The holy four months as they are called seem to be close by with the Sun sitting in the moon sign Kark or Cancer and a new moon is aligning with the sun as they rose today. Though officially, the Caturmasya period begins in the month of Ashadha (June-July) from the day of Sayana-ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon. The period ends in the month of Kartika (October-November) on the Ekadasi day known as Utthana-ekadasi.
As a ritual I started performing some time last year, I woke up early on the Amavasya tithi, took a bath and offered arghya to the rising sun while chanting 'Aum Ghrini Surya Adityamu' (will tell you later what that means). Connecting to the sun in this way brings a lot of peace and clarity to my mind. Even though I don't do this every single day.
The sun, that is said to be representative of the individual soul or in other words, the masculine energy within, the provider of means or Atmakarak, is said to begin its journey southward as it rises and sets moving around the earth.
It is believed this happens as the earth tilts while it moves around the sun. Oblivious of whether you believe in a heliocentric or geocentric system, the effects are same.
Dependent on which part of the earth you sit at, the effects you feel will be slightly different. There are customs that say you must eat fewer meals during these holy months and there are also customs which set guidelines about what you should or should not eat during this period. The Bhagwat Geeta just says this:
naty-asnatas 'tu yogo 'sti
na caikantam anasnatah
na cati-svapna-silasya
jagrato naiva carjuna
There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.
So, rather than trying to avoid foods, it is wiser to use this time to understand the cultural importance of our diet and how it affects our body.
Each month is dedicated towards understanding a particular food group from the diets of agricultural communities of India where the monsoon season has started.
During Shravan, leafy greens like Spinach are avoided. Greens like arugula, spinach and cilantro go to seed quickly in hot, dry temperatures as will the leaves of most plants. And so, it's not a coincidence that closer to the equator, in the southern hemisphere, the heat of July August causes leaf growth of many plants to slowdown or toughen while the plant focuses its energies towards producing flowers and seeds. Though it's possible to alter the growth conditions of plants grown in small quantities in artificial environment, the effects of the sun and moon can not be ignored.
During Bhadra, eating yogurt by itself is avoided. If you make yogurt at home, you will know how, hot summers, cause the yogurt to set faster or slower making it sour and thin more quickly. The natural changes in humidity levels affect taste to a great extent. Many other probiotics like pickles also tend to taste more sour during summers or spoil easily.
During Ashwini, drinking milk is avoided due to a variety of reasons. One as milk is easily contaminated if cows are not well maintained during the mosquitoes season. Mosquitoes start breeding when warm and moist conditions are available. Two milk is a complete food which nourishes all the seven dhatus beginning with rasa dhatu, the essential waters within our body. As humidity in the air changes, the gods also work towards nourishing all beings accordingly, so it's easy to experience an imbalance if you follow a strict routine that is not in sync with the environmental changes. The other option is to follow your hunger cues while listening to the god within.
Ashadha and Kartik months are the transition months when reflecting on the past and future helps you understand the works of the gods better. The thing to understand about transition months is that they are not the ideal months for physical health oriented fasting unless the fast is observed for sake of mental clarity.
That's all I understood this period.
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