Shukla Paksha Ekadashi (Devshayani Ekadashi)
Shukla Paksha Ekadashi (Devshayani Ekadashi) Shayani Ekadashi ( Sanskrit : शयनी एकादशी , 'eleventh day of sleep'), also known by various other names, is the eleventh lunar day ( Ekadashi ) of the bright fortnight ( Shukla Paksha ) of the Hindu month of Ashadha (June - July). This occasion is holy to Vaishnavas , the followers of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu , as it is regarded to be the day the deity's sleep commences. Significance On this day images of Vishnu and Lakshmi are worshipped, the night is spent singing prayers, and devotees fast and take vows on this day, to be observed during the entire chaturmasya , the holy four-month period of rainy season. These may include, giving up a food item or fasting on every Ekadashi day. It is believed that Vishnu falls asleep in Kshira Sagara - the cosmic ocean of milk - on Shesha , the cosmic serpent. Vishnu fi...
