Within the living stream of Vaiṣṇava practice, the Vishnu Purāṇa functions less as a technical ritual manual and more as a theological and narrative foundation upon which observances are built. Its exaltation of Viṣṇu as the immanent Lord of time and protector in the Kali Yuga undergirds the widespread observance of Ekādaśī, the fast on the eleventh lunar day. On these days devotees fast or simplify their diet, engage in japa of Viṣṇu’s names, and listen to or recite Viṣṇu-kathā, often drawing on Purāṇic narratives. Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī, especially revered in some regions, is framed by the Purāṇa’s descriptions of Vaikuṇṭha as the supreme abode beyond material nature, and the day is marked by vigil, special worship, and remembrance of that realm as accessible through devotion and surrender.

The avatāra narratives of the Vishnu Purāṇa provide the mythic backbone for several major festivals. Its extensive Kṛṣṇa cycle—birth in Mathurā, Vasudeva’s journey across the Yamunā, childhood in Vraja, and the overthrow of Kaṁsa—feeds directly into the devotional atmosphere of Janmāṣṭamī, when these episodes are read, heard, and often dramatized. Likewise, the Purāṇa’s account of Rāma as an avatāra of Viṣṇu supports the observances of Rāma Navamī, where remembrance of Rāma is explicitly understood as a form of Viṣṇu-bhakti. Other avatāra-jayantīs, such as those for Nṛsiṃha, Varāha, and Vāmana, draw on the Purāṇa’s rich narratives: Prahlāda’s unwavering devotion and Nṛsiṃha’s protective ferocity, Varāha’s rescue of the earth, and Vāmana’s humble yet cosmic reclamation of the worlds from Bali all become templates for fasting, special pūjā, and recitation of the relevant episodes.

Beyond specific festivals, the Vishnu Purāṇa quietly shapes daily and occasional rites. Its hymns and theological passages are used in nitya-pūjā, temple liturgy, and systematic scriptural reading (pārāyaṇa), so that narrative and praise themselves become a yajña suited to this age. Ancestor rites (śrāddha) are often framed by remembrance of Viṣṇu as the inner witness and ultimate recipient of offerings, in harmony with the Purāṇa’s vision of cosmic order and the role of the pitṛs. Underlying all these observances is a consistent teaching: aligning one’s life—through fasts, festivals, and daily worship—with the stories and praises of Viṣṇu transforms time itself into a field of devotion, where even simple acts of remembrance carry profound spiritual weight.