Chaturmasa observance starting today

ANANTAPUR: The Ashada Ekadashi or Devshayani Ekadashi  is observed during the Ashada month of the Hindu calendar. It marks the start of the slumber of Lord Vishnu (Lord Vitthal) on the sheshnag for a four-month period, which is called Chaturmas.

"The Lord gets up after four months. This period is called chaturmas and most of the priests and pontiffs of all traditions including Jains strictly implement the deeksha for the four months,” priests said.

The pontiffs of various matts have to sit on the Chaturmasa Deeksha at one place. The pontiffs will normally have to keep traveling. The pontiffs across the country were planning to go on a deeksha in Chaturmasya, travelling to holy places like Haridwar, Kasi and other destinations across the country.

The Mantralayam Sri Raghavendra Swamy matt pontiff Sri Sudheendra Theertha swamiji will be on a deeksha at Mantralayam in Kurnool district during the Chaturmasya.

The matt expects large-scale arrival of devotees during all these days. The pontiff will offer Mudradharana to devotees at Bengaluru on Thursday and will be back to Mantralayam to continue the ritual till night.

The Vyasarajmatt Uttaradhikari Sri Vidyavijaya Theertha will offer mudradharana at Bengaluru in the morning and would continue the same in Srirangam of Tamil Nadu in the evening. One of the Upudi pontiffs would sit on deeksha at Mysore while another vyashna matt pontiff in North Karnataka.

This time, many pontiffs from Vaishnava peethas offer mudradharana in Bengaluru city in the morning.

As a mark of Chaturmasa Deeksha, the pontiffs of Dvaita, Advaita and Vishishtadvaita peetams across the country will stay at a particular place and teach the students, as against their normal routine of tour.

Mudradharana has been part of Ekadashi by pontifs at Madhwa matts in AP, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana states and northern states.

The Vizag Sri Sharadapeetham Swaroopananda Swamiji along with Uttaradhikari had deeksha in Hrushikesh a year ago.

The Chaturmasya Vrata, the four-month-long auspicious period starts from Ashada Shukla Dashmi to Kartik Shukla Purnima (mid -November) with food restrictions to avoid various foods based on the seasons connected with rains and breeding.