CHATURMAAS - What's so special?
Now, this blog is not about the importance or the significance of CHATURMAAS as per Vedic traditions. That information and a plethora of it, you can find all over the internet. So I am not doing the copy-paste (ctrl-C - ctrl-V) job for you. Here, I will focus on what you may not find... anywhere...
20th JULY to 14th NOVEMBER 2021 - These FOUR are Sacred months, for chanting Sacred Mantras from sacred texts, stories and parables that have been with us since time immemorial, passed on from one generation (de-generations too) to the other
From faith to being branded as superstition, from beliefs to being called mythology, from Dharma to be reduced to a religion, from Ancient Science to becoming Unscientific Mumbo Jumbo, the treasures of Vedic Wisdom have lived on and showered their grace on those who cared to explore and go beyond modern narratives and mass beliefs.
This CHATURMAAS during the COVID-19 ERA or the CORONA TIMES offers you a fantastic opportunity to try exploring some of it for yourself. It is a chance of a lifetime.
You are already spending more time alone, in solitude and I am sure you have been introspecting more than ever. These are surely times of anxiety, worry, depression and grief too. Young or old, experienced or not, working professional or not, negative thinking is playing in everyone's mind.
Even Web series, movies - blue or black and other activities behind which one could hide one's real feelings or fritter away the time till normalcy returns are already caught in a downward spiral - the law of diminishing returns, and do not offer much of an escape or solace any more.
It is the time of the year that comes every year but this time we have the time to invest some time and attention towards the festivals/pujas and shift focus from shopping and gifting to the basics of the festivals and delve deeper into the fact that even after 1000s of years the festive feeling is alive though at a superficial level.
The CHATURMAAS programs with LAGHUNNYASAM AND RUDRAPRASHNAM spearheading the initiatives for this season have been created in English and Hindi in order to establish a connection with Sanskrit. Each session is approx. 30 minutes.
It is surely an opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge, enrich ourselves and pass it on to our children and grandchildren; instead of just family traditions and baseless rituals as a family heirloom which only instil fear of criticism or rebuke for not doing it right or not at all.
We can invest this time to learn and experience a connection with the Universe and develop a deeper understanding that can inspire others in the family and society to get curious and interested. It would be the best form of self-empowerment we can achieve and receive in these special times.
Today, everything is available online and for free but machines (not even AI) cannot replace humans in their ability to inspire learning. The idea is to deepen one's roots in order to grow taller-stronger-sharper and withstand all the storms in life than depend on off-the-shelf energy drinks that promise to give you wings...
The future of human society lies
not with those who teach
but with those who can inspire learning.
