Cāturmāsa, which literally means 'Four Months,' is considered an inauspicious time on the lunisolar Hindu Calendar. From what I understand, the inauspiciousness is based on the rainy season in India. As someone who resides in what Borat calls 'U, S, and A,' observing Cāturmāsa here does not make perfect sense due to the geographical differences. Nonetheless, I am happy to participate by observing the four month period by practicing some kind of austerity.
Just before Cāturmāsa began just a tidbit more than two fortnights ago, I made a vow to keep during the period. My vow is that during the four month period, I would not consume chocolate, that I would not watch videos by a certain YouTuber who I listened to almost on a daily basis, and that I would read from either the Vedas or the Devī-Bhāgavata Purāṇa for at least 15 minutes every day. So far, I have kept my vow.
At the moment, I can say that I do not miss chocolate at all. The thought of an Oreo cookie actually makes me feel a bit ill at my stomach. Similarly, the thought of a Kit Kat mocha and chocolate wafer bar seems like a thought about garbage. Moreover, the idea of eating something by Cadbury or Lindt just seems like it would be a waste of money.
When it comes to not watching the YouTuber who I used to watch, or rather listen to, almost every day, whose content is mostly political commentary and a few things about the paranormal and religion, I honestly do not miss his content. I feel better not listening to someone who swears like a sailor and argues for policies that I think would be far from conducive to the well-being of any civilization. Now I wonder why I even listened to him as much as I did.
With respect to reading from the Vedas or the Devī-Bhāgavata each day of Cāturmāsa, I am quite glad that I included that as part of my vow. I used to associate austerity with merely abstaining from things, but not long ago, I realized that doing something is complementary to denying myself of something that only gratifies my senses. As well, if I had not included reading from one of those scriptures as part of my vow, I would not have read much of anything in them lately, and, consequently, I would have felt mediocre and unserious for reading very little of anything that I know to be a scripture.
What I have mostly read from is the Vedas, which to me means not merely the Saṃhitās but all four layers of the four Vedas. So far, I have read many hymns in the Saṃhitās, and what I mostly read is the Upaniṣads. I have read all of Bṛhadāraṇyaka. Currently, I am reading Chāndogya. Lots of screenshots are being taken of certain pages with interesting and significant verses. My reading is helpful to me because I want to eventually write a book that outlines and expounds a Vedic worldview.
Lastly, I think I should mention that I have read some of Devī-Bhāgavata during this period. The reason that I included it as something to read is that, when I made my vow, I was leaning toward Śāktism as the branch of Hinduism that I might commit to. Lately, I have been leaning toward Vaiṣṇavism, but as of today, I am leaning toward Śaivism after reading Śvetāśvatara and thinking critically about the meaning of 'highest footstep of Viṣṇu' in the Ṛgveda and Kaṭha.
Just before Cāturmāsa began just a tidbit more than two fortnights ago, I made a vow to keep during the period. My vow is that during the four month period, I would not consume chocolate, that I would not watch videos by a certain YouTuber who I listened to almost on a daily basis, and that I would read from either the Vedas or the Devī-Bhāgavata Purāṇa for at least 15 minutes every day. So far, I have kept my vow.
At the moment, I can say that I do not miss chocolate at all. The thought of an Oreo cookie actually makes me feel a bit ill at my stomach. Similarly, the thought of a Kit Kat mocha and chocolate wafer bar seems like a thought about garbage. Moreover, the idea of eating something by Cadbury or Lindt just seems like it would be a waste of money.
When it comes to not watching the YouTuber who I used to watch, or rather listen to, almost every day, whose content is mostly political commentary and a few things about the paranormal and religion, I honestly do not miss his content. I feel better not listening to someone who swears like a sailor and argues for policies that I think would be far from conducive to the well-being of any civilization. Now I wonder why I even listened to him as much as I did.
With respect to reading from the Vedas or the Devī-Bhāgavata each day of Cāturmāsa, I am quite glad that I included that as part of my vow. I used to associate austerity with merely abstaining from things, but not long ago, I realized that doing something is complementary to denying myself of something that only gratifies my senses. As well, if I had not included reading from one of those scriptures as part of my vow, I would not have read much of anything in them lately, and, consequently, I would have felt mediocre and unserious for reading very little of anything that I know to be a scripture.
What I have mostly read from is the Vedas, which to me means not merely the Saṃhitās but all four layers of the four Vedas. So far, I have read many hymns in the Saṃhitās, and what I mostly read is the Upaniṣads. I have read all of Bṛhadāraṇyaka. Currently, I am reading Chāndogya. Lots of screenshots are being taken of certain pages with interesting and significant verses. My reading is helpful to me because I want to eventually write a book that outlines and expounds a Vedic worldview.
Lastly, I think I should mention that I have read some of Devī-Bhāgavata during this period. The reason that I included it as something to read is that, when I made my vow, I was leaning toward Śāktism as the branch of Hinduism that I might commit to. Lately, I have been leaning toward Vaiṣṇavism, but as of today, I am leaning toward Śaivism after reading Śvetāśvatara and thinking critically about the meaning of 'highest footstep of Viṣṇu' in the Ṛgveda and Kaṭha.
