th 0558am and ends on July 9 th early morning 04.40 am. Since Ekadasi is associated July 9 th Bramma Muhurtha fasting has to be adopted on July 9 th . Sayana Ekadasi & Chaturmasaya vrata Srila Prabhupada states in the Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya lila 4.169 purport:
"The Chathurmasya period begins in the month of Asadha (June-July) from the day of Ekadasi called Sayana-Ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon(this year it is from 09.07.14). The period ends in the month of Kartika (October-November) on the Ekadasi day known as Utthana-Ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon. This four-month period is known as Chathurmasya. Some Vaishnavas also observe it from the full-moon day of Asadha until the full-moon day of Kartika. That is also a period of four months. This period, calculated by the lunar months, is called Chaturmasya, but others also observe Chaturmasya according to the solar month from Sravana to Kartika."
Sayana Ekadasi Chaturmasya should be observed by all sections of the population. It does not matter whether one is a Grihastha or a sannyasi. The observance is obligatory for all asramas. The real purpose behind the vow taken during these four months is to minimize the quantity of sense gratification. This is not very difficult. In the month of Sravana one should not eat spinach, in the month of Bhadra one should not eat yogurt, and in the month of Asvina one should not drink milk. One should not eat fish or other non vegetarian food during the month of Kartika. ... On the whole, during the four-month period of Chaturmasya one should practice giving up all food intended for sense enjoyment."
Sayana Ekadasi
Various vows and austerities during Chaturmasya and their respective results. "O King, one who is My devotee and is fixed in vow, whether man or woman, for the purpose of Dharma, should accept these various austerities and observances. I shall now describe to you all of them along with their respective results.
01) No salt - One's voice becomes sweet. 02) No oil - One's life is prolonged and gets progeny. 03) No oil massages - One's body becomes beautiful. 04) No cooking with oil - One's enemies are vanished. 05) No licorice and oil - One becomes wealthy. 06) Give up wearing unoffered flowers - One becomes a Vidyadhara in Devapura. 07) Give up six kinds of tastes (spice, sour, bitter, sweet, salty and harsh)- One never becomes ugly, smelly, or obtains a bad birth. 08) Practice of yoga - One goes to Brahmaloka. 09) No betel nuts - One becomes happy. 10) No cooked food (raw fruits & Vegetables) - One obtains purity. 11) No honey - One becomes lustrous. 12) No yogurt or milk - One attains Goloka. 13) No cooking with earthen pots Good health 14) No hot food - One gets offspring with a long life. 15) Take rest on the ground or on stone - One becomes an associate of Vishnu. 16) One who gives up meat & honey is a yogi and muni. 17) No intoxicating liquors - One becomes powerful and free from disease. 18) Fast for one day - One is honoured in Brahmaloka 19) No cutting of hair and nails - One gets the benefit of taking bath daily in Ganges. .
. 20) No speaking of grama katha (nonsense) - One's order will never be disobeyed. 21) Eat food on the ground without dish or plate - One obtains a kingdom on Earth. 22) Chant the mantra Namo Narayana - One obtains the result of giving in charity 100 times. 23) Offer prayers to the Lord - One gets the result of giving cows in charity. 24) Touch the lotus feet of the Deity - One becomes a successful person. 25) Clean the temple of the Lord - If one is king he remains so for a Kalpa. 26) Circumambulating the temple three times offering prayers - At the time of death one will mount a swan airplane and go to Vaikuntha. 27) Singing or playing musical instruments in the temple of the Lord - One goes to Gardharvaloka. 28) Take pleasure in studying the sastras - One goes to Vishnuloka. 29) Sprinkle water in the temple - One goes to apsaraloka. 30) Take bath in a holy place - One's body becomes pure. 31) Worship Lord Vishnu with flowers - One goes to Vaikuntha. 32) Eat panchagavya - One gets the result of observing candrayana fasting. 33) Eat one meal a day - One gets the results of performing an Agnihotra. 34) Eat at night only - One gets the result of going to all the places of pilgrimage. 35) Eat at noon only - One attains Devaloka. 36) Take food not obtained by begging or any extraneous endeavour - One gets the results of opening water stands and digging wells. 37) Take bath daily - One will never see hell. 38) No eating on a plate - One gets the result of bathing at Pushkara. 39) Eat on a leaf - One obtains the result of living at Kurukshetra. 40) Eat on a stone - One obtains the result of bathing at Prayog. 41) Giving up drinking to six hours - One will not be attacked by diseases. 42) During the Chathurmasya, garlands, caranamrta, candana and water from the conshell of the Lord, mahaprasadam, Deity garlands must be accepted.
In this way one who performs this Vrata for the satisfaction of Lord Kesava and Lord Gauranga becomes satisfied himself. O best of the Pandavas, among My devotees, he who accepts these vows and austerities during the Chaturmasya goes to my abode at the time of death.
Vishnu Rahasya - Lord Brahma to Narada Muni. If one accepts all these Vaisnava austerities and observances with devotion, one attains the supreme destination . O Narada. One who desires within himself to execute all these Vaisnava austerities and vows, his sins obtained within one hundred births is destroyed. If one is exclusively devoted, peaceful, takes daily bath, is fixed in vow and worships the Lord during these four months, he goes to the abode of the Lord. He who accepts the austerity of sleeping on the ground this time when the Vishnu Deity is sleeping in yoga Nitra underwater, he goes to the abode of Laxmi.
Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita. Madhya-lila 4.169. purport
"One should carefully give up attachment for material assets. People in general have spontaneous attachment for house, household paraphernalia, clothes, ornaments, wealth, wife and children's health, their own health, eatables, trees, and animals. Some people are so addicted to smoking, chewing pan, eating fish and meat, and drinking alcohol that their practice of spiritual life is obstructed.
The procedure for giving up grief is explained in the Padma Purama:
Within the heart of one who is full of anger or pride, or lamentation on the state of his wife or sons, there is no possibility of Krsna and Gauranga being manifest.
One should accept only those things necessary for his devotional life, as stated in the Naradiya Purama: As one progresses in this way he offers prayers similar to Prahlada Maharaja's in the Srimad Bhagavatam (7.9.39):
My dear Lord of the Vaikuntha planets, where there is no anxiety, my mind is extremely sinful and lusty, being sometimes so-called happy and sometimes so-called distressed. My mind is full of lamentation and fear, and it always seeks more and more money.
Thus it has become most polluted and is never satisfied in topics concerning You. I am therefore most fallen and poor. In such a status of life, how shall I be able to discuss Your activities? O Krsna! How will I get attachment for topics concerning You?And how will I meditate on Your pastimes? In the Skanda Purana, Caturmasya-mahatmya, it is said:
"O best of brahmanas, a person who four times circumambulates the Lord attains the result of circumambulating the entire universe filled with moving and unmoving beings. He attains a result better than going on all pilgrimages. Text 399 tatraivanyatra pradaksinam tu yah kuryat harim bhaktya samanvitah hamsa-yukta-vimanena visnulokam sa gacchati
In the Caturmasya-mahatmya it is also said: "A person who with devotion circumambulates Lord Hari flies on a swan to Lord Visnu's world.
Sayana Ekadasi
Sayana Ekadasi - Deva-Shayani Ekadasi Ashada Ekadasi Sayana Ekadasi Deva Sayani Ekadasi Padma Ekadasi from the Bhavishya-uttara Purana. The saintly king Yudhishthira Maharaj said, Oh Kesava, what is the name of that Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight of the month of Ashada (June July)? Who is the worship able Deity for the auspicious day, and what is the process for observing this event? Lord Sri Krishna replied, Oh caretaker of this Earthly planet, I shall gladly tell you a wonderful historical event that the Deva lord Brahma once narrated to his son Narada Muni. One day Narada Muni asked his father, What is the name of the Ekadasi that comes during the light part of the month of Ashada, much as you did? Kindly tell me how I should observe this Ekadasi and thus please the Supreme Lord, Sri Vishnu.
Sayana Ekadasi Fasting on this Ekadasi purifies one of all sins and fulfills all ones desires. Therefore, whoever neglects to observe this sacred fast day is a good candidate for entering into hell. Ashadha-shukla Ekadasi is also famous as Padma Ekadasi. Just to please the Supreme Lord Hrishikesha, the master of the senses, one should fast on this day. Listen carefully, Oh Narada, as I relate to you a wonderful historical event that was recorded in the scriptures regarding this Ekadasi. Just hearing this account destroys all kinds of sins, along with all obstacles on the path to spiritual perfection. Oh son, there was once a saintly king in the Surya Vamsha (Sun dynasty) whose name was Mandhata. Because he always stood up for the truth, he was appointed emperor. He took care of his subjects as though they were his very own family members and children. On account of his piety and great religiosity, there was no pestilence, drought, or disease of any kind in his entire kingdom. All his subjects were not only free of all kinds of disturbances but also were very wealthy. The kings own treasury was free of any ill-gotten moneys, and thus he ruled happily for many years. Sayana Ekadasi Once, however, because of some sin in his kingdom, there was a drought for three years. The subjects found themselves beset by famine also. The lack of food grains made it impossible for them to perform the prescribed Vedic sacrifices, offer oblations of grita (ghee) to their forefathers and to the devas, engage in any ritualistic worship, or even study the Vedic literatures. Finally, they all came before their beloved king in a great assembly and addressed him thus, Oh king, you always see to our welfare, so we humbly beg your assistance now. Everyone and everything in this world needs water. Without water, almost everything is rendered useless or dead. The Vedas call water JalaNayana, and because the Supreme Personality of Godhead sleeps upon water, His another name is NARAYANA. God makes His own abode on water and takes His rest there. It is said that three things cannot exist without water; pearls, human beings, and flour. The essential quality of a pearl is its luster, and that is due to water. The essence of a man is his semen, whose main constituent is water. And without water, flour cannot be made into dough and then be cooked into various forms of bread, offered and eaten. Sometimes water is called jala- Narayana, the Supreme Lord in the form of this life sustaining substance water.
Sayana Ekadasi Oh king, the severe drought has caused a great lack of valuable grains; thus we are all miserable, and the population is decreasing as people die off or leave your kingdom. Oh best ruler on Earth, please find some solutions to this problem and bring us to peace and prosperity once again. The king replied, You speak the truth, for grains are like Brahman, the Absolute Truth, who lives within grains and thereby sustains all beings. Indeed, it is because of grains that the entire world lives. Now, why is there a terrible drought in our kingdom? The Holy Scriptures discuss this subject very thoroughly. If a king (or head of the country) is irreligious, both he and his subjects suffer. I have meditated upon the cause of our problem for a long time, but after searching my past and present character I can honestly say that I find no sin. Still, for the good of all your subjects, I shall try to remedy the situation. Sayana Ekadasi:
. Thinking in this way, King Mandhata assembled his army and entourage. Paid his obeisance's to me, and then entered the forest. He wandered here and there, seeking great sages in their Ashrams and inquiring about how to resolve the crisis in his kingdom. At last he came upon the ashram of one of my other sons, Angirasa Muni, whose effulgence lit up all directions. Seated in his hermitage, Angirasa looked like a second Brahma. King Mandhata was very pleased to see that exalted sages, whose senses were completely under control.
The king immediately dismounted his horse and offered his respectful obeisance's at the lotus feet of Angirasa Muni. Then the king joined his palms and prayed for the Munis blessings. That saintly person reciprocated by blessing the king with sacred mantras; then he asked him about the welfare of the seven limbs of his kingdom.
The seven limbs of a kings domain are the king himself; the ministers; his treasury; his military forces; his allies; the Brahmins; the sacrificial performances performed in the kingdom and the needs of the subjects under his care. Sayana Ekadasi After telling the sage how the seven limbs of his kingdom were situated, King Mandhata asked the sage about his own situation, and if he was happy. Then Angirasa Muni asked the king why he had undertaken such a difficult journey into the forest, and the king told him of the affliction his kingdom was suffering. The king said, Oh great sage, I am ruling and maintaining my kingdom while following the Vedic injunctions, and thus I do not know the reason for the drought. To solve this mystery, I have approached you for help. Please help me relieve the suffering of my subjects. Angirasa Rishi said tot he king, The present age, Satya yuga, is the best of all ages, for in this age Dharma stands on all four legs (Truthfulness, Austerity, Mercy, and Cleanliness). In this age everyone respects Brahmins as the topmost members of society. Also, everyone fulfills his occupational duties, and only twice-born Brahmins are allowed to perform Vedic austerities and penances. Although this is a standard, Oh lion among kings, there is one shudra (uninitiated, untrained person) who is thus unlawfully performing the rites of austerity and penance in your kingdom. This is why there is no rain in your land. You should therefore punish this labourer with death, for by so doing you will remove the contamination inflicted by his actions and restore peace to your subjects. Sayana Ekadasi The king then replied, How can I kill an offense less performer of austerity and sacrifice? Please give me some spiritual solution. The great sage Angirasa Muni then said, Oh king, you should observe a fast on the Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight of the month of Asadha. This auspicious day is named Padma Ekadasi, and by its influence plentiful rains and thus grains and other foodstuffs will surely return to your kingdom. This Ekadasi bestows perfection upon its faithful observers, removes all kinds of bad elements, and destroys all obstacles on the path to perfection. Oh king, you, your relatives, and your subjects should all observe this sacred Ekadasi fast. Then everything in your kingdom will undoubtedly return to normal. Upon hearing these words, the king offered his obeisance's and then returned to his palace. When the Padma Ekadasi arrived, King Mandhata assembled all the Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaishyas and Sudras in his kingdom and instructed them to strictly observe this important fast day. After they had observed it, the rains fell, just as the sage had predicted, and in due course of time there were abundant crops and a rich harvest of grain. By the mercy of the Supreme Lord Hrishikesha, the master of the senses, all the subjects of King Mandhata became extremely happy and prosperous. Therefore, Oh Narada, everyone should observe this Ekadasi fast very strictly, for it bestows all kinds of happiness, as well as ultimate liberation, upon the faithful devotee Lord Sri Krishna concluded, My dear Yudhishthira,PadmaEkadasi is so powerful that one who simply reads or hears its glories becomes completely sinless. Oh Pandava, one who wishes to please Me should strictly observe this Ekadasi, which is also known as Deva-sayani Ekadasi Deva-sayani, or Vishnu-sayani, indicates the day when Lord Vishnu goes to sleep with all the devas (demigods). It is said that after this day one should not perform any new auspicious ceremonies until Devotthani Ekadasi (Haribodhini (Prabodhini) Devotthaani (Uttana) Ekadasi), which occurs during the month of Kartika (October November), because the devas (demigods), being asleep, cannot be invited to the sacrificial arena and because the Sun is travelling along its Southern course (Dakshinayanam). Lord Sri Krishna continued, Oh lion among kings, Yudhishthira Maharaj, whoever wants liberation should regularly observe a fast on this Ekadasi which is also the day when the Chaturmasya fast begins. Thus ends the narration of the glories of the Ashadha-shukla Ekadasi also known as Padma Ekadasi or Deva-sayani Ekadasi from the Bhavishya- uttara Purana.
"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare"
One who hears Bhagavatam on the Ekadasi day is assured of long life, and one who recites it with careful attention while fasting is purified of all sinful reactions. SB 12/12/60 Astrological view on chaturmasaya Sannyasi observe Chaturmasya and stay at one place to meditate on lord Vishnu to know the Absolute Reality and instruct their disciples in the spiritual lore. The mendicant Sage , except in the rainy season, may stay one night in a village and five nights in a city; During the rains, he may stay four months in a village or town. He shall not stay for two nights in a villages; if he stays, affection, lust, etc., may find scope to deflect him and thereby he may go to hell. In the outskirts of a village, in a secluded spot, he may pitch his camp . During the rains, he shall stay at one place. If, during the rainy season, the Sannyasis move from one place to another, they may cause injury to many insects and worms that breed and move about on the ground during the season. Sannyasis have taken the vow of non-injury to all creatures (Ahimsa and Abhaya), they should refrain from causing harm to any living being. Moreover, constant travel will also come in the way of Sannyasis having any time for Atma -vichara or for continued profound meditation; (So, they halt at one place once in a year for four months and engage themselves in the meditation of the Supreme Lord Vishnu , in the company of their Gurus and other Sannyasis, clearing their doubts on complex metaphysical problems. This General view, Astrologically the Rasi involved for Chaturmasya are Kataka(moksha),Simha(Dharma) and Kanya or virgo (Artha) and Thula or libra(Kama). In astrology Jupiter and Venus are Two Gurus showing two different paths to get liberation. anything which give happiness and pleasure is Venus, enjoy the materialistic happiness and understand its limitation and surrender to the Lord is Venus Policy. Devotion, morality, wisdom, compassion, spirituality as per Parampara and connection with the universe is the policy of Jupiter. Chaturmasaya period rasi lords are Moon,Sun,Mercury and venus. The centre of Chaturmasya period is Kanya Rasi where Kama-Krodha-Lobha-Moha-Mada- Matsaras or of Desire- Anger-Greed-Infatuation-Arrogance and Envy are stored thats why mars indicator of strength is getting wrong direction in kanya Rasi .with respect of centre of kanya Rasi one side Jupiter is getting wrong direction in the rasis of simha and kataka and other side of kanya rasi Venus is getting wrong direction in Tula and viruchika.
So Sun and Moon helps is required to make the Two teachers to the correct path. Astrologically Jupiter path is recommended to get liberation because sun and moon are loosing its strength while transiting in Libra and viruchika respectively. The Jupiter path is always recommended that means following the Parampara system to get surrender to the Supreme lord. As per Srila Prabhupada The Parampara system means... Just like we claim Parampara system from Krishna. So whatever Krishna says or He said 5,000 years ago, we are repeating the same thing. That is called Parampara system. Not that "The world has changed. Scientific advancement is very great. Now we can interpret in this way and that way." This is all not correct. Simply we have to follow what our previous gurus preached.
Compiled by Pitchumani Krishnan,Vedic astrologer,Chennai
We cannot change a single alphabet. They are all unmistakable. They cannot be changed. So that is niscayam atmanah. If we want to know positively, what is God, then we should take lesson from a self-realized soul who has understood, who has seen. Jnaninas tattva- darsinah. Just like here it is tattva-niscayam atmanah. So tattvam, the truth, so one must have seen the truth, realized the truth. That is guru. Means one who has seen the truth. How he has seen the truth? Through the Parampara system. Krishna said this, and then Brahma said the same thing, then Narada said the same thing, Vyasadeva said the same thing, and then disciplic succession, If we want to know positively, what is God, then we should take lesson from a self-realized soul who has understood, who has seen. So astrologically when sun transit through four signs that is kataka ,simha, Kanya and Libra are highly auspicious period for spiritual practices., because all gurus directly connecting themselves to the supreme lord Vishnu (who is in yoga Nitra during the period) to get blessing and enrich their knowledge during this Chaturmasya period. Adopting various rituals and fasting suggested in the Chaturmasya Vrata may help the come out from the clutch of Maya.
OM Hreem Kleem Shreem Sivaya Brammanay Namaha
Breaking Fast
Break the fast on 10.07.2014, Thursday between 06.00 to 0900HRS