Shravana Putrada Ekadashi

Shravana Putrada Ekadashi is associated with King Mahajit of Mahishmati, a respected ruler who remained childless despite a prosperous and well-governed kingdom. His subjects, sharing his concern, searched for a spiritual remedy and met the sage Lomasha. The sage explained the king’s difficulty through a story from a previous birth and advised the community to observe the Shravana Putrada Ekadashi vrata and dedicate its merit to him. Ministers and citizens fasted and worshipped Vishnu, then offered the accumulated merit for the king’s welfare. The katha says the queen later conceived and a son was born. Unlike the Pausha Putrada story, this version notably emphasizes a community acting together for another person. The day therefore carries themes of hope, collective prayer and the idea that merit gained through disciplined devotion can be selflessly dedicated to someone else.

The monsoon Putrada, in Shravan, kept for the same reason as its winter counterpart. In much of the north it falls in the same week as Rakshabandhan and the two are kept together.

Shravan's bright fortnight, kept by those who want a child. The fast is often kept by both parents rather than by the mother alone.