Why is rice not eaten on Ekādaśī — and is it only rice?

all grains and pulses are avoided, not only rice; tradition says pāpa takes shelter in grain on this day.

Rice gets the attention because it is the staple in so many homes, but the Ekādaśī rule is about anna, grain, as a whole: rice, wheat, barley, millets and dals. The Purāṇic explanation is that on Ekādaśī, pāpa (sin) personified takes shelter in grain, so one who eats grain eats that pāpa. A popular folk telling adds that the sage Medhā gave up his body and became rice and barley, which is why grain is respected and avoided on this day.

Practically, giving up grain makes the body light, the mind quieter, and the day feel different from all others, which is the point of a vrata.

Even people who cannot fast fully are advised at least to avoid grain on Ekādaśī and eat fruit, milk or permitted flours. Rice cooked the day before should not be saved for Ekādaśī either.

All grains and pulses avoided, not only rice · Source: Padma Purāṇa; popular tradition

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