Gaṇeśa Caturthī

GAṆEŚA CATURTHĪ

Commencing on the fourth day (caturthī) of the bright fortnight (śukla pakṣa) in the month of Bhādrapadā (Aug–Sept), Gaṇeśa Caturthī is observed for ten days, culminating on Ananta Caturdaśī (14th day).

Salutations to Śrī Gaṇeśa who has a curved trunk, who has a large body and whose splendor is similar to that of a million suns; who is the son of Śiva and Pārvatī, the remover of obstacles and the writer of the story.

Gaṇeśa, revered as the deity who governs the threshold of new beginnings, wisdom, and intelligence, represented by the brain stem in our physiology, the lord of Jyotiṣa Vidyā (Vedic astrology) and the one who is associated with Ketu and Mercury. He rules over the planetary vibrations that guide us through transitions—encouraging us to see obstacles not as hindrances, but as divine redirections towards our true nature. 

Vyāsa invoked Gaṇeśa to serve as the divine scribe of the Mahābhārata—some traditions even say he fashioned him into being through tapas for this immortal task. Gaṇeśa agreed on the condition that Vyāsa dictate without pause, and Vyāsa, with equal cleverness, required that Gaṇeśa only write once he fully understood each verse.

On Gaṇeśa Caturthī, it is said one should avoid looking at the moon (Candra Darśana) as it can bring false accusations or misunderstandings—stemming from the Purāṇic tale where Candra mocked Gaṇeśa, leading to a curse that whoever sees him on this night may suffer slander. Instead, devotion is directed wholly to Gaṇeśa, the remover of obstacles.

On this sacred day, devotees immerse themselves in fasting, chanting Vedic hymns and Hindu texts, offering sweets such as modaka —believed to be the favorite of Lord Gaṇeśa—as prasāda. The festival culminates on the tenth day with visarjana, when the Mūrti (depiction of a deity) is carried in a grand procession, accompanied by music and chanting, and immersed in a nearby body of water, symbolizing the cycle of creation and dissolution.

O Deva, lord of new beginnings, please make my undertakings free of obstacles, by extending your blessings in all my works, always and may I remember to trust that when you place obstacles in my way, that you’re gently guiding me back to my most aligned path.

ॐ श्री गणेशाय नमः

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī and Kālī Jayantī

KṚṢṆA KĀLĪ 

On the aṣṭamī tithi (8th lunar day) of the dark fortnight (kṛṣṇa pakṣa) — reckoned as Śrāvaṇa in the South and Bhādrapada in the North — two auspicious observances converge: Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī and Kālī Jayantī.

Janmāṣṭamī marks the divine appearance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the avatāra of Viṣṇu who embodies love, play, and dharma’s restoration. On this same lunar day, the dark and liberating Mother, Mahākālī, conected to Śani Dev (Saturn) is also especially honored. Her Jayantī reminds us of the force that severs illusion, awakens truth, and grants fearlessness.

The alignment of these two — Kṛṣṇa’s enchanting sweetness and Kālī’s uncompromising power — offers a rare doorway into wholeness: the union of tenderness and strength, play and destruction, love and liberation.

Kālī, adorned with the munda-mālān (garland of severed heads), is the slayer of ego and illusion. Each severed head is a Sanskrit letter, showing that She devours the very roots of false identity—sound, speech, and thought—transforming them into ornaments of wisdom.

Her teaching is fierce: She strips away every veil until only the Self remains. To the ego, She is terror; to the soul, She is freedom. Naked, unbound by space or time, She reveals that clinging to what perishes is bondage, and resting in awareness is liberation.

Her stance upon Śiva is the union of opposites: movement anchored in stillness, time held by eternity. Śakti grounds in Śiva, showing that power without consciousness is chaos, and consciousness without power is inert. Together they awaken balance—the rhythm of creation, dissolution, and liberation.

Her connection to Kṛṣṇa is profound. Both embody the mystery of Time (kāla-svarūpa). Kālī, the dark Mother, consumes all forms back into Herself. Kṛṣṇa, the dark Beloved, enchants all beings toward Him. In the Gītā, He declares: kālo’smi loka-kṣhaya-kṛt pravṛddho—“I am Time, destroyer of worlds.” Both wear the hue of infinity (śyāma varṇa), not as absence, but as the womb of creation.

Like Kṛṣṇa, She is Time itself—dark, infinite, and irresistible. He enchants the soul through love, encouraging in the direction of right action (yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi); She liberates the soul through fearlessness, slaying the false self so the infinite may shine.

Kālī is truth without compromise; Kṛṣṇa is truth through love. One cuts, the other draws near—but both dissolve the ego and awaken the eternal Self.

कालीं कृष्णं नमाम्यहम् ।

Kālīṁ Kṛṣṇaṁ namāmyaham.

“I bow to Kālī, I bow to Kṛṣṇa—Dark Mother, Dark Beloved—forms of the one eternal.”

योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥ २.४८॥

yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya |
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate || 2.48 ||

“Established in yoga, perform your action, O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna),
abandoning attachment, remaining equal in success and failure.
Such equanimity is called yoga.”

 Bhagavad Gītā (2.48)

New Moon in Puṣyā: The Star of Nourishment

NEW MOON IN PUṢYĀ

7.24 12:11 PST

A moon to remember those who walked before us…

The new moon in the sacred month of Śrāvaṇa (per the North Indian calendar - pūrṇimānta), observed as Ādi Amāvāsyā in the South, rises in the Vedic lunar mansion of Puṣyā (landing in the heart of Cancer), the Star of Nourishment. This lunation is especially potent for pitṛ-tarpaṇa (ancestor offerings), a time to honor and remember those who came before us.

Puṣyā is the seat of Bṛhaspati (Guru)—preceptor of the gods and the one who speaks the prayer. It is the constellation where Jupiter finds its uccha (exaltation) point. It is also considered one of the birth stars of Śukra (Venus). Among the most auspicious nakṣatras, Puṣyā is deeply favorable for beginnings of all kinds—except marriage.

The Śakti of this star initiates our capacity to harness creative and spiritual energy, granting the wisdom and abundance to nourish both the inner and outer worlds. The wealth we seek here is puṇya (merit)—accumulated through tapasya (austerity)—which comes forward through the grace of divine guidance and the refined discrimination (viveka) to direct it well.

To drink from this reservoir of energy is to direct our efforts with clarity: finding the center of our wheel, staying in our lane, protecting the nervous system, and sustaining the nourishment that allows material abundance to flourish without distraction or depletion.

Vidyā & Chai: Join us to dive deeper into the astrological weather, including Mercury and Saturn retrograde, for our monthly group meditation and Sacred Storytelling. Tomorrow also begins Śrāvaṇa month in the South Indian calendar (amānta).

July 26th | 3:30pm PST
EMAIL to RSVP

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