Ekadashi 2026: Why Rice is Forbidden on This Sacred Fast Day

• Ekadashi fasts are observed twice a month in Hinduism, dedicated to Lord Shri Hari Vishnu, with 24 Ekadashis in a Hindu year.
• Devotees observe fasts, consuming fruits (falahar) or abstaining from water (nirjala), and traditionally avoid rice.
• A mythological story explains this tradition: Maharishi Medha's body parts merged with the earth on an Ekadashi, from which rice and barley grew.
• Eating rice on Ekadashi is considered equivalent to consuming Maharishi Medha's flesh and blood, hence it is forbidden in Vaishnava tradition.
• Some Puranas state that eating rice on Ekadashi leads to rebirth as a crawling creature and destroys good deeds.

Why It Matters: Rice is forbidden on Ekadashi due to a mythological belief linking it to Maharishi Medha's body merging with earth.