Dwadashiద్వాదశి

The twelfth tithi — the window in which the Ekadashi fast must be broken.

Deity: Vishnu
Frequency: Twice a lunar month

What Dwadashi is

Dwadashi follows Ekadashi, and its principal role in daily practice is as the parana window: the Ekadashi fast is broken during dwadashi, after sunrise, and before the tithi ends. This is not a formality. Breaking the fast before sunrise, or after dwadashi has already ended, is held to lose the merit of the fast that preceded it, which is why an Ekadashi observance is really a two-day affair and why the tithi end time is worth checking.

Who observes it

Observed by everyone keeping Ekadashi. Some keep dwadashi itself as an additional day of restraint (particularly Vaishnavas following the Harivasara rule).

Fasting rules

Dwadashi is when the fast ends rather than a fast in its own right. The first food is traditionally simple and sattvic, and grains are reintroduced deliberately.

Pooja vidhanam

Worship of Vishnu with tulasi before the parana. Feeding others — a brahmin, a guest, or anyone in need — before eating oneself is a standing part of the observance.

A note on timing

The parana must begin after sunrise and end before dwadashi does. Both times are on each date's panchangam page: sunrise at the top, the tithi end time in the five limbs.

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