Chatur Maas Vrata - चतुर मास व्रत - ચતુર માસ વ્રત

[ISKCON-Ahmedabad]

|| हरे कृष्ण ||
|| Hare Kṛṣṇa ||

All Glories to Śrī Guru & Gaurānga!
All Glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Nitāi Gaura Premānande, HARI HARI BOLO!

पतितानाम पावनेभ्यो वैष्णवेभ्यो नमो नम:|
Patitānām Pāvanebhyo Vaiśṇavebhyo Namo Namaḥ!

Respected Devotees,
Please accept our humble obeisances - dandavat praṇāma,

FRIDAY, 15th JULY 2011 is the beginning of CHATUR MAAS VRATA (Austerities for 4 months) / चतुर मास व्रत / ચતુર માસ વ્રત .
PLEASE OBSERVE THE VRATA AS PER THE RULES GIVEN BELOW AND ACQUIRE KRISHNA PREMA.

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RULES FOR OBSERVING CHATURMAASYA VRATA (4 MONTHLY FAST & AUSTERITIES) AND REFERENCES

Chaturmaasya is described by Srila Prabhupada in the Purport to Text 169 of the Fourth Chapter of the Madhya Lila of the Chaitanya Charitamrta as follows.

The Chaturmasya period begins in the month of Asadha (June-July) from the day of Ekadasi called Sayana-ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon. The period ends in the month of Karttika (October-November) on the Ekadasi day known as Utthana-ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon. This four-month period is known as Chaturmasya. Some Vaisnavas also observe it from the full-moon day of Asadha until the full-moon day of Karttika. 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. The whole period, either lunar or solar, takes place during the rainy season. Chaturmasya should be observed by all sections of the population. It does not matter whether one is a grhastha 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 nonvegetarian food during the month of Kartika. A nonvegetarian diet means fish and meat. Similarly, masura dhal and urad dhal are also considered nonvegetarian. These two dhals contain a great amount of protein, and food rich in protein is considered nonvegetarian. On the whole, during the four-month period of Chaturmasya one should practice giving up all food intended for sense enjoyment.

It has also been mentioned that this vrata is not observed during adhika maasa (Ref: Vaishnava Calendar)

Chaturmasya-vrata :

                                      

Restricted foods during the entire four months of Caturmasya:

· Eggplants (brinjals-baingan), tomatoes, loki, parmal/parval, urad daahl and honey.

Particular foods that are restricted during each of the four months:

· First month: No leafy vegetables, such as spinach, salads of all types, cabbages of all types, kale, leafy herbs such as coriander, mint, parsley, curry and powdered leafy herbs and teas.
· Second month: No yogurt
· Third month: No milk
· Fourth month: No Urad & Masoor daal, mustard oil or sesame seeds.

Foods that can be taken all days of the year, including Ekadasi and Caturmasya:

· All fruits (fresh and dried), all nuts and oils made from nuts.
· Potatoes, pumpkin, cucumber, radish, squash, lemon, avocado, olives, coconut, buckwheat, all sugars.
· All pure milk products—(except yogurt during the 2nd month of Chaturmasya and milk during the 3rd month).

For sannyasis, brahmacaris and vanaprasthas:

Shaving head and cutting nails is to be done on full moon days.

The Chaturmaasya Vrata from Haribhakti Vilaasa

15th vilaasa

Caturmasya Benefits:

Bhavisya Purana-  "One who passes the Chaturmasya season without observing religious vows, austerities and chanting of japa, such a fool although living, should be considered to be a dead man."

If one can't follow the things given above & below, at least one should follow the following basic rules:

Month Shraavana (15July) Bhaadra (13Aug) Ashvina (12Sept) Kaartika (11Octo up to 9Nov)

Fasting from Spinach, saak, green leafy vegetables Yoghurt Milk Urad and masur daahl

Skanda Puraana, Nagava Khanda-  "In the month of shraavana (July, August) one should refrain from eating spinach.  In the month of Bhaadra (August, September) of yoghurt in Ashvina (September, October) milk. In Kaartika (October, November) meat and urad daahl.

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.

1) No salt—One's voice becomes sweet.
2) No oil—One's life is prolonged and gets progeny.
3) No oil massages—One's body becomes beautiful.
4) No cooking with oil—One's enemies are vanished.
5) No licorice and oil—One becomes wealthy.
6) Give up wearing unoffered flowers—One becomes a Vidyadhara in Devapura.
7) Give up six kinds of tastes (spice, sour, bitter, sweet, salty and harsh)—One never becomes ugly, smelly, or obtains a bad birth.
8) Practice of yoga—One goes to Brahmaloka.
9) No betal 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—One gets ... (?)
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 honored 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 endeavor—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 Chaturmasya, garlands, caranamrta, candana and water from the conshell of the Lord, mahaprasädam, Deity garlands must be accepted.

In this way one who performs this vrata for the satisfaction of Lord Kesava 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, of this there is no doubt.

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 are 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 nindra underwater, he goes to the abode of Lakshmi.

Devotees outside Ahmedabad kindly follow the link and find out the exact date and the time of the beginning of the Vrata at your place.

http://www.vaisnavacalendar.com

OR

Install Vaishnava Calendar in your PC

http://www.krishnadays.com (This is authorized Vaishnava Calendar GCal by ISKCON GBC)

http://calender.iskcondesiretree.info/vaishnavareminder.htm

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With sincere prayers for your wellbeing and dandavat praṇāma,
Your humble servants at,

श्री राधागोविंदजी धाम - इस्कॉन अहमदाबाद
Śrī RādhāGovindajī Dhāma
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हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण, कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे |
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