Re: 2009 Kamada Ekadashi on April 5th

Nityananda!! Gauranga!! Hare Krishna!! Welcome to NITAAI.com. Ekadashi depends primarily on the latitude and longitude of a place and sunrise times in your specific place. For Toronto, it is as follows:

5 Apr 2009 Su  (suitable for fasting)  Fasting for Kamada Ekadasi
6 Apr 2009 Mo    Break fast 06:50 - 11:10 (DST) Damanaka-ropana Dvadasi

Yes, you can drink water in the evening of Dashami. The one time noon eating on Dashami for very strict Ekadashi fasting is basically to make sure that so that no grain food remains in our mouth or bodily system at all from Ekadashi morning onwards. But the Ekadashi fast basically begins from around the sunrise time on Ekadashi to around the sunrise time on Dvadashi.

No, you should fast according to Toronto time 5th sunrise to 6th sunrise. And your Dashami is also according to Toronto time and not Indian time. Fasting according to Indian sunrise times is not appropriate if you are staying in Toronto.

Ekadashi night is the night between Ekadashi and the morning of Dvadashi according to your Toronto time. Staying awake on Ekadashi night by doing spiritual activities is a great austerity but it is rewarded with millions of times in spiritual benefit so those who can do it are very fortunate. I am happy that you are planning to do this.

The strictest Ekadashi vrata involves not sleeping on Ekadashi night and not then not even sleeping on Dvadashi day time also and sleeping only after Dvadashi sunset. But it may be quite hard to perform in the present times as conquering sleep is even more difficult then conquering the urge to eat. So if one cannot do remain awake the whole day on Dvadashi also, then one can sleep after properly breaking the fast on Dvadashi sunrise. It will not exactly amount to breaking the proper Ekadashi fast, though it is a small compromise from the strictest Ekadashi vrata.

The proper way to break the fast is the to take bath, perform a simple achamana, sit in a pure place and chant the Holy Names, thank the Lord, Guru and the Vaishnavas mentally for allowing oneself to successfully completely the Ekadashi vow, begging forgiveness from the Lord, Guru and the Vaishnavas about any shortcomings in one's Ekadashi fast, offering obeisances to a photo or Deity of the Lord and Devotees, giving some charity (prasadam) to a devotee or devotees (if at all possible), singing the Ekadashi prayers & the pastime who Lord Gauranga broke His Ekadashi fast in Puri Dhaama from Prema Vivarta and then breaking the fast preferably with some grain Mahaprasadam on the Lord from a Holy Place, for example like Lord Jagannatha's or Lord Tota Gopinatha's Nirmalya (dried rice).

I hope this helps. We feel very happy to assist you in your sincere performance of the sublime Ekadashi vrata. Thank you for giving us a chance to do so.

Daaso'smi, BR Sadhu Swami Gaurangapada.

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