The Extraction of Determinations for Lunar Days

...householders Sanskrit: gṛhastha, for these, only the former day is prescribed.

In the seventeenth variation, Kamalakara Author of the Nirnayasindhu, a definitive 17th-century guide on Hindu law and rituals states that for the sake of attaining liberation, the destruction of sins, and the pleasure of Lord Vishnu, the fast should be observed in such a way that the merit of a widow's life is not lost.

According to the opinion of the Nirnayamrita An earlier legal treatise, the latter day is preferable. However, in the opinion of Madhava, householders, ascetics, widows, and forest-dwellers should all observe the former day. Regarding certain specific astronomical alignments original: āśvi parāgadahasthai, Kamalakara notes that householders should not perform the "night-ritual" Sanskrit: nakta; a form of fasting where one eats only at night on the former day.

In the eighteenth variation, for everyone, the fast falls only on the latter day.

Some authorities suggest that if there is a doubt regarding the "piercing" Sanskrit: vedha; when one lunar day overlaps into the sunrise of the next of the date, the prohibition or permission should be declared by an astrologer. Kamalakara clarifies that this rule specifically pertains to the Vaishnavas Devotees of Vishnu who follow a stricter calendar than the Smartas.

On the Eleventh

Day Ekadashi, if an ancestral rite Sanskrit: śrāddha for one's parents happens to fall on the same day, Hemadri, Madhava, and others state that one should eat only the remains of the sacrificial food Sanskrit: yajñaśeṣa in an amount equal to a small portion.

Devala An ancient sage and lawgiver states: When the Twelfth Day Sanskrit: dvādaśī is pervasive, one should set aside the midday rituals and perform the Breaking of the Fast Sanskrit: pāraṇa early in the morning, immediately after the twilight prayers.

In times of crisis, it is said that for rituals like the Pradosha vow, one should perform the breaking of the fast with water alone.

One must completely avoid the first quarter of the Twelfth Day for breaking a fast, as it is known as "Hari’s Day" Sanskrit: harivāsara; a time considered spiritually "full" and unsuitable for ending the fast.

Thus ends the section on the Eleventh Day.

Regarding the Twelfth Day: in both fortnights the waxing and waning moons, the former day is always preferred.

Regarding the Thirteenth Day Sanskrit: trayodaśī: in all scholarly opinions, if it is "pierced," the latter day is taken.

Regarding the Fourteenth Day...