942\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha-1024x577.png\" alt=\"Sage Medhavi and Apsara Manjughosha story of Papmochani Ekadashi\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha-150x85.png 150w, https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha-1536x865.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha.png 1640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<h1 style=\"color: #d35400 !important; font-family: 'Georgia', serif; text-align: center;\"><strong>Papmochani Ekadashi 2026: Date, Parana Time, Vrat Katha &amp; Significance<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><strong>Papmochani Ekadashi<\/strong> is observed on the 11th day of the Krishna Paksha in the month of <strong>Chaitra<\/strong>. The word <em>&#8220;Pap&#8221;<\/em> means Sin and <em>&#8220;Mochani&#8221;<\/em> means Liberator. True to its name, this Ekadashi is believed to absolve a devotee of the most heinous sins and guilt. It is the last Ekadashi of the Vedic lunar year, falling just before Chaitra Navratri.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026, Papmochani Ekadashi falls on a <strong>Sunday<\/strong>, making it convenient for devotees to observe the fast and visit temples.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #fff8e1; border-left: 5px solid #ffb300; padding: 20px; margin: 30px 0; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 2px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.05); font-size: 1.05em;\">\n<h3 style=\"margin-top: 0; color: #e65100;\">\ud83d\udcc5 Papmochani Ekadashi 2026 Muhurat<\/h3>\n<ul style=\"list-style: none; padding: 0;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\"><strong>Vrat Date:<\/strong> Sunday, March 15, 2026<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px;\"><strong>Parana Time (Break Fast):<\/strong> Mar 16, 06:30 AM to 08:54 AM<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hari Vasara End Time:<\/strong> Mar 16, 09:40 AM<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-size: 0.9em; font-style: italic; color: #666; margin-top: 15px; border-top: 1px solid #ffcc80; padding-top: 10px;\"><strong>\u26a0\ufe0f Note:<\/strong> <em>Tithi timings and Parana windows may vary slightly based on your location (sunrise time). Please check your local Panchang for precise timings.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr style=\"border: 0; border-top: 1px dashed #ffb300; margin: 15px 0;\" \/>\n<p><strong>Wish to start the New Year sin-free?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 15px;\"><a style=\"display: inline-block; background-color: #d35400; color: #ffffff !important; padding: 10px 25px; border-radius: 50px; text-decoration: none !important; font-weight: bold; font-size: 1em; box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); transition: transform 0.2s;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/puja-services\/vishnu-sahasranamam-puja\">Book Vishnu Puja Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 style=\"color: #d35400 !important; font-family: 'Georgia', serif;\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #ff6600;\">Significance of Papmochani Ekadashi<\/mark><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Lord Krishna narrated the importance of this Ekadashi to King Yudhishthira in the <em>Bhavishya Uttara Purana<\/em>. It is said that fasting on this day burns away sins committed knowingly or unknowingly, just as fire burns wood to ashes. It is particularly effective for removing the guilt associated with lust and attachment.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: #d35400 !important; font-family: 'Georgia', serif;\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #ff6600;\">Papmochani Ekadashi Vrat Katha<\/mark><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The legend involves a young sage named <strong>Medhavi<\/strong> (son of Sage Chyavana) who was performing intense penance in the Chaitraratha forest. Lord Indra, feeling threatened by the sage&#8217;s power, sent a beautiful Apsara named <strong>Manjughosha<\/strong> to break his meditation.<\/p>\n<p>Manjughosha sang and danced beautifully. Sage Medhavi, enchanted by her beauty, lost control of his senses. He broke his vow of celibacy and lived with her for <strong>57 years<\/strong>, thinking it was only a moment.<\/p>\n<p>When Manjughosha eventually asked to return to heaven, the sage snapped out of his illusion. Realizing he had lost his spiritual merit (Tapobal), he cursed Manjughosha to become a <strong>Pishachini<\/strong> (ugly witch).<\/p>\n<p>Distraught, both of them sought help from Sage Chyavana. The father advised them to observe <strong>Papmochani Ekadashi<\/strong> to wash away their sins. Both the sage and the Apsara observed the fast with full devotion. Manjughosha was liberated from the curse and returned to heaven, while Sage Medhavi regained his spiritual power.<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 40px 0;\"><a style=\"display: inline-block; background-color: #ff6600; color: #ffffff !important; padding: 16px 35px; border-radius: 50px; text-decoration: none !important; font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; text-align: center; box-shadow: 0 4px 15px rgba(255, 102, 0, 0.4); transition: transform 0.2s;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/puja-services\/vishnu-sahasranamam-puja\">Book Vishnu Sahasranamam Puja<\/a><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"color: #d35400 !important; font-family: 'Georgia', serif;\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #ff6600;\">Puja Vidhi for Papmochani Ekadashi<\/mark><\/strong><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Sankalp:<\/strong> Take a bath early in the morning and vow to fast to cleanse your soul.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Worship:<\/strong> Light a lamp (Diya) before Lord Vishnu using Ghee. Offer Tulsi leaves, sandalwood paste, and fruits.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chanting:<\/strong> Recite the <em>Vishnu Sahasranama<\/em> or chant <em>&#8220;Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya&#8221;<\/em> 108 times.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Donation:<\/strong> Since this is a sin-removing fast, donating food and clothes to the needy is highly recommended.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parana:<\/strong> Break the fast the next morning (Monday) within the specified Parana time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"background: #e0f7fa; border: 1px solid #b2ebf2; padding: 15px; border-radius: 8px; margin: 30px 0; text-align: center;\"><strong>\ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f Looking for other dates?<\/strong><br \/>\nCheck the complete list of 26 Ekadashis this year in our master guide.<\/p>\n<p><a style=\"color: #006064; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; font-size: 1.1em;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/ekadashi-dates-2026-vrat-calendar\/\">View All Ekadashi Dates 2026 \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"color: #d35400 !important; font-family: 'Georgia', serif;\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #ff6600;\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/mark><\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\">\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee; padding-bottom: 10px;\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\" style=\"font-size: 1.1em; color: #333; display: block; margin-bottom: 5px;\">1. When is Papmochani Ekadashi 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Papmochani Ekadashi falls on <strong>Sunday, March 15, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee; padding-bottom: 10px;\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\" style=\"font-size: 1.1em; color: #333; display: block; margin-bottom: 5px;\">2. Why is Papmochani Ekadashi celebrated?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">It is celebrated to seek forgiveness for past sins, especially those related to lust, anger, and attachment, before the start of the New Hindu Year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee; padding-bottom: 10px;\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\" style=\"font-size: 1.1em; color: #333; display: block; margin-bottom: 5px;\">3. Can we eat rice on Papmochani Ekadashi?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">No, eating rice and grains is strictly prohibited. One should consume only fruits, milk, and nuts (Phalahar).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Papmochani Ekadashi 2026 (March 15): The name literally means &#8220;The Remover of Sins.&#8221; Falling between Holi and Chaitra Navratri, this Ekadashi is famous for the legend of Sage Medhavi and Apsara Manjughosha. Read the story and find out how fasting on this day can liberate you from the guilt of past misdeeds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,4,9],"tags":[1137,1138,1141,1112,650,1135,1139,1136,1140],"class_list":["post-28941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-festivals","category-rituals","category-traditions","tag-apsara-manjughosha","tag-chaitra-krishna-ekadashi","tag-ekadashi-parana-time-march-2026","tag-ekadashi-vrat-katha","tag-lord-vishnu-puja","tag-papmochani-ekadashi-2026","tag-papmochani-ekadashi-vrat-katha","tag-sage-medhavi","tag-sage-medhavi-and-manjughosha"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/papmochani-ekadashi-2026-medhavi-manjughosha.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28941"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28943,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28941\/revisions\/28943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartpuja.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}