The coronation ceremony of HH Swami Vidyadhishananda celebrating His Holiness’s ascension as Head Pontiff of Sri Paramananda Ashram Trust Consortium (SriPAT) took place on Thursday, 23 February 2023 at the Sri Paramananda Maṭha campus, among the oldest institutions in the holy city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Monks and pontiffs from local ashrams, temples, monasteries and maṭha (monastically led schools with a Sanskrit curriculum) along with leaders from many esteemed institutions of other distant cities came together for this resplendent function to honour His Holiness and offered their obeisance.

This ceremony represents the culmination of the transition of leadership following the untimely passage of revered monk and head pontiff HH Swami Sharadananda Giri.

In attendance during the at-capacity event were Vedic school students, Vedic priests, scholars, professors, governmental heads, and an international delegation of pilgrims (representing 12 countries).

There were 42 monks, saints, and heads of institutions who draped His Holiness with their ceremonial-shawls to honour the coronation. More than 1100 guests including over 250 local community members partook of a full meal at the end of the ceremony and more than 800 of the guests were felicitated with gifts by the ashram.

Our beloved His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda is now ceremonially installed as the head pontiff and president of a consortium of five institutions in addition to being the President of both Hansavedas in the USA and its direct sister institution, Vedanidhi in India.

In this role as a head pontiff and a spiritual advisor of dharma, His Holiness represents our entire international sangha to various other institutions of academic repute and spiritual antiquity.

News coverage of the event has circulated widely. You are welcome to view this video news coverage with highlights of the 6-hour long proceedings which lasted from 8 am to 2 pm. You can appreciate the long-standing tradition by seeing the attending monks conferring ordination shawls to the successor monk, His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda, during the ceremony.

Called pattabishekam, this was the high point of the ceremony along with the sprinkling of holy water taken from the sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Yamuna near the ashram which was further energized ceremonially. This confluence is the setting for the world’s largest spiritual gathering attracting some 50 to 70 million pilgrims once every few years to Prayagraj. The next Kumbha-mela will take place here in February 2025.

During Kumbha-mela, the Paramananda Ashram prepares food for over 2000 pilgrims every day for a month. On the day before the coronation, a Bhandara team (expert cooks who were hired for mass feeding) were working late into the night to prepare food for a gathering of 1200 guests. Students from the school and helpers served the multitude of guests who lined the courtyards and corridors of the ashram after the ceremony.

We could only relate through our mother – what would mom think? – until we became independent thinkers. Milk was ready as we tried to open our eyes. We clung to our mother when we tried to hide from facing the world. We cried out loud and we were pacified by our mothers. We shared our bodies with our mothers for several months while in the womb and extracted the potent lifeforce śakti from her that embellished us with ojas energy.

During our innocent years, we relied on our mothers for every bit of warmth and solace. Her touch gave us the force to build upon our ideals and conceptions. We grew in strength and force so that we could be ready for voluntary action. That force we gathered through the gift of motherhood enabled us to cultivate our own energy śakti for all the creativity we could muster.

We grow up building and fortifying what motherhood’s feminine force gifted to us. Mothering gave us the nurturing that served to cushion all our future actions with emotional support. That emotional reserve was also the āhlādinī–śakti which was borrowed from the unalloyed motherly love. Thus mother is hailed as the first guru, mātridevo-bhava, and it is a huge debt that motivates us to serve and practice.

Whether embroiled or relatively free, once encumbered, the tentacles of duties cannot be avoided. Just like the sacrifice of the mother, we can only serve by discharging our duties as spiritual penance and lovingly offer the fruits of hard work to the creator that exercised supreme śakti in this creation. Ultimately only the creator can protect us from the imbalance of adversity and prosperity. Feminine force is the instrument and the material cause of our lives and success. Without the support of that śakti we cannot excel in our lives.

Unwittingly we invite challenges from uninvited situations our way due to the very urge that initiated this life. We chose our mom through our father. Our innocence gave way to the understanding of the momentum of past actions and the grip of karma. We understood the value of correct knowledge in overcoming the shackles of ignorance, and the role of voluntary actions and its adhering virtues.

Freedom is not attained until the full quota of contingent satisfactions from the momentum of karma get exhausted, which may take lifetimes of striving and adhering misery. Therefore wisely proactive voluntary actions are needed to rectify and set things right by using that resource of śakti in every step of our lives.

A famous Vedanta verse proclaims that our immortal essence cannot be introspected by those who are physically weak (nāyāmātmā balahinena labhya). Thus a mindful seeker considers the gift of a healthy body as the most important support for introspective contemplation. Such a seeker understands that the body is like wet earth (or soil). Vibrant cruelty-free food organically grown on this Mother Earth is what sustains the original motherly śakti. Sustainable living is unapproachable without healing Mother Earth. Verily, Earth is the mother of our community, and she bears the burden of plundering, cruelty, exploitation and atrocities.

Honouring motherhood is a daily duty but during four navarātri periods each year motherhood is honoured through a targeted spiritual penance. These time periods are considered to be the ideal times to participate in healing the earth through the meditation and worship of the Divine Mother – the great śakti.

Meditation mass and fellowship services invoking the Divine Mother honour motherhood, reciprocate the sacrifices made for us and heal mother earth. Vedic fire ceremonies (Homa) are typically offered as an immense promise of reciprocation.

Those who sacrifice for the greater cause have truly understood the core principles and spiritual values that guide our service. It is not enough to seek personal benevolence for oneself from the Divine Mother. It is better still to undertake genuine spiritual practices and service that elevate our minds and fulfil our hearts without wanting anything in return. After all, a mother wants hardly anything from the child!

The Sanskrit text Mahākāla Saṃhitā declares that four nine-night periods, based on the soli-lunar calendar, are deemed especially auspicious for the worship of the great śakti in veneration of the Divine Mother. Each of these four periods are popularly celebrated as navarātri, which is a literal translation of ‘nine-nights’ with each period starting the day after a New Moon. The duration of each auspicious period is determined by the duration of a lunar day and its overlap with the sunrise time. Thus, in rare situations, one navarātri period may span as few as eight and as many as ten solar days.

In spiritual traditions, these four nine-night periods are celebrated by practicing varying degrees of contemplation, introspection, meditation, austerity, rituals, and by launching meaningful ventures. The culmination of this nine-night period ushers in daśamī or the tenth day of the ascending cycle of the Moon. It bears great significance for bringing to fruition a special personal triumph. Single days of special prayers related to the splendorous aspects of the Divine Mother divide the nine days (and nights) or navarātri meditation or worship.

caitre āśvine tathāṣāḍhe māghe kāryo-mahotsavaḥ
navarātre mahārāja pūjā kāryā viśeṣataḥ

The four auspicious time periods in 2023 for the US Pacific Time Zone are calculated below, as per the Sanskrit verse mentioned above:

Note: even though in Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span only eight solar days in the January 2023 Navarātri period, in which case those aspirants should not skip a day but rather conclude their 10 days of spiritual practice only on 31st January. This situation may not apply elsewhere outside of the western part of the USA.

Note: even though in the Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span nine solar days in the March 2023 Navarātri period, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA, in which case those aspirants should conclude their ten days of spiritual practice as per local soli-lunar coordinates.

Note: even though in the Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span ten solar days in the June 2023 Navarātri period, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA, in which case those aspirants should not add a day but rather conclude their ten days of spiritual practice as per local soli-lunar coordinates.

Note: even though in Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span only eight solar days in the October 2023 Navarātri period, in which case those aspirants should not skip a day but rather conclude their 10 days of spiritual practice only on 24th October. This situation may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA.

A typical nine-night period may last an extra day or lose a day thereby making the time-period span either 10 solar days or 8 solar days, respectively. If the lunar nine-night navarātri spans 10 solar days, then practice the spiritual routine for 11 days and conclude the entire practice on the 11th day. Conversely, if the nine-night navarātri spans only 8 solar days instead of the typical 9 solar days, then add two extra days and conclude the practice on the 10th solar day.

Those adhering to a daily routine of spiritual practices (or vows), such as meditation, sublime recitations, or community service (sevā) can structure their time equally into ten days of steady participation. One tenth of all spiritual practices is deemed a correction. Therefore, nine consecutive days of practice must be followed by a tenth portion, which is the correction, in addition to any corrective measures taken during any individual practice session. While evening time or even midnight time meditation is acceptable for the nine nights, the tenth concluding session can be finished before noon.

Feel free to explore the links below (at the risk of seeing ads unless you enable your ad blocker) if you wish to further study the transition of dates for your own area (local latitude and longitude). The calculations are fairly reliable even though the original Vedic or Sanskrit significance might not be detailed. Please remember to use your local city for the correct results of applicable daybreaks or transitions.

Using the links below, please scroll down to the list of four Navarātri time periods and use your local coordinates (latitude and longitude are automatically populated based on the name of your city/state/country etc.) to find the correct span of days applicable to you:

Navarātri Calendar

Please adjust the local coordinates by typing in your city or locale to find the exact days applicable to you.

A reliable website that is a good resource for relevant celestial events and is also worth studying:

timeanddate.com/astronomy

The history of the modern calendar is complex, comprised of several past simplifications and periodic adaptations. There are many pitfalls and the Julian/Gregorian calendars have been mired with errors and corrections. The current Nirayaṇa sidereal system of a soli-lunar calendar, even though deviated from the corrective calculations of Vedaṇga-Jyotiṣa, invokes the timing of auspicious transitions. This calculation yields a dynamic calendar with some checkpoints for adjustments already built in (through intricacies of the Ayanāmśa calculations). Modern astronomy confirms the validity and accuracy of this dynamic calendar, wherein every soli-lunar month ends on a New Moon (Āmanta).

On a new moon, the Sun and the Moon are overlapping and aligned with respect to the Earth, signifying the imbuing of light in the emptiness of the mind. At such junctures, the meditator is now ready for the perception of the light of consciousness in the heart, having conquered not only the emotional and physical disturbances but also the remaining subtle desires.

A deep meditator who becomes completely absorbed (samādhi) and attains higher realization is known in Sanskrit as muni. This word transforms into mouni, or the great silence of deep meditation. When appended with āmāvasyā, denoting the new moon, this word mouni-āmāvasyā implies the silence of the great void — a silence attained through deep meditation whereby all remaining internal chatter and imagery are conquered. In other words, the limit of perception is reached after overcoming all thought waves from subtle impressions in the heart. Herein the metaphor of darkness is aptly connected with the mystery of the new moon.

Seekers of truth continually search for higher wisdom in an effort to establish deeper spiritual practices that in turn greatly enrich their lives. Though every moment is momentous for such a seeker, special time periods within our daily calendar are recognized to be especially conducive to our practices and participation. As our biorhythms and diurnal cycles are in synergy with and related to the soli-lunar calendar, so too are the relationships manifested between us and higher worlds during specific time periods.

These transitions are based on the rhythms of nature and cycles of time as they relate to the relative movement of celestial bodies, including lunar asterisms and constellations. The synergy effects make it pertinent that we synchronize our affirmations and routines based on the cosmic time calendar given to us by the extant Sanskrit literature and its calculations.

Spiritual resolutions and the attendant disciplines are closely connected with the energy coordinates within our bodies and around us. The soli-lunar calendar maps the diurnal rhythms with respect to luminaries and planets in deep space, while the movement of these heavenly bodies retains a relationship with our breath. During one regular breath by a human being, the heavenly bodies move in space by one minute of arc, notably related to the rotation of earth.

In other words, the soli-lunar calendar is based on a continuous mapping of the relative positions of celestial bodies within our solar system and with reference to the lunar mansions farther out into space from Earth. Here on Earth, according to the geographic coordinates where we are located, this daily prāna (life-force energy) calendar maps the biorhythms influencing us through the cosmic motion of luminaries and planets. We can make affirmations become more meaningful at these auspicious times once we are equipped with an understanding of these transitions of key space-time coordinates.

The Sanskrit conception of elapsed time is an elaborate framework that cyclically connects past efforts with future momentum via the momentous ‘present’ and as the inevitable kāla, or the eater of all. These space-time concepts are further amplified by the nuances of the soli-lunar calendar wherein complicated rhythms of the heavenly bodies are mapped, with respect to both the Sun and the Moon, onto our biorhythms and daily routines. Following the traditional ‘auspiciousness’ of periods and days is captured in a unit of ‘proper time’ known as a muhurta or two units of 24 minutes, totaling 48 minutes. Sometimes an entire day is considered favourable depending upon the chores and ceremonies that define the range of activities.

While personal meditation practices or mental affirmations are rarely constricted by the dynamic components of the calendar, professional and ceremonial activities related to work and service are brought under a purview of the ‘right time’ for starting in order to gain momentum. There are also special days based on immensely significant events deemed divine and awe-inspiring, thereby evoking reverence and enumeration by devotees who adore such happenings.

The Sanskrit-based calculation and ethos is based on a cycle of 60 as per the sexagesimal system. Our resting heartbeat of one beat per second is considered to be the rhythm at the root of this system. The number 60 has 12 factors (the total number of constellations in the zodiac that the Sun traverses in a year) and is the smallest number divisible by every number from 1 to 6.

While 6 breaths span on average 24 seconds, 360 breaths usually take 24 minutes or 1/60th of a day, and 21,600 human breaths take 24 hours or a full day. 360° of sky-arc pass over the horizon in one day. 1/60 of 360° = 6° = 360 minutes of arc. Thus 360 breaths cover 360 minutes of arc in space. Therefore, during one breath, the heavenly bodies move in space by one minute of arc. Hence our breathing patterns and heartbeat rhythms are mapped and connected to the macrocosm through the process of evolution.

The Moon covers the same 360° of the sky in one synodic lunar month (the time it takes the moon to go from one new moon to the next) that the Sun covers during one sidereal year (the time it takes the sun to pass through all 12 constellations of the zodiac). The Sun’s 360° cycle is divided into 12 months of 30° each whereas the Moon’s cycle is divided into 30 days of 12° each. A lunar month is thus a mirror image of the solar year. An average soli-lunar year (based on a mean of 365.26 days of the solar sidereal year and 354.37 days of the lunar synodic year) is also about 360 days consisting of 40 nine-day/night periods (navarātri) and 9 forty-day periods (each such 40-day period is a mandala).

Wisdom teachings from the Sanskrit heritage guide the seeker towards a daily meditation practice that transcends the barriers of emotional remnants from performing prescribed duties and voluntary activities. Herein, meditation mends the mind by overcoming emotional and physical disturbances. However, the greater virtue of meditation lies in the continuous purification of the chitta (mind, ego and intellect) in the subtle heart. Sanskrit texts define this subtle heart as the soul, which can be seen in deep meditation (seeing without the use of subtle sense organs).

Practising daily mindfulness with breath awareness brings about an understanding of the entrapments from expanding the experience of the world. Anchoring oneself in one’s own daily meditation practices defined by structured techniques manifests the highest purification of internal tendencies and latent impressions lodged in the mind (chitta-suddhi).

Thereafter, a pure-hearted mind beholds the ultimate knowledge or realization of being that transcends subtle feelings and the thoughtless void. While the journey is outlined clearly in extant Sanskrit philosophical literature, it is helpful to know that our affirmations towards the goal become more meaningful when we synchronize them closely with a certain cosmic time-space coordinate based on a proven dynamic calendar from our ancient heritage.

Affirmations, spiritual vows and daily meditation based on this greater synchronization are necessary until living liberation is attained. Those joining the path of inner awakening or just starting on this journey of mindfulness often wonder how the liberated souls or enlightened beings can remain silent for so long or do not get bored without doing something or other. Most who cannot relate to the validity of spiritual discipline and the transcendental states of being attained thereafter may even conceive of God as being occupied with puny activities.

A liberated being has no sense of time to feel bored. Moreover, by anchoring in the inner silence, they become mighty performers and a noble wish in such a case fructifies easily. Such free beings do not cultivate ‘wishful thinking’ or get unnecessarily busy with the world. Virtues cling to them on account of their tranquil mind. If voluntary action (purushakāra) is guided towards a profound meditation practice, a seeker may obtain liberation in a single birth. Such is the promise of Sanskrit wisdom.

Remnant oral history storylines surviving since the Mahābharata times in India uphold that the last day of a yuga (era) during Rigvedic times occurs when a New Moon coincides with the winter solstice. The cycle of this yuga takes 19 years to complete on such an occurrence. This yuga duration of 19 years is corroborated by calculations based on the astronomy detailed in the original version of Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa (RVJ). This extant Sanskrit literature demonstrates how the number of lunations (synodic months) were systematically parsed out in a soli-lunar cycle of years by Vedic astronomers.

As mentioned in the Yajur-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa, simplification evolved into a 5-year cycle where the 6th year had to have an adjustment made. This Yajus-cycle thus uses an adjustment on the 6th, 12th and 18th year to catch up with the 19 years of a Rig-cycle. Reference of this Yajus-cycle calculation is mentioned in the Shantiparva section of Mahābharata.

Even though solar parameters are stated for mathematical correlations, solar months are not used for calculating auspicious times for festivals, ceremonies or ablutions. Both Vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa and the classical texts of Ayurveda instead use soli-lunar months and seasons (r̥tucarya) for determining timing of festivals and seasonal healthful regimens, respectively.

For example, the winter solstice (solar uttarāyana) is not used as the starting point for a month or year in the Jyotiśa system that was prevalent over 5000 years ago. In this system, the months, the seasons and the year did not start, for example, on the 21st of a solar month calibrated against the equinox or the solstice. Instead, meaningful auspicious times are calculated from the first day after the New Moon (śukla pratipāda) or the first day in the ascending cycle of the moon, considered the anchor point for the start of the months and seasons.

Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa considered the first day of the ascending cycle of the Māgha (Tapas) soli-lunar month as the first day of a new year starting a 19-year yuga cycle, which may not be exactly coinciding with the currently observed sidereal Māgha. This is because the corrections for the lunar months matching the number of solar months in a given yuga period were inserted differently during the Rigvedic times compared with the current practice of adding a rotating intercalary lunar month after every three solar years.

The thirteenth intercalary month, known in Sanskrit as the Adhikamāsa, used to be added at appropriate intervals just before the winter or summer solstice at the end of a six-month period. This retained synchronicity of soli-lunar months with seasonal variations. During a 19-year yuga cycle, intercalary months were inserted on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th year, thus adjusting 7 times.

Thus the Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa methods of corrections were executed to make sure that the Māgha (Tapas) soli-lunar month occurred near the actual winter solstice. Māgha is referred to as the first soli-lunar month and śiśira (late winter) in several Pourānic Sanskrit literatures. This determination points to the importance of seasons in timing Vedic fire ceremonies and as a starting point for vows during periods of important festivals.

The New Moon of 21st January 2023 (mounī-āmāvasyā) may be deemed as the last day of the year if one accepts the integrity of these oral traditions, matches them with the correct interpretation of the Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa and correlates them with the current sidereal soli-lunar month Māgha. This particular new moon is considered the last day of every sidereal soli-lunar year, in absence of a 19-year yuga cycle and with the current method of inserting the intercalary month. The New Moon of inner silence will be observed in 2023 on 21st January.

Traditional lineages of Jyotiṣa recite from memory the verse related to the birth of our Sun to provide a unique perspective for fresh pupils and novices. The verse indicates that the Sun was born on the seventh day of the soli-lunar month Māgha, on a Sunday posited in the constellation of Aries in the lunar asterism (naxatra) of Aśvinī. In the context of the New Moon and the New Year mentioned above, our Sun was thus born on the seventh day of the New Year during the ascending cycle of the moon. Even the Sanskrit name of the year corresponding to the 60-year cycle of the years is indicated by this verse. A relevant portion of the verse is presented here

māgha-māse śukla-paxe saptamyām bhānu-vāsare prabhāvādi nāma saṃvatsare aśvinī naxatra jātaṃ

The traditionists of course rely on the antiquity and the continuity of the soli-lunar calendar, including its use as the basis for the seven-day week. However, some mathematical adjustments to Indic sidereal calendar with respect to the older Vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa calculation have not received the universal acceptance from mathematicians and astronomers who study Jyotiṣa.

It is believed that the water of the sacred confluence of Ganga and Yamuna turns into nectar on the New Moon of silence. The day is upheld as the important last day of the year when, through ablutions, an aspirant would be able to absolve of the demerits accrued over the entire year – a last chance, so to speak. Thus the New Moon of inner silence is traditionally the most important day to take a holy dip. On this day pilgrims practice fasting by not uttering a word throughout the day in addition to taking cleansing ablutions.

Many pilgrims are aware of the world’s largest holy bathing congregations known as Kumbha-Melā, the most well-known of such gatherings that take place in Prayagraj. This grand event spanning over a month is the largest open-air gathering for masses of pilgrims, saints, hermits, mendicants and siddhas, attracting myriads of devotees from within India and around the world. The energy in the mela grounds is palpably intense and spiritually charged. There is the sparkle of spiritual aspiration that is the guiding light amidst the waves of rolling dust whirling in from the sand and silt at the confluence of riversides.

Monks and pontiffs take their bath through a collective procession based on their order or affiliation and pre-assigned times for their own councils and consortiums. Thereafter, the brave devotees take their much-awaited dips by plunging into the waters with deep faith while putting aside concerns about being caught in a stampede.

The unbroken tradition provides detailed guidance about these occasions when waters will be charged with the subtle blessings. However, this holy bathing has more to do with one’s own subtle vows and affirmations than just a mad rush to forsake all demerits! Bathing in this elixir is akin to a refreshing restart, a rejuvenation that symbolizes the washing away of obstacles by effecting a subtle mental purification. This contemplative new moon is the special day for those gallant souls who are brave enough to practise the tradition literally.

Heartiest blessings on this auspicious Victory Day – globally celebrated this year on 4th/5th October as per the Sanskrit soli-lunar calendar (coinciding with Yom Kippur). Known as Vijaya Dasami in Sanskrit (lit. victory on the tenth lunar day), this ancient tradition of commemoration is hailed for the victory of truth, and conquest over external and internal adversaries. May you become victorious on the path of your noble pursuits and the related earnest exertions without inculcating anxiety or fear.

Your inspiration might be somewhat dampened by the challenging times around the world and nearer to home, and you might be waiting for the triumph of truth. The theme of Victory Day guides us that spiritual solace is dependent upon your moral strength and patience. Due to several external factors related to karma (momentum of action), noble seekers often appear to be suffering and wicked schemers seem to be gloating, yet the triumph of virtue is measured in spiritual depth instead of in material terms.Victory Day is a reminder that ultimately truth prevails and if the process is excruciating in the interim, it is only for the sake of burning the pending karma. Faith grows through revealing experiences and by the support of an inspiring learning environment, thereby building virtuosity in a step-by-step manner. During that process of growth, there is no need to thrive on disbelief. Just as we cannot deny our existence or even ignore our subtle feelings, we should allow our beliefs to lean on truthfulness.

There is no way to truth, truthfulness is the way. This aphorism is verily a reality. It is difficult to perceive absolute truth, for its revelation depends on the transparency of our own internal instruments of knowledge (layers that conceal pure perception) and the degree of perseverance. Moreover, the right vision is often clouded. Triumph over ignorance is a real victory, even if outwardly one might appear to be marginalized.

Events arise surrounding and impacting one’s life due to the urges that initiated this life, set into motion from a greater momentum of karma that is not so obvious. Since pursuit of truth depends on deepening meditative insight – a maturing of inner vision that is ultimately instantaneously clear, one could resort to the following three cardinal aphorisms on truth during the maturing process.

(A) Contemplation of the absolute truth verily chastises impure formulations in the mind (even if that absolute truth is in itself not crystal clear). (B) Loyalty to truth is the ultimate penance (for truth is your essential being and not worth forsaking due to infatuation with egoism or greed). (C) Devotion to truth leads to sanctity in the heart; thus sanctified, one can win back truth from the clutches of time (for even the sense of time rides on the principle of truth, and truth is never lost even if time has passed).

In the practical world, success and happiness are attained temporarily through a combination of earned merits based on acquired knowledge, practical experience, strength, commitment, and reliability mixed with limiting qualities such as desire for material pleasures, hankering for fame, selfishness (as opposed to compassion).

Spiritual virtues do not necessarily enable one to get such material success – they do help one to overcome the causes of pain and misery. As a result of this spiritual insight into pain and sources of anxiety or fear, there is the erosion of suffering – the ultimate goal of internal victory. A balance needs to be employed to achieve both internal and external victory. Herein the internal victory ushers in the moral strength to bring about external victory in the practical world (albeit without succumbing to worldliness).

Practising virtue in the face of surrounding ignoble events may not bring about happiness promptly. It is necessary to be happy through inner work first and then tackle duties with patience. Seekers who are attempting to overcome violent thoughts or negative feelings in their heart experience the consequent pain of that violence inwardly. When that shackle of subtle imprints of violence is shattered, they can be happy.

The effort involved in overcoming the violence within can be painful. However, if those violent impressions are allowed to fructify, the consequence would perhaps be much more painful than the effort to overcome those impressions. Victory Day beckons us to effect this inner work first so that we can be happy before executing our duties. There is no way to happiness, but happiness is the way. There is no way to love, love is the way.

We could only relate through our mother – what would mom think? – until we became independent thinkers. Milk was ready as we tried to open our eyes. We clung to our mother when we tried to hide from facing the world. We cried out loud and we were pacified by our mothers. We shared our bodies with our mothers for several months while in the womb and extracted the potent lifeforce śakti from her that embellished us with ojas energy.

During our innocent years, we relied on our mothers for every bit of warmth and solace. Her touch gave us the force to build upon our ideals and conceptions. We grew in strength and force so that we could be ready for voluntary action. That force we gathered through the gift of motherhood enabled us to cultivate our own energy śakti for all the creativity we could muster.

We grow up building and fortifying what motherhood’s feminine force gifted to us. Mothering gave us the nurturing that served to cushion all our future actions with emotional support. That emotional reserve was also the āhlādinī–śakti which was borrowed from the unalloyed motherly love. Thus mother is hailed as the first guru, mātridevo-bhava, and it is a huge debt that motivates us to serve and practice.

Whether embroiled or relatively free, once encumbered, the tentacles of duties cannot be avoided. Just like the sacrifice of the mother, we can only serve by discharging our duties as spiritual penance and lovingly offer the fruits of hard work to the creator that exercised supreme śakti in this creation. Ultimately only the creator can protect us from the imbalance of adversity and prosperity. Feminine force is the instrument and the material cause of our lives and success. Without the support of that śakti we cannot excel in our lives.

Unwittingly we invite challenges from uninvited situations our way due to the very urge that initiated this life. We chose our mom through our father. Our innocence gave way to the understanding of the momentum of past actions and the grip of karma. We understood the value of correct knowledge in overcoming the shackles of ignorance, and the role of voluntary actions and its adhering virtues.

Freedom is not attained until the full quota of contingent satisfactions from the momentum of karma get exhausted, which may take lifetimes of striving and adhering misery. Therefore wisely proactive voluntary actions are needed to rectify and set things right by using that resource of śakti in every step of our lives.

A famous Vedanta verse proclaims that our immortal essence cannot be introspected by those who are physically weak (nāyāmātmā balahinena labhya). Thus a mindful seeker considers the gift of a healthy body as the most important support for introspective contemplation. Such a seeker understands that the body is like wet earth (or soil). Vibrant cruelty-free food organically grown on this Mother Earth is what sustains the original motherly śakti. Sustainable living is unapproachable without healing the Mother Earth. Verily, Earth is the mother of our community, and she bears the burden of plundering, cruelty, exploitation and atrocities.

Honouring motherhood is a daily duty but during four navarātri periods each year motherhood is honoured through a targeted spiritual penance. These time periods are considered to be the ideal times to participate in healing the earth through the meditation and worship of the Divine Mother – the great śakti.

Meditation mass and fellowship services invoking the Divine Mother honour motherhood, reciprocate the sacrifices made for us and heal the mother earth. Vedic fire ceremonies (Homa) are typically offered as an immense promise of reciprocation.

Those who sacrifice for the greater cause have truly understood the core principles and spiritual values that guide our service. It is not enough to seek personal benevolence for oneself from the Divine Mother. It is better still to undertake genuine spiritual practices and service that elevate our minds and fulfil our hearts without wanting anything in return. After all, a mother wants hardly anything from the child!

The Sanskrit text Mahākāla Saṃhitā declares that four nine-night periods, based on the soli-lunar calendar, are deemed especially auspicious for the worship of the great śakti in veneration of the Divine Mother. Each of these four periods are popularly celebrated as navarātri, which is a literal translation of ‘nine-nights’ with each period starting the day after a New Moon. The duration of each auspicious period is determined by the duration of a lunar day and its overlap with the sunrise time. Thus, in rare situations, one navarātri period may span as few as eight and as many as ten solar days.

In spiritual traditions, these four nine-night periods are celebrated by practicing varying degrees of contemplation, introspection, meditation, austerity, rituals, and by launching meaningful ventures. The culmination of this nine-night period ushers in daśamī or the tenth day of the ascending cycle of the Moon. It bears great significance for bringing to fruition a special personal triumph. Single days of special prayers related to the splendorous aspects of the Divine Mother divide the nine days (and nights) or navarātri meditation or worship.

The four auspicious time periods in 2022 for the US Pacific Time Zone are calculated below, as per this Sanskrit verse:

caitre āśvine tathāṣāḍhe māghe kāryo-mahotsavaḥ
navarātre mahārāja pūjā kāryā viśeṣataḥ

Note: even though in the Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span ten solar days in the April 2022 Navarātri period, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA, in which case those seekers should not add a day but rather conclude their ten days of spiritual practice as per local soli-lunar coordinates.

Note: even though in the Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span ten solar days in the June – July 2022 Navarātri period, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA, in which case those seekers should not add a day but rather conclude their ten days of spiritual practice as per local soli-lunar coordinates.

Note: even though in Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span only eight solar days in the September – October 2022 Navarātri period, in which case those seekers should not skip a day but rather conclude their 10 days of spiritual practice only on 5th October. This situation may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA.

A typical nine-night period may last an extra day or lose a day thereby making the time period span either 10 solar days or 8 solar days, respectively. If the lunar nine-night navarātri spans 10 solar days, then practice the spiritual routine for 11 days and conclude the entire practice on the 11th day. Conversely, if the nine-night navarātri spans only 8 solar days instead of the typical 9 solar days, then add two extra days and conclude the practice on the 10th solar day.

Those adhering to a daily routine of spiritual practices (or vows), such as meditation, sublime recitations or community service (sevā) can structure their time equally into ten days of steady participation. One tenth of all spiritual practices is deemed a correction. Therefore, nine consecutive days of practices must be followed by a tenth portion, which is the correction, in addition to any corrective measures taken during any individual practice session. While evening time or even midnight time meditation is acceptable for the nine nights, the tenth concluding session can be finished before noon.

Feel free to explore the links below (at the risk of seeing ads unless you enable your ad blocker) if you wish to further study the transition of dates for your own area (local latitude and longitude). The calculations are fairly reliable even though the original Vedic or Sanskrit significance might not be detailed. Please remember to use your local city for the correct results of applicable daybreaks or transitions.

Using the link below, scroll down to the list of four Navarātri time periods and use your local coordinates (latitude and longitude are automatically populated based on the name of your city/state/country etc.) to find the correct span of days applicable to you:

Navarātri Calendar or Navarātri Information

A reliable website that is a good resource for relevant celestial events and is also worth studying:

timeanddate.com/astronomy

The history of the modern calendar is complex, comprised of several past simplifications and periodic adaptations. There are many pitfalls and the Julian/Gregorian calendars have been mired with errors and corrections. The current Nirayaṇa sidereal system of a soli-lunar calendar, even though deviated from the corrective calculations of Vedaṇga-Jyotiṣa, invokes the timing of auspicious transitions. This calculation yields a dynamic calendar with some checkpoints for adjustments already built in (through intricacies of the Ayanāmśa calculations). Modern astronomy confirms the validity and accuracy of this dynamic calendar, wherein every soli-lunar month ends on a New Moon (Āmanta).

On a new moon, the Sun and the Moon are overlapping and aligned with respect to the Earth, signifying the imbuing of light in the emptiness of the mind. At such junctures, the meditator is now ready for the perception of the light of consciousness in the heart, having conquered not only the emotional and physical disturbances but also the remaining subtle desires.

A deep meditator who becomes completely absorbed (samādhi) and attains higher realization is known in Sanskrit as muni. This word transforms into mouni, or the great silence of deep meditation. When appended with āmāvasyā, denoting the new moon, this word mouni-āmāvasyā implies the silence of the great void — a silence attained through deep meditation whereby all remaining internal chatter and imagery are conquered. In other words, the limit of perception is reached after overcoming all thought waves from subtle impressions in the heart. Herein the metaphor of darkness is aptly connected with the mystery of the new moon.

Seekers of truth continually search for higher wisdom in an effort to establish deeper spiritual practices that in turn greatly enrich their lives. Though every moment is momentous for such a seeker, special time periods within our daily calendar are recognized to be especially conducive to our practices and participation. As our biorhythms and diurnal cycles are in synergy with and related to the soli-lunar calendar, so too are the relationships manifested between us and higher worlds during specific time periods.

These transitions are based on the rhythms of nature and cycles of time as they relate to the relative movement of celestial bodies, including lunar asterisms and the constellations. The synergy effects make it pertinent that we synchronize our affirmations and routines based on the cosmic time calendar given to us by the extant Sanskrit literature and its calculations.

Spiritual resolutions and the attendant disciplines are closely connected with the energy coordinates within our bodies and around us. The soli-lunar calendar maps the diurnal rhythms with respect to luminaries and planets in deep space, while the movement of these heavenly bodies retains a relationship with our breath. During one regular breath by a human being, the heavenly bodies move in space by one minute of arc, notably related to the rotation of earth.

In other words, the soli-lunar calendar is based on a continuous mapping of the relative positions of celestial bodies within our solar system and with reference to the lunar mansions farther out into space from Earth. Here on Earth, according to the geographic coordinates where we are located, this daily prāna (life-force energy) calendar maps the biorhythms influencing us through the cosmic motion of luminaries and planets. We can make affirmations become more meaningful at these auspicious times once we are equipped with an understanding of these transitions of key space-time coordinates.

The Sanskrit conception of elapsed time is an elaborate framework that cyclically connects past efforts with future momentum via the momentous ‘present’ and as the inevitable kāla, or the eater of all. These space-time concepts are further amplified by the nuances of the soli-lunar calendar wherein complicated rhythms of the heavenly bodies are mapped, with respect to both the Sun and the Moon, onto our biorhythms and daily routines. Following the traditional ‘auspiciousness’ of periods and days is captured in a unit of ‘proper time’ known as a muhurta or two units of 24 minutes, totaling 48 minutes. Sometimes an entire day is considered favourable depending upon the chores and ceremonies that define the range of activities.

While personal meditation practices or mental affirmations are rarely constricted by the dynamic components of the calendar, professional and ceremonial activities related to work and service are brought under a purview of the ‘right time’ for starting in order to gain momentum. There are also special days based on immensely significant events deemed divine and awe-inspiring, thereby evoking reverence and enumeration by devotees who adore such happenings.

The Sanskrit-based calculation and ethos is based on a cycle of 60 as per the sexagesimal system. Our resting heartbeat of one beat per second is considered to be the rhythm at the root of this system. The number 60 has 12 factors (the total number of constellations in the zodiac that the Sun traverses in a year) and is the smallest number divisible by every number from 1 to 6.

While 6 breaths span on average 24 seconds, 360 breaths usually take 24 minutes or 1/60th of a day, and 21,600 human breaths take 24 hours or a full day. 360° of sky-arc pass over the horizon in one day. 1/60 of 360° = 6° = 360 minutes of arc. Thus 360 breaths cover 360 minutes of arc in space. Therefore, during one breath, the heavenly bodies move in space by one minute of arc. Hence our breathing patterns and heartbeat rhythms are mapped and connected to the macrocosm through the process of evolution.

The Moon covers the same 360° of the sky in one synodic lunar month (the time it takes the moon to go from one new moon to the next) that the Sun covers during one sidereal year (the time it takes the sun to pass through all 12 constellations of the zodiac). The Sun’s 360° cycle is divided into 12 months of 30° each whereas the Moon’s cycle is divided into 30 days of 12° each. A lunar month is thus a mirror image of the solar year. An average soli-lunar year (based on a mean of 365.26 days of the solar sidereal year and 354.37 days of the lunar synodic year) is also about 360 days consisting of 40 nine-day/night periods (navarātri) and 9 forty-day periods (each such 40-day period is a mandala).

Wisdom teachings from the Sanskrit heritage guide the seeker towards a daily meditation practice that transcends the barriers of emotional remnants from performing prescribed duties and voluntary activities. Herein, meditation mends the mind by overcoming emotional and physical disturbances. However, the greater virtue of meditation lies in the continuous purification of the chitta (mind, ego and intellect) in the subtle heart. Sanskrit texts define this subtle heart as the soul, which can be seen in deep meditation (seeing without the use of subtle sense organs).

Practising daily mindfulness with breath awareness brings about an understanding of the entrapments from expanding the experience of the world. Anchoring oneself in one’s own daily meditation practices defined by structured techniques manifests the highest purification of internal tendencies and latent impressions lodged in the mind (chitta-suddhi).

Thereafter, a pure-hearted mind beholds the ultimate knowledge or realization of being that transcends subtle feelings and the thoughtless void. While the journey is outlined clearly in extant Sanskrit philosophical literature, it is helpful to know that our affirmations towards the goal become more meaningful when we synchronize them closely with a certain cosmic time-space coordinate based on a proven dynamic calendar from our ancient heritage.

Affirmations, spiritual vows and daily meditation based on this greater synchronization are necessary until living liberation is attained. Those joining the path of inner awakening or just starting on this journey of mindfulness often wonder how the liberated souls or enlightened beings can remain silent for so long or do not get bored without doing something or other. Most who cannot relate to the validity of spiritual discipline and the transcendental states of being attained thereafter may even conceive of God as being occupied with puny activities.

A liberated being has no sense of time to feel bored. Moreover, by anchoring in the inner silence they become mighty performers and a noble wish in such a case fructifies easily. Such free beings do not cultivate ‘wishful thinking’ or get unnecessarily busy with the world. Virtues cling to them on account of their tranquil mind. If voluntary action (purushakāra) is guided towards a profound meditation practice, a seeker may obtain liberation in a single birth. Such is the promise of Sanskrit wisdom.

Remnant oral history storylines surviving since the Mahābharata times in India uphold that the last day of a yuga (era) during Rigvedic times occurs when a New Moon coincides with the winter solstice. The cycle of this yuga takes 19 years to complete on such an occurrence. This yuga duration of 19 years is corroborated by calculations based on the astronomy detailed in the original version of Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa (RVJ). This extant Sanskrit literature demonstrates how the number of lunations (synodic months) were systematically parsed out in a soli-lunar cycle of years by Vedic astronomers.

As mentioned in the Yajur-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa, simplification evolved into a 5-year cycle where the 6th year had to have an adjustment made. This Yajus-cycle thus uses an adjustment on the 6th, 12th and 18th year to catch up with the 19 years of a Rig-cycle. Reference of this Yajus-cycle calculation is mentioned in the Shantiparva section of Mahābharata.

Even though solar parameters are stated for mathematical correlations, solar months are not used for calculating auspicious times for festivals, ceremonies or ablutions. Both Vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa and the classical texts of Ayurveda instead use soli-lunar months and seasons (r̥tucarya) for determining timing of festivals and seasonal healthful regimens, respectively.

For example, the winter solstice (solar uttarāyana) is not used as the starting point for a month or year in the Jyotiśa system that was prevalent over 5000 years ago. In this system, the months, the seasons and the year did not start, for example, on the 21st of a solar month calibrated against the equinox or the solstice. Instead, meaningful auspicious times are calculated from the first day after the New Moon (śukla pratipāda) or the first day in the ascending cycle of the moon, considered the anchor point for the start of the months and seasons.

Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa considered the first day of the ascending cycle of the Māgha (Tapas) soli-lunar month as the first day of a new year starting a 19-year yuga cycle, which may not be exactly coinciding with the currently observed sidereal Māgha. This is because the corrections for the lunar months matching the number of solar months in a given yuga period were inserted differently during the Rigvedic times compared with the current practice of adding a rotating intercalary lunar month after every three solar years.

The thirteenth intercalary month, known in Sanskrit as the Adhikamāsa, used to be added at appropriate intervals just before the winter or summer solstice at the end of a six-month period. This retained synchronicity of soli-lunar months with seasonal variations. During a 19-year yuga cycle, intercalary months were inserted on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th year, thus adjusting 7 times.

Thus the Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa methods of corrections were executed to make sure that the Māgha (Tapas) soli-lunar month occurred near the actual winter solstice. Māgha is referred to as the first soli-lunar month and śiśira (late winter) in several Pourānic Sanskrit literatures. This determination points to the importance of seasons in timing Vedic fire ceremonies and as a starting point for vows during periods of important festivals.

The New Moon of 31st January 2022 (mounī-āmāvasyā) may be deemed as the last day of the year if one accepts the integrity of these oral traditions, matches them with the correct interpretation of the Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa and correlates them with the current sidereal soli-lunar month Māgha. This particular new moon is considered the last day of every sidereal soli-lunar year, in absence of a 19-year yuga cycle and with the current method of inserting the intercalary month. The New Moon of inner silence will be observed in 2022 on 31st January.

Traditional lineages of Jyotiṣa recite from memory the verse related to the birth of our Sun to provide a unique perspective for fresh pupils and novices. The verse indicates that the Sun was born on the seventh day of the soli-lunar month Māgha, on a Sunday posited in the constellation of Aries in the lunar asterism (naxatra) of Aśvinī. In the context of the New Moon and the New Year mentioned above, our Sun was thus born on the seventh day of the New Year during the ascending cycle of the moon. Even the Sanskrit name of the year corresponding to the 60-year cycle of the years is indicated by this verse. A relevant portion of the verse is presented here:

māgha-māse śukla-paxe saptamyām bhānu-vāsare prabhāvādi nāma saṃvatsare aśvinī naxatra jātaṃ

The traditionists of course rely on the antiquity and the continuity of the soli-lunar calendar, including its use as the basis for the seven-day week. However, some mathematical adjustments to Indic sidereal calendar with respect to the older Vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa calculation have not received the universal acceptance from mathematicians and astronomers who study Jyotiṣa.

The currently used pancāṇgaṃ calendar published by institutions and universities in India, such as those in Varanasi, have found utility by correctly predicting the onset of seasons, including monsoon rain, heat spike, crop damage and harvest times. However, the tropical solar calendar cannot be used with much success with predictions about the onset of seasonal changes. The tropical solar calendar is useful in mundane astrology.

The soli-lunar new year in 2020 was particularly fortuitous due to the concurrent Saturn transit into its own home constellation Capricorn, which took place on this New Moon of 24th January in 2020. Based on the approximate five-year transit of Saturn in its two home constellations, it heralded a new era, somewhat similar to the concept of time cycles in Vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa.

It is believed that the water of the sacred confluence of Ganga and Yamuna turns into nectar on the New Moon of silence. The day is upheld as the important last day of the year when, through ablutions, an aspirant would be able to absolve of the demerits accrued over the entire year – a last chance, so to speak. Thus the New Moon of inner silence is traditionally the most important day to take a holy dip. On this day pilgrims practice fasting by not uttering a word throughout the day in addition to taking cleansing ablutions.

Many pilgrims are aware of the world’s largest holy bathing congregations known as Kumbha-Melā, the most well-known of such gatherings that take place in Prayagraj. This grand event spanning over a month is the largest open-air gathering for masses of pilgrims, saints, hermits, mendicants and siddhas, attracting myriads of devotees from within India and around the world. The energy in the mela grounds is palpably intense and spiritually charged. There is the sparkle of spiritual aspiration that is the guiding light amidst the waves of rolling dust whirling in from the sand and silt at the confluence of riversides.

Monks and pontiffs take their bath through a collective procession based on their order or affiliation and pre-assigned times for their own councils and consortiums. Thereafter, the brave devotees take their much-awaited dips by plunging into the waters with deep faith while putting aside concerns about being caught in a stampede.

The unbroken tradition provides detailed guidance about these occasions when waters will be charged with the subtle blessings. However, this holy bathing has more to do with one’s own subtle vows and affirmations than just a mad rush to forsake all demerits! Bathing in this elixir is akin to a refreshing restart, a rejuvenation that symbolizes the washing away of obstacles by effecting a subtle mental purification. This contemplative new moon is the special day for those gallant souls who are brave enough to practise the tradition literally.

Venerable Friends and Adorable Seekers,

Time does not move, only we are moving to the end of our allotted time! Many blessings and much love on this Yugadi – today marks the beginning of a yuga in the cycle of four yuga periods as per the soli-lunar calendar of the ancient Sanskrit tradition. May you all utilize this auspicious time juncture to renew and refresh your spiritual affirmations for the coming times.

The current times are indeed erasing the pause for reflection and impacting the very organic continuity of goodwill. For some who are pushed to the limit, the situation is putting faith in God to the test. Spiritual anchoring and fear-free living envisioning a life bereft of the thrusted pressures of general dread have perhaps never been more important in our lives.

If you are feeling the subtle force of accelerated times, you are among the many who are observing the most traumatic phase of humankind’s evolution spanning multiple eras. The end of Kaliyuga is here to bear down upon us the crushing pressure from those who are manipulating to control resources. Unfortunately, this maneuvering has been curtailing basic freedom of those who wish to live naturally with the wellness of earth wisdom.

Many are aware of the diverse agendas – whether mainly commercial or partly political. An alert seeker can feel the decadence of governance aided by a lack of visionary leadership. We are witnessing how good science is getting usurped by mainstream media and bigoted political narrative. Further we have also been experiencing the hidden clash of ideologies which bear the power to make any nation bipolar.

Collective karma has arrived at a point of dissonance. The onslaught of neo-feudalism is taking away the joy of sharing and living in harmony with mother earth. These are the times when the income capacity of the collective economy is at stake. Should we wait for the global reset with the hope of somehow surviving this turmoil? Or are these times calling for a greater devotional surrender unto God? What should we tell our children who cannot play freely while their smiles are muffled by masks that take their breath away?

No, we cannot blame the planets – they compound what is set into motion by the will of the people. We are already born with planetary energies embedded in us and hence we are somewhat propelled to act accordingly. Further, God, the Lord of the universe neither induces people to act nor dispenses the fruits of karma. Consequences naturally flow from our own karma. The ultimate responsibility of decision-making rests upon our mental clarity and the goodwill of our intellect.

Those who are gullible and naïve will suffer the consequences of their ill-advised decision making. And yet those who truly seek the path of spiritual solace with fortitude, riding on patience and making prudent decisions with clear conviction, will come out stronger from these confusing times. Giving into fear-inducing manipulation is the very opposite of self-empowering spirituality.

I share this message on occasion of the second Navaratri period of 2021, which begins on Monday, 12th April in the Western part of the world and on Tuesday, 13th April in the Eastern nations. These nine-night periods are deemed especially auspicious for the worship of the great shakti in veneration of the Divine Mother, as well as for contemplation, meditation, and service. Please read my full article linked below. Anyone looking for spiritual solace and meaningful opportunities to create breakthroughs can embrace the theme of this article:

Healing Mother Earth with Four Navarātri Periods in 2021

I inspire you to implement the message of this article for all-around healing during these challenging and confusing times in the world. May you build your moral strength through personal discipline and compassionate serving.

With the blessings of God and Satguru,
Swami Vidyadhishananda

Milk was ready as we tried to open our eyes. We clung to our mother and tried to hide from facing the world. We cried out loud and we were pacified by our mothers. We shared our bodies with our mothers for several months while in the womb and extracted the potent lifeforce śakti from her that embellished us with ojas energy. We could only relate through our mother – what would mom think? – until we became independent thinkers.

During our innocent years, we relied on our mothers for every bit of warmth and solace. Her touch gave us the force to build upon our ideals and conceptions. We grew in strength and force so that we could be ready for voluntary action. That force we gathered through the gift of motherhood enabled us to cultivate our own energy śakti for all the creativity we could muster.

We grow up building and fortifying what motherhood’s feminine force gifted to us. Mothering gave us the nurturing that served to cushion all our future actions with emotional support. That emotional reserve was also the āhlādinī–śakti which was borrowed from the unalloyed motherly love. Thus mother is hailed as the first guru, mātridevo-bhava, and it is a huge debt that motivates us to serve and practice.

Whether embroiled or relatively free, once encumbered, the tentacles of duties cannot be avoided. Just like the sacrifice of the mother, we can only serve by discharging our duties as spiritual penance and lovingly offer the fruits of hard work to the creator that exercised supreme śakti in this creation. Ultimately only the creator can protect us from the imbalance of adversity and prosperity. Feminine force is the instrument and the material cause of our lives and success. Without the support of that śakti we cannot excel in our lives.

Unwittingly we invite challenges from uninvited situations our way due to the very urge that initiated this life. We chose our mom through our father. Our innocence gave way to the understanding of the momentum of past actions and the grip of karma. We understood the value of correct knowledge in overcoming the shackles of ignorance, and the role of voluntary actions and its adhering virtues.

Freedom is not attained until the full quota of contingent satisfactions from the momentum of karma get exhausted, which may take lifetimes of striving and adhering misery. Therefore wisely proactive voluntary actions are needed to rectify and set things right by using that resource of śakti in every step of our lives.

A famous Vedanta verse proclaims that our immortal essence cannot be introspected by those who are physically weak (nāyāmātmā balahinena labhya). Thus a mindful seeker considers the gift of a healthy body as the most important support for introspective contemplation. Such a seeker understands that the body is like wet earth (or soil). Vibrant cruelty-free food organically grown on this Mother Earth is what sustains the original motherly śakti. Sustainable living is unapproachable without healing the Mother Earth. Verily, Earth is the mother of our community and she bears the burden of plundering, cruelty, and atrocities.

Honouring motherhood is a daily duty but during four navarātri periods each year motherhood is honoured through a targeted spiritual penance. These time periods are considered to be the ideal times to participate in healing the earth through the meditation and worship of the Divine Mother – the great śakti.

Meditation mass and fellowship services invoking the Divine Mother honour motherhood, reciprocate the sacrifices made for us and heal the mother earth. Vedic fire ceremonies (Homa) are typically offered as an immense promise of reciprocation.

Those who sacrifice for the greater cause have truly understood the core principles and spiritual values that guide our service. It is not enough to seek personal benevolence for oneself from the Divine Mother. It is better still to undertake genuine spiritual practices and service that elevate our minds and fulfil our hearts without wanting anything in return. After all, a mother wants hardly anything from the child!

The Sanskrit text Mahākāla Saṃhitā declares that four nine-night periods, based on the soli-lunar calendar, are deemed especially auspicious for the worship of the great śakti in veneration of the Divine Mother. Each of these four periods are popularly celebrated as navarātri, which is a literal translation of ‘nine-nights’ with each period starting the day after a New Moon. The duration of each auspicious period is determined by the duration of a lunar day and its overlap with the sunrise time. Thus, in rare situations, one navarātri period may span as few as eight and as many as ten solar days.

In spiritual traditions, these four nine-night periods are celebrated by practicing varying degrees of contemplation, introspection, meditation, austerity, rituals, and by launching meaningful ventures. The culmination of this nine-night period ushers in daśamī or the tenth day of the ascending cycle of the Moon. It bears great significance for bringing to fruition a special personal triumph. Single days of special prayers related to the splendorous aspects of the Divine Mother divide the nine days (and nights) or navarātri meditation or worship.The four auspicious time periods in 2021 for the US Pacific Time Zone are calculated below, as per this Sanskrit verse:

The four auspicious time periods in 2021 for the US Pacific Time Zone are calculated below, as per this Sanskrit verse:

caitre āśvine tathāṣāḍhe māghe kāryo-mahotsavaḥ
navarātre mahārāja pūjā kāryā viśeṣataḥ

Note: even though nine lunar nights span ten solar days in the Pacific Time Zone during the April 2021 Navarātri period, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA, in which case those seekers should not add a day but rather conclude their ten days of spiritual practice as per local soli-lunar coordinates.

Note: even though nine lunar nights span only eight solar days in the Pacific Time Zone in the October 2021 Navarātri period, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA, in which case those seekers should not skip a day but rather conclude their 10 days of spiritual practice only on 15th October.

A typical nine-night period may last an extra day or lose a day thereby making the time period span either 10 solar days or 8 solar days, respectively. If the lunar nine-night navarātri spans 10 solar days, then practice the spiritual routine for 11 days and conclude the entire practice on the 11th day. Conversely, if the nine-night navarātri spans only 8 solar days instead of the typical 9 solar days, then add two extra days and conclude the practice on the 10th solar day.

Those adhering to a daily routine of spiritual practices (or vows), such as meditation, sublime recitations or community service (sevā) can structure their time equally into ten days of steady participation. One tenth of all spiritual practices is deemed a correction. Therefore, nine consecutive days of practices must be followed by a tenth portion, which is the correction, in addition to any corrective measures taken during any individual practice session. While evening time or even midnight time meditation is acceptable for the nine nights, the tenth concluding session can be finished before noon.

Feel free to explore the links below (at your own risk) if you wish to further study the transition of dates for your own area (local latitude and longitude). The calculations are fairly reliable even though the original Vedic or Sanskrit significance might not be detailed. Please remember to use your local city for the correct results of applicable daybreaks or transitions.

Please scroll down to the list of four Navarātri time periods:
drikpanchang.com/navratri/navratri-calendars.html

A reliable website that is a good resource for relevant celestial events and is also worth studying: timeanddate.com/astronomy

The history of the modern calendar is complex, comprised of several past simplifications and periodic adaptations. There are many pitfalls and the Julian/Gregorian calendars have been mired with errors and corrections. The current Nirayaṇa sidereal system of a soli-lunar calendar, even though deviated from the corrective calculations of Vedaṇga-Jyotiṣa, invokes the timing of auspicious transitions. This calculation yields a dynamic calendar with some checkpoints for adjustments already built in (through intricacies of the Ayanāmśa calculations). Modern astronomy confirms the validity and accuracy of this dynamic calendar, wherein every soli-lunar month ends on a New Moon (Āmanta).

On a new moon, the Sun and the Moon are overlapping and aligned with respect to the Earth, signifying the imbuing of light in the emptiness of the mind. At such junctures, the meditator is now ready for the perception of the light of consciousness in the heart, having conquered not only the emotional and physical disturbances but also the remaining subtle desires.

A deep meditator who becomes completely absorbed (samādhi) and attains higher realization is known in Sanskrit as muni. This word transforms into mouni, or the great silence of deep meditation. When appended with āmāvasyā, denoting the new moon, this word mouni-āmāvasyā implies the silence of the great void — a silence attained through deep meditation whereby all remaining internal chatter and imagery are conquered. In other words, the limit of perception is reached after overcoming all thought waves from subtle impressions in the heart. Herein the metaphor of darkness is aptly connected with the mystery of the new moon.

Seekers of truth continually search for higher wisdom in an effort to establish deeper spiritual practices that in turn greatly enrich their lives. Though every moment is momentous for such a seeker, special time periods within our daily calendar are recognized to be especially conducive to our practices and participation. As our biorhythms and diurnal cycles are in synergy with and related to the soli-lunar calendar, so too are the relationships manifested between us and higher worlds during specific time periods.

These transitions are based on the rhythms of nature and cycles of time as they relate to the relative movement of celestial bodies, including lunar asterisms and the constellations. The synergy effects make it pertinent that we synchronize our affirmations and routines based on the cosmic time calendar given to us by the extant Sanskrit literature and its calculations.

Spiritual resolutions and the attendant disciplines are closely connected with the energy coordinates within our bodies and around us. The soli-lunar calendar maps the diurnal rhythms with respect to luminaries and planets in deep space, while the movement of these heavenly bodies retains a relationship with our breath. During one regular breath by a human being, the heavenly bodies move in space by one minute of arc, notably related to the rotation of earth.

In other words, the soli-lunar calendar is based on a continuous mapping of the relative positions of celestial bodies within our solar system and with reference to the lunar mansions farther out into space from Earth. Here on Earth, according to the geographic coordinates where we are located, this daily prāna (life-force energy) calendar maps the biorhythms influencing us through the cosmic motion of luminaries and planets. We can make affirmations become more meaningful at these auspicious times once we are equipped with an understanding of these transitions of key space-time coordinates.

The Sanskrit conception of elapsed time is an elaborate framework that cyclically connects past efforts with future momentum via the momentous ‘present’ and as the inevitable kāla, or the eater of all. These space-time concepts are further amplified by the nuances of the soli-lunar calendar wherein complicated rhythms of the heavenly bodies are mapped, with respect to both the Sun and the Moon, onto our biorhythms and daily routines. Following the traditional ‘auspiciousness’ of periods and days is captured in a unit of ‘proper time’ known as a muhurta or two units of 24 minutes, totaling 48 minutes. Sometimes an entire day is considered favourable depending upon the chores and ceremonies that define the range of activities.

While personal meditation practices or mental affirmations are rarely constricted by the dynamic components of the calendar, professional and ceremonial activities related to work and service are brought under a purview of the ‘right time’ for starting in order to gain momentum. There are also special days based on immensely significant events deemed divine and awe-inspiring, thereby evoking reverence and enumeration by devotees who adore such happenings.

The Sanskrit-based calculation and ethos is based on a cycle of 60 as per the sexagesimal system. Our resting heartbeat of one beat per second is considered to be the rhythm at the root of this system. The number 60 has 12 factors (the total number of constellations in the zodiac that the Sun traverses in a year) and is the smallest number divisible by every number from 1 to 6.

While 6 breaths span on average 24 seconds, 360 breaths usually take 24 minutes or 1/60th of a day, and 21,600 human breaths take 24 hours or a full day. 360° of sky-arc pass over the horizon in one day. 1/60 of 360° = 6° = 360 minutes of arc. Thus 360 breaths cover 360 minutes of arc in space. Therefore, during one breath, the heavenly bodies move in space by one minute of arc. Hence our breathing patterns and heartbeat rhythms are mapped and connected to the macrocosm through the process of evolution.

The Moon covers the same 360° of the sky in one synodic lunar month (the time it takes the moon to go from one new moon to the next) that the Sun covers during one sidereal year (the time it takes the sun to pass through all 12 constellations of the zodiac). The Sun’s 360° cycle is divided into 12 months of 30° each whereas the Moon’s cycle is divided into 30 days of 12° each. A lunar month is thus a mirror image of the solar year. An average soli-lunar year (based on a mean of 365.26 days of the solar sidereal year and 354.37 days of the lunar synodic year) is also about 360 days consisting of 40 nine-day/night periods (navarātri) and 9 forty-day periods (each such 40-day period is a mandala).

Wisdom teachings from the Sanskrit heritage guide the seeker towards a daily meditation practice that transcends the barriers of emotional remnants from performing prescribed duties and voluntary activities. Herein, meditation mends the mind by overcoming emotional and physical disturbances. However, the greater virtue of meditation lies in the continuous purification of the chitta (mind, ego and intellect) in the subtle heart. Sanskrit texts define this subtle heart as the soul, which can be seen in deep meditation (seeing without the use of subtle sense organs).

Practising daily mindfulness with breath awareness brings about an understanding of the entrapments from expanding the experience of the world. Anchoring oneself in one’s own daily meditation practices defined by structured techniques manifests the highest purification of internal tendencies and latent impressions lodged in the mind (chitta-suddhi).

Thereafter, a pure-hearted mind beholds the ultimate knowledge or realization of being that transcends subtle feelings and the thoughtless void. While the journey is outlined clearly in extant Sanskrit philosophical literature, it is helpful to know that our affirmations towards the goal become more meaningful when we synchronize them closely with a certain cosmic time-space coordinate based on a proven dynamic calendar from our ancient heritage.

Affirmations, spiritual vows and daily meditation based on this greater synchronization are necessary until living liberation is attained. Those joining the path of inner awakening or just starting on this journey of mindfulness often wonder how the liberated souls or enlightened beings can remain silent for so long or do not get bored without doing something or other. Most who cannot relate to the validity of spiritual discipline and the transcendental states of being attained thereafter may even conceive of God as being occupied with puny activities.

A liberated being has no sense of time to feel bored. Moreover, by anchoring in the inner silence they become mighty performers and a noble wish in such a case fructifies easily. Such free beings do not cultivate ‘wishful thinking’ or get unnecessarily busy with the world. Virtues cling to them on account of their tranquil mind. If voluntary action (purushakāra) is guided towards a profound meditation practice, a seeker may obtain liberation in a single birth. Such is the promise of Sanskrit wisdom.

Remnant oral history storylines surviving since the Mahābharata times in India uphold that the last day of a yuga (era) during Rigvedic times occurs when a New Moon coincides with the winter solstice. The cycle of this yuga takes 19 years to complete on such an occurrence. This yuga duration of 19 years is corroborated by calculations based on the astronomy detailed in the original version of Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa (RVJ). This extant Sanskrit literature demonstrates how the number of lunations (synodic months) were systematically parsed out in a soli-lunar cycle of years by Vedic astronomers.

As mentioned in the Yajur-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa, simplification evolved into a 5-year cycle where the 6th year had to have an adjustment made. This Yajus-cycle thus uses an adjustment on the 6th, 12th and 18th year to catch up with the 19 years of a Rig-cycle. Reference of this Yajus-cycle calculation is mentioned in the Shantiparva section of Mahābharata.

Even though solar parameters are stated for mathematical correlations, solar months are not used for calculating auspicious times for festivals, ceremonies or ablutions. Both Vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa and the classical texts of Ayurveda instead use soli-lunar months and seasons (r̥tucarya) for determining timing of festivals and seasonal healthful regimens, respectively.

For example, the winter solstice (solar uttarāyana) is not used as the starting point for a month or year in the Jyotiśa system that was prevalent over 5000 years ago. In this system, the months, the seasons and the year did not start, for example, on the 21st of a solar month calibrated against the equinox or the solstice. Instead, meaningful auspicious times are calculated from the first day after the New Moon (śukla pratipāda) or the first day in the ascending cycle of the moon, considered the anchor point for the start of the months and seasons.

Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa considered the first day of the ascending cycle of the Māgha (Tapas) soli-lunar month as the first day of a new year starting a 19-year yuga cycle, which may not be exactly coinciding with the currently observed sidereal Māgha. This is because the corrections for the lunar months matching the number of solar months in a given yuga period were inserted differently during the Rigvedic times compared with the current practice of adding a rotating intercalary lunar month after every three solar years.

The thirteenth intercalary month, known in Sanskrit as the Adhikamāsa, used to be added at appropriate intervals just before the winter or summer solstice at the end of a six-month period. This retained synchronicity of soli-lunar months with seasonal variations. During a 19-year yuga cycle, intercalary months were inserted on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th year, thus adjusting 7 times.

Thus the Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa methods of corrections were executed to make sure that the Māgha (Tapas) soli-lunar month occurred near the actual winter solstice. Māgha is referred to as the first soli-lunar month and śiśira (late winter) in several Pourānic Sanskrit literatures. This determination points to the importance of seasons in timing Vedic fire ceremonies and as a starting point for vows during periods of important festivals.

The New Moon of 11th February 2021 (mounī-āmāvasyā) may be deemed as the last day of the year if one accepts the integrity of these oral traditions, matches them with the correct interpretation of the Rig-vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa and correlates them with the current sidereal soli-lunar month Māgha (in 2021 it begins with Friday, 12th February in Western part of the USA). This particular new moon is considered the last day of every sidereal soli-lunar year, in absence of a 19-year yuga cycle and with the current method of inserting the intercalary month. The New Moon of inner silence will be observed in 2021 on 11th February.

Traditional lineages of Jyotiṣa recite from memory the verse related to the birth of our Sun to provide a unique perspective for fresh pupils and novices. The verse indicates that the Sun was born on the seventh day of the soli-lunar month Māgha, on a Sunday posited in the constellation of Aries in the lunar asterism (naxatra) of Aśvinī. In the context of the New Moon and the New Year mentioned above, our Sun was thus born on the seventh day of the New Year during the ascending cycle of the moon. Even the Sanskrit name of the year corresponding to the 60-year cycle of the years is indicated by this verse. A relevant portion of the verse is presented here:

māgha-māse śukla-paxe saptamyām bhānu-vāsare prabhāvādi nāma saṃvatsare aśvinī naxatra jātaṃ

The traditionists of course rely on the antiquity and the continuity of the soli-lunar calendar, including its use as the basis for the seven-day week. However, some mathematical adjustments to Indic sidereal calendar with respect to the older Vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa calculation have not received the universal acceptance from mathematicians and astronomers who study Jyotiṣa.

The currently used pancāṇgaṃ calendar published by institutions and universities in India, such as those in Varanasi, have found utility by correctly predicting the onset of seasons, including monsoon rain, heat spike, crop damage and harvest times. However, the tropical solar calendar cannot be used with much success with predictions about the onset of seasonal changes. The tropical solar calendar is useful in mundane astrology.

What made the soli-lunar new year in 2020 fortuitous is the concurrent Saturn transit into its own home constellation Capricorn, which took place on this New Moon of 24th January in 2020. Based on the approximate five-year transit of Saturn in its two home constellations, it heralded a new era, somewhat similar to the concept of time cycles in Vedāṇga-Jyotiṣa.

It is believed that the water of the sacred confluence of Ganga and Yamuna turns into nectar on the New Moon of silence. The day is upheld as the important last day of the year when, through ablutions, an aspirant would be able to absolve of the demerits accrued over the entire year – a last chance, so to speak. Thus the New Moon of inner silence is traditionally the most important day to take a holy dip. On this day pilgrims practice fasting by not uttering a word throughout the day in addition to taking cleansing ablutions.

Many pilgrims are aware of the world’s largest holy bathing congregations known as Kumbha-Melā, the most well-known of such gatherings that take place in Prayagraj. This grand event spanning over a month is the largest open-air gathering for masses of pilgrims, saints, hermits, mendicants and siddhas, attracting myriads of devotees from within India and around the world. The energy in the mela grounds is palpably intense and spiritually charged. There is the sparkle of spiritual aspiration that is the guiding light amidst the waves of rolling dust whirling in from the sand and silt at the confluence of riversides.

Monks and pontiffs take their bath through a collective procession based on their order or affiliation and pre-assigned times for their own councils and consortiums. Thereafter, the brave devotees take their much-awaited dips by plunging into the waters with deep faith while putting aside concerns about being caught in a stampede.

The unbroken tradition provides detailed guidance about these occasions when waters will be charged with the subtle blessings. However, this holy bathing has more to do with one’s own subtle vows and affirmations than just a mad rush to forsake all demerits! Bathing in this elixir is akin to a refreshing restart, a rejuvenation that symbolizes the washing away of obstacles by effecting a subtle mental purification. This contemplative new moon is the special day for those gallant souls who are brave enough to practise the tradition literally.

The history of the modern calendar is complex, comprised of several past simplifications and periodic adaptations. There are many pitfalls, and the Julian/Gregorian calendars have been mired with errors and corrections. The ancient system from Vedic antiquity, however, invokes the Sanskrit tradition of soli-lunar calendar calculation to determine the passing of the year and the timing of auspicious transitions. This calculation yields a dynamic calendar with several checkpoints for adjustments already built in (through intricacies of the Ayanāmśa calculations). Modern astronomy confirms the validity and accuracy of this dynamic calendar.

The Sanskrit text named Mahākāla Saṃhitā declares that four nine-night periods, based on the dynamic soli-lunar calendar, are deemed especially auspicious for the worship of the great śakti in veneration of the Divine Mother. Each of these four periods are popularly celebrated as navarātri, which is a literal translation of ‘nine-nights’. Duration of a lunar day and its overlap with the sunrise time determine the duration of each auspicious period. Thus, in rare situations, one navarātri period may span between eight solar days up to ten solar days.

These four nine-night time periods, each starting the day after a New Moon, are celebrated in spiritual traditions by practicing varying degrees of contemplation, introspection, meditation, austerity, rituals, and by launching meaningful ventures. The culmination of this nine-night period ushers in daśamī or the tenth day of the ascending cycle of the Moon. It bears great significance for bringing to fruition a special personal triumph. The navarātri meditation or worship of nine days (and nights) is divided into single days of special prayers related to the splendorous aspects of the Divine Mother.

Based on this Sanskrit verse,

caitre āśvine tathāṣāḍhe māghe kāryo-mahotsavaḥ
navarātre mahārāja pūjā kāryā viśeṣataḥ

the calculation of the following four auspicious time periods for Pacific Time Zone in the USA are as follows:

Note: even though in Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span only eight solar days in July 2019, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA. In this case, seekers should not skip a day and therefore should try to conclude their 10 days of spiritual practice only on 12th July.

Note: even though in Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span only eight solar days in October 2019, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA. In this case, seekers should not skip a day and therefore should try to conclude their 10 days of spiritual practice only on 8th October.

A typical nine-night period may last an extra day or lose a day thereby making the time period either span 10 solar days or 8 solar days, respectively. One needs to practice the spiritual routine for 11 days and conclude the entire practice on the 11th day if lunar nine-night navarātri span 10 solar days. Conversely, if the nine-night navarātri spans only 8 solar days instead of typical 9 solar days, one needs to add the two extra days and conclude the practice on the 10th solar day from the beginning.

Those adhering to a daily routine of spiritual practices (or vows), such as meditation, sublime recitations or community service (sevā) can structure their time equally into ten days of steady participation. One tenth of all spiritual practices is deemed as a correction. Therefore nine days of practices must be followed by the tenth portion of correction in addition to any corrective measures taken during any individual practice session. While evening time or even midnight time meditation is acceptable for the nine nights, the tenth concluding session should ideally be finished before dusk.

If you wish to further study the transition of dates for your own area (local latitude and longitude), feel free to explore these links at your own risk. Even though the original Vedic or Sanskrit significance might not be detailed, the calculations are fairly reliable. Please remember to fill in your local city for correct results on applicable daybreaks or transitions.

https://www.drikpanchang.com/navratri/navratri-calendars

A reliable website that is a good resource for relevant celestial events, is also worth studying.

http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/

Seekers of truth continually search for higher wisdom in an effort to establish deeper spiritual practices that in turn greatly enrich their lives. Though every moment is momentous for such a seeker, special time periods within our daily calendar are recognized to be especially conducive to our practices and participation. As our biorhythms and diurnal cycles are in synergy with and related to the soli-lunar calendar (Vedic jyotiṣa calculations), so too are the relationships manifested between us and higher worlds during specific time periods.

This transition is based on the rhythms of nature and cycles of time as they relate to the relative movement of celestial bodies, including lunar asterisms and the constellations. The synergy effects make it pertinent that we synchronize our affirmations and routines based on the cosmic time calendar given to us by the extant Sanskrit literature and its calculations. The spiritual resolutions and the attendant disciplines are closely connected with the energy coordinates within our bodies and around us. The soli-lunar calendar maps the diurnal rhythms with respect to luminaries and planets in deep space while the movement of these heavenly bodies retains a relationship with our breath. During one regular breath by a human being, the heavenly bodies move in space by one minute of arc, obviously related to the rotation of earth.

In other words, the soli-lunar calendar is based on a continuous mapping of the relative positions of celestial bodies within our solar system and with reference to the lunar mansions farther out into space from Earth. Here on Earth, according to the geographic coordinates where we are located, this daily prāna (life-force energy) calendar maps the biorhythms influencing us through the cosmic motion of luminaries and planets. Equipped with an understanding of these transitions of key space-time coordinates, we can make affirmations at these auspicious times that become more meaningful.

The Sanskrit conception of elapsed time is an elaborate framework that cyclically connects past efforts with future momentum via the momentous ‘present’ and as the inevitable kāla, or the eater of all. The space-time concepts are further amplified by the nuances of the soli-lunar calendar wherein complicated rhythms of the heavenly bodies are mapped, with respect to both the Sun and the Moon, onto our biorhythms and daily routines. The traditional following of the ‘auspiciousness’ of periods and days is captured in a unit of ‘proper time’ known as a muhurta or two units of 24 minutes, totalling 48 minutes. Sometimes an entire day is considered favourable depending upon the chores and ceremonies that define the range of activities.

While personal meditation practices or mental affirmations are rarely constricted by the dynamic components of the calendar, professional and ceremonial activities related to work and service are brought under a purview of the ‘right time’ for starting in order to gain momentum. There are also the special days based on immensely significant events deemed as divine and awe-inspiring thereby evoking reverence and enumeration by devotees who adore such happenings.

The Sanskrit-based calculation and ethos is based on a cycle of 60 as per the sexagesimal system. Our resting heartbeat of one beat per second is considered to be the rhythm at the root of this system. The number 60 has 12 factors (the total number of constellations in the zodiac that the Sun traverses in a year) and is the smallest number divisible by every number from 1 to 6. Whereas an average of 6 breaths span 24 seconds, 360 breaths usually take 24 minutes or 1/60th of a day, and 21,600 human breaths take 24 hours or a full day. 360° of sky-arc pass over the horizon in one day. 1/60 of 360° = 6° = 360 minutes of arc. Thus 360 breaths cover 360 minutes of arc in space. Therefore, during one breath, the heavenly bodies move in space by one minute of arc. Thus our breathing patterns and heartbeat rhythms are mapped and connected to the macrocosm through the process of evolution.

The Moon covers the same 360° of the sky in one synodic lunar month (the time it takes the moon to go from one new moon to the next) that the Sun covers during one sidereal year (the time it takes the sun to pass through all 12 constellations of the zodiac). The Sun’s 360° cycle is divided into 12 months of 30° each whereas the Moon’s cycle is divided into 30 days of 12° each. A lunar month is thus a mirror image of the solar year. An average soli-lunar year (based on a mean of 365.26 days of the solar sidereal year and 354.37 days of the lunar synodic year) is also about 360 days consisting of 40 nine-day/night periods (navarātri) and 9 forty-day periods (each such 40 day period is a mandala).

Wisdom teachings from the Sanskrit heritage guide the seeker towards a daily meditation practice that transcends the barriers of emotional remnants from performing prescribed duties. Herein, meditation mends the mind by overcoming emotional and physical disturbances. However, the greater virtue of meditation lies in the continuous purification of the chitta (mind, ego and intellect) in the subtle heart. Sanskrit texts define this subtle heart as the soul, which can be seen in deep meditation (seeing without the use of subtle sense organs).

Practising daily mindfulness with breath awareness brings about an understanding of the entrapments from expanding the experience of the world. Anchoring oneself in one’s own daily meditation practices defined by structured techniques manifests the highest purification of internal tendencies and latent impressions lodged in the mind-stuff (chitta-suddhi). Thereafter, a pure-hearted mind beholds the ultimate knowledge or realization of being that transcends subtle feelings and the thoughtless void. While the journey is outlined clearly in Sanskrit, it is helpful to know that our affirmations towards the goal become more meaningful when we synchronize them closely with a certain cosmic time-space coordinate based on a proven dynamic calendar from our ancient heritage.

The affirmations, spiritual vows and daily meditation based on this greater synchronization are necessary until living liberation is attained. Those joining the path of inner awakening or just starting on this journey of mindfulness often wonder how the liberated souls or enlightened beings can remain silent for so long or do not get bored without doing something or other. Most who cannot relate to the validity of spiritual discipline and the transcendental states of being attained thereafter may even conceive of God as being occupied with puny activities.

A liberated being has no sense of time to feel bored and moreover by anchoring in the inner silence they become mighty performers and a noble wish in such a case fructifies easily. Such free beings do not cultivate ‘wishful thinking’ or get unnecessarily busy with the world. Virtues cling to them on account of their tranquil mind. If voluntary action (purushakāra) is guided towards a profound meditation practice, a seeker may obtain liberation in a single birth. Such is the promise of Sanskrit wisdom.

A famous Vedanta verse proclaims that our immortal essence or the consciousness cannot be introspected by those who are physically weak (nāyāmātmā balahinena labhya). Thus a mindful seeker considers the gift of a healthy body as the most important support for introspection. Such a seeker serves to heal the earth by understanding that the body is like wet earth (or soil) in subtle balance with oxygen. The oxygenated breath and vibrant cruelty-free food is very much dependent on a clean environment and sustainable living. Thus navarātri is an ideal time to participate in healing the earth through the meditation and worship of the Divine Mother.

A Vedic fire ceremony or Homa as an offering by devotees and aspirants beholds an immense promise of reciprocation. Meditation mass and fellowship services invoking the Divine Mother with her attributes are a good addition to one’s personal meditation routine. An ardent seeker is not focused on personal gains from giving charity and spiritual offerings at temple altars, but is more inclined to share resources through spiritual practices and meditation that is compassionately healing to the earth.

Those who sacrifice for the greater cause have truly understood the core principles and spiritual values that guide our service. It is not enough to seek personal benevolence for oneself from the Divine Mother, but better still to undertake genuine spiritual practices of honouring and serving that elevate our minds and fulfil our hearts without wanting anything in return. After all, a mother wants hardly anything from the child!

The upcoming total lunar eclipse on the 20th/21st January is the second eclipse of 2019, following the partial solar eclipse that took place on 5th/6th January. An eclipse event never occurs alone; at least one solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse, though it might not be visible in the same regions of the world. Sometimes, there are three eclipse events during the same eclipse season.

Anywhere between zero and three lunar eclipses can occur in a calendar year. We know that the shadow of the Earth falling on the Moon brings about a lunar eclipse. This can happen only on a full moon when Moon and Sun are posited opposite of mutual conjunction, while the Earth moves in between them and reduces the Moon’s light source.

In simple terms, the Earth’s shadow that falls on the Moon during a lunar eclipse is either penumbral or umbral. The penumbra is the lighter outer part of Earth’s shadow where only partial sunlight is obscured. The umbra is the dark, central part of Earth’s shadow where all sunlight is blocked—this is the phenomenon that creates ‘nighttime’.

When the Moon is fully encapsulated by the umbral shadow, we observe a total lunar eclipse from the Earth. If the Moon passes partially through the umbral shadow then a partial lunar eclipse is observed from the Earth. An exclusive penumbral eclipse occurs when the Moon passes only through the penumbral portion of the shadow without touching the umbra.

As the Moon enters Earth’s umbral shadow, it will turn a rusty color as it reflects sunlight being refracted through the Earth’s atmosphere. In other words, the lunar eclipse is illuminated by all of Earth’s sunrises and sunsets reaching the moon, hence why a total lunar eclipse is often called a blood moon.

More details about the red hue can be found at:

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/why-does-moon-look-red-lunar-eclipse.html

The exact time period of this eclipse will depend upon the latitude and longitude of your location.

Here is an interactive map detailing where this eclipse is visible:

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2019-january-21

While this total lunar eclipse is visible in the entire Americas as well as other countries such as England and Norway, it is not visible in India, Australia and Southeast Asia.

The link below provides a good perspective about the umbral timings:

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2019Jan21T.pdf

A lunar eclipse has nearly equal probability of being a total, partial umbral or only penumbral. Those of you studying or following the Saros cycle on periodicity of eclipses, please refer to this link for details:

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEsaros/LEsaros134.html

As per the ancient Vedic soli-lunar calendar, the umbral eclipse time-period determines the actual impact of a lunar eclipse. For example, the umbral eclipse takes effect in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, 20th January from 7:33pm; the total eclipse begins at 8:41pm; the maximum eclipse is at 9:12pm; the total eclipse ends at 9:43pm; and the umbral eclipse is over after 10:50pm, as shown in this location guide:

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/los-angeles

You may determine the nature, extent, and time duration of the eclipse relevant to your location using the above link.

In general, eclipses indicate an interruption of the energy of the luminaries and hence are deemed as important events for life on Earth. An eclipse affects all plants and trees especially those on land receiving the sunlight and moonlight directly. Other living creatures such as birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and even insects have been seen harnessing the power of these transitional events.

While animals seem to be attuned to the forces of nature and better informed, the effect of an eclipse on humans tends to manifest in different ways and to varying degrees. These effects can be analyzed based on the particular position or placement of luminaries at the time of one’s birth. This is calculated accurately by Sanskrit-based Jyotiṣa-vidyā, which astronomically maps the coordinates of the celestial bodies, including distant star clusters and asterisms, at the time of birth using a dynamic soli-lunar calendar.

This indigenous knowledge base (gaṇīta-śāstra or Vedic mathematics) is a Vedic Sanskrit heritage that is still practiced in India, and while the tradition retains its authentic depth, it is much less prevalent than before. If and how an eclipse affects an individual is a specific and detailed calculation and is in itself a vast subject. As such effects on an individual level are mostly out of our control, they are best mitigated at a personal level by way of contemplation or meditation.

Based on Jyotiṣa-vidyā, the effects of an eclipse can last for three to six months if of particular significance to an individual, whereas the effects can last for up to a year if relevant to a country. An eclipse of great magnitude influences life across the entire globe to varying degrees. It impacts in such a way that the effects do not necessarily manifest quickly, but rather develop over the subsequent months.

Mindfulness and extra care are the call of these times in making our footprint as minimalistic as possible when it comes to our lives impacting the environment. There is however the geological momentum and forces of nature that are verily beyond our control, and all we can do is share positive energy, mindful service and be prepared as best as possible.

Whereas eclipses and their effects have been either closely followed or studied by many traditions and cultures, meditators patiently wait for such moments to come forth. This is because the depth and power of meditation increases manifold during an eclipse. An event like this brings an excellent opportunity for enhancing one’s spiritual practice.

Regular and persistent practice of meditation can be made to culminate in a new level or the attainment of a special result, a siddhi, from an eclipse. From this perspective, a total eclipse is a greater opportunity to excel in meditation, while a partial eclipse is somewhat less of an opportunity but nevertheless still worthwhile. Seekers in countries where the eclipse is only partially visible can still embrace the meditation practices even though the effects will be milder; however, if the eclipse is not visible at all, the meditation benefits do not multiply.

For a meditator to gain the maximum advantage, Sanskrit literature suggests fasting for 9 hours ahead of the start time for a lunar eclipse (and fasting 12 hours in the case of a solar eclipse). This is of course difficult to practise with the modern lifestyle, especially when working during the day. However, some of the other aspects of preparing for an eclipse could perhaps be done, such as fasting during the entire eclipse period and even abstaining from drinking water during the eclipse. One can drink just enough water ahead of time so that the contemplative practices during the eclipse are not interrupted. Those not able to fast can have a light snack well ahead of the eclipse. Food and drinks are not taken during or at the beginning of the eclipse.

It is traditional among those who follow the eclipse routine to take a wash (a shower) right before the onset of the eclipse and then take another shower just after the end of the eclipse. The two showers or full body ablutions are associated with two changes of fresh clothes, and is known as a samputi system of locking the energy of the eclipse through a customary cleansing. In case of a lunar eclipse, showers or ablutions can be taken during the beginning and ending penumbral periods sandwiching the umbral meditation session.

Taking rest after the second shower would be deemed normal. Fasting can be ended right after this shower and change of clothes. A well-structured pre-planned meditation is usually better practised indoors in a familiar surrounding remaining on one’s own seat of repose (āsana).

In the example for Los Angeles, California, the first shower or ablution can be taken right after the onset of the penumbral eclipse at 6:36pm but before the 7:33pm umbral eclipse and thereafter the second shower or ablution may be taken after 10:50pm at the end of the umbral eclipse but before 11:48pm which is end time of the penumbral eclipse. The entire umbral eclipse time period of 7:33pm until 10:50pm can be used for the meditation practice. Furthermore, maximum intensity of meditation practice can be applied during the total lunar eclipse period of 8:41pm to 9:43pm.

It would be wise to make sure that at least one complete meditation session is done. The peak eclipse is the most intense. Therefore, for those wishing to meditate during the eclipse or preparing to intensify their existing contemplation, may plan the practice to maximize the overlap with the period of the peak eclipse period.

One might need to extend the meditation time by repeating one’s usual meditation techniques a number of times. In that case, repeating a sequence an odd number of times (such as thrice) is better than an even number. However, the depth and quality are more important than number of repetitions.

This is a summary of relevant recommendations from the Sanskrit literature. It is best to utilize this rare opportunity to intensify personal contemplation or meditation practice.

The upcoming total lunar eclipse of Wednesday, 31st January 2018 is on a blue moon, because in some parts of the world this is the second full moon of January. Moreover the full moon also happens to be a super moon and will look bigger and brighter due to its perigee position with respect to Earth. A total lunar eclipse is often called a blood moon because of the reddish orange glow the moon exhibits during the eclipse. Therefore this eclipse is being called the Super Blue Blood Moon Eclipse. The exact time period of this eclipse will depend upon the latitude and longitude of your location.

Here is an interactive map detailing where this eclipse is visible:
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2018-january-31

While it is visible in North America, Australasia and Asia, the eclipse is not visible in much of Western Europe, except in Scandinavia. The eclipse is also not visible in the majority of South America and Africa.

This link below provides a good perspective about the umbral timings:
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2018Jan31T.pdf

The umbral eclipse period determines the actual impact of a lunar eclipse. For example, the umbral eclipse will take effect in Los Angeles, California from 3:48am; the total eclipse begins at 4:51am; the maximum eclipse is at 5:29am and the eclipse is no longer visible after 6:07am, as shown in this location guide:
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/los-angeles

You may determine the nature, extent, and time duration of the eclipse relevant to your location using the above link.

In general, eclipses indicate an interruption of the energy of the luminaries and hence are deemed as important events for life on Earth. An eclipse affects all plants and trees especially those on land receiving the sunlight and moonlight directly. Living creatures such as birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and even insects have been seen harnessing the power of these transitional events.

One such recorded event of eclipse awareness from the animal world is shared herein. During the morning solar eclipse of 15th January 2010 several devotees witnessed a cobra worshipping an altar (Śivalingam) using sacred wood apple leaves (bilwa). This special worship took place at the Thepperumanallur temple of Viśvanāthaswamī (Śivaḥ) near the city of Kumbhakonam in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India and was recorded by a photographer named Thenappan.

The photographer was called in by the priest during the midmorning when he noticed the cobra mounted on the altar. The cobra was then witnessed dismounting the altar just before the start of the eclipse, fetching the sacred stalk of leaves from the temple’s wood apple tree and re-entering the sanctum sanctorum, remounting the altar, opening its hood and thereafter offering the leaves on top of the altar. By that time the eclipse had started. The sequence was repeated by the cobra as if in a worship gesture of expiation.

Each stalk has three leaves symbolizing the two eyes and the third eye of timelessness, constituting a perfect natural offering to Śivaḥ who is hailed as the Lord of Time. Residents of the Thepperumanallur village say that serpents had been visiting the altar during at least three previous solar eclipses. The priest and local devotees of this temple had thereby prearranged for the photographer to record this event in expectation of a similar interaction. The recorded worship by the cobra demonstrates how creatures are aware of the timing of an eclipse and prepare for such special moments.

While animals seem to be attuned to the forces of nature and better informed, the effect of an eclipse on humans tends to manifest in different ways and to varying degrees. These effects can be analyzed based on the particular position or placement of luminaries at the time of one’s birth. This is calculated accurately by Sanskrit-based Jyotiṣa-vidyā, which astronomically maps the coordinates of the celestial bodies, including distant star clusters and asterisms, at the time of birth using a dynamic soli-lunar calendar.

This indigenous knowledge base (gaṇīta-śāstra or Vedic mathematics) is a Vedic Sanskrit heritage that is still practised in India, and while the tradition retains its authentic depth, it is much less prevalent than before. If and how an eclipse affects an individual is a specific and detailed calculation and is in itself a vast subject. As such effects on an individual level are mostly out of our control, they are best mitigated at a personal level by way of contemplation or meditation.

Based on Jyotiṣa-vidyā, the effects of an eclipse can last for three to six months if of particular significance to an individual, whereas the effects can last for up to a year if relevant to a country. An eclipse of great magnitude influences life across the entire globe to varying degrees. It impacts in such a way that the effects do not necessarily manifest quickly, but develop over the subsequent months.

In the United States we have seen a sequence of severe calamities since the last solar eclipse, compounding an already difficult year affected by warming weather trends and Midwestern drought. The precipitous impact of these calamities has been attributed to the last solar eclipse by the jyotiśa experts (jyotiśvid) who study and follow the effects of eclipses on a country. The onset of natural calamities has been otherwise labelled by such observers as unnatural due to the manner in which these calamities manifest untimely catastrophes.

The time period since the major solar eclipse of 21st August 2017 that cast a shadow through the heartland of United States and Puerto Rico has been majorly calamitous. A trio of devastating hurricanes and multiple wildfires all led to a record-breaking year of losses from catastrophes. The very first hurricane sprung up right after this major solar eclipse and caused destruction from flooding that reached a new level of urban tragedy.

Experienced eclipse trackers and jyotiśa experts indicated that coastal states, especially those south of the eclipse path, were especially vulnerable from this major once-in-a-century total solar eclipse. Moreover the effects were predicted to linger and could last as late as one year, which is until August 2018. As per the experts, September of 2018 could eventually mark the end of the hard times brought about by such a major solar eclipse. This indicates that we have to be extra prepared with a mindset to face calamities, especially when it comes to eclipse related impact affecting the country as a whole.

Since this solar eclipse that spanned the USA from coast to coast, we have had (i) Hurricane Harvey, (ii) Hurricane Maria and (iii) Hurricane Irma, all category-4 storms when they made landfall. Harvey’s devastation was severe due to the historic amount of extreme rainfall causing immense flooding. We are all aware of Maria’s destruction to Puerto Rico’s infrastructure. Lastly, Irma sustained winds of 185 mph for 37 hours, the longest period of high hurricane winds in recorded history.

Thereafter the Western Firestorms ravaged California through the year end. The fires in October brought about urban destruction of neighbourhoods on a scale hitherto unknown in California. The combined destruction of the firestorms represents the most costly fire event on record. The largest fire in California’s history, the Thomas fire in Southern California, scorched an area nearly the size of New York City, and is the cause of a rain provoked mudslide that substantially levelled an idyllic seaside hamlet.

Even though the fires may not have started due to natural causes, the unusual weather conditions that aggravated the catastrophic impact have been attributed to the energy of the solar eclipse. In essence the experts claim that major eclipses carve out a path of transitional impact that cannot be overlooked. It is noteworthy that Oregon, situated at the entry path of the solar eclipse, was impacted by fires, while South Carolina, situated at the exit point of this eclipse, bore the hurricane impact.

Mindfulness and extra care are the call of these times in making our footprint as minimalistic as possible when it comes to our lives impacting the environment. There is however the geological momentum and forces of nature that are verily beyond our control, and all we can do is share positive energy, mindful service and be prepared as best as possible.

Whereas eclipses and their effects have been either closely followed or studied by many traditions and cultures, meditators patiently wait for such moments to come forth. This is because the depth and power of meditation increases manifold during an eclipse. An event like this brings an excellent opportunity for enhancing one’s spiritual practice.

Regular and persistent practice of meditation can be made to culminate in a new level or the attainment of a special result, a siddhi, from an eclipse. From this perspective, a total eclipse is a greater opportunity to excel in meditation, while a partial eclipse is somewhat less of an opportunity but nevertheless still worthwhile. Seekers in countries where the eclipse is only partially visible can still embrace the meditation practices even though the effects will be milder; however, if the eclipse is not visible at all, the meditation benefits do not multiply.

For a meditator to gain the maximum advantage, Sanskrit literature suggests fasting for 9 hours ahead of the start time for a lunar eclipse (and fasting 12 hours in the case of a solar eclipse). This is of course difficult to practise with the modern lifestyle, especially when working during the day. However, some of the other aspects of preparing for an eclipse could perhaps be done, such as fasting during the entire eclipse period and even abstaining from drinking water during the eclipse. One can drink just enough water ahead of time so that the contemplative practices during the eclipse are not interrupted. Those not able to fast can have a light snack well ahead of the eclipse. Food and drinks are not taken during or at the beginning of the eclipse.

It is traditional among those who follow the eclipse routine to take a wash (a shower) right before the onset of the eclipse and then take another shower just after the end of the eclipse. The two showers are associated with two changes of fresh clothes, and is known as a samputi system of locking the energy of the eclipse through a customary cleansing. Taking rest after the second shower would be deemed normal. Fasting can be ended right after this shower and change of clothes. A well-structured pre-planned meditation is usually better practised indoors in a familiar surrounding remaining on one’s own seat of repose (āsana).

In this example for Los Angeles mentioned above, the first shower can be taken right at the onset of the umbral eclipse at 3:48am and thereafter the second shower may be soon after 6:08am when the eclipse is no longer visible. Furthermore, maximum intensity of meditation practice can be applied during the total lunar eclipse period of 4:51am to 6:07am.

It would be wise to make sure that at least one complete meditation session is done. The peak eclipse is the most intense. Therefore for those planning to meditate during the eclipse or preparing to intensify their existing contemplation, please plan your practice to maximize the overlap with the period of the peak eclipse period. One might need to extend the meditation time by repeating one’s usual meditation techniques a number of times. In that case, repeating a sequence an odd number of times (such as thrice) is better than an even number. However, the depth and quality is more important than mere repetitions.

This is a summary of relevant recommendations from the Sanskrit literature. It is best to utilize this rare opportunity to intensify your personal contemplation or meditation practice.

The Sanskrit text named Mahākāla Saṃhitā declares that four nine-night periods based on the dynamic soli-lunar calendar are deemed especially auspicious for the worship of the great śakti or the veneration of the Divine Mother. Each of these four periods are popularly celebrated as navarātri, which is a literal translation of nine-nights. One must note that duration of a lunar day and its overlap with the sunrise time determine the duration of each auspicious period. Thus in rare situations, one navarātri period may span only eight solar days or may be longer, thereby lasting up to ten solar days.

Seekers of truth continually search for higher wisdom in an effort to establish deeper spiritual practices which in turn greatly enrich their lives. Though every moment is momentous for such a seeker, special time periods are recognized within our daily calendar to be especially conducive to our practices and participation. As our biorhythms and diurnal cycles are in synergy with and related to the soli-lunar calendar (Vedic jyotiṣa calculations), so are the relationships manifested between us and higher worlds during specific time periods.

These four nine-night time periods starting the day after four new moons are celebrated in spiritual traditions by practicing varying degrees of contemplation, introspection, meditation, austerity and rituals, and also by launching new ventures. The culmination of this nine-night period ushers in daśamī or the tenth day of the ascending cycle of the Moon. It bears a great significance for bringing to fruition a special personal triumph. The navarātri meditation or worship of nine days (and nights) is of course divided into single days of special prayers related to the splendorous aspects of the Divine Mother.

Based on this relevant verse,

caitre āśvine tathāṣāḍhe māghe kāryo-mahotsavaḥ
navarātre mahārāja pūjā kāryā viśeṣataḥ

the calculation of the following four auspicious time periods for Pacific Time Zone in the USA are presented.

Note: even though in Pacific Time Zone nine lunar nights span only eight solar days in July 2018, this may not apply elsewhere outside of the western USA. Meditators should not skip a day and may conclude their 10-day spiritual practice only on Sunday, 22nd July.

Those practising a daily routine of spiritual practices (or vows), such as meditation, sublime recitations or community service (sevā) can structure their time equally into ten days of steady participation. One tenth of all spiritual practices is deemed as a correction! Therefore nine days of practices must be followed by the tenth portion of correction in addition to any corrective measures taken during any individual practice session. While evening time or even midnight time meditation is acceptable for the nine nights, the tenth concluding session should ideally be finished before dusk.

A typical nine-night period may last an extra day or lose a day thereby making the time period either span 10 solar days or 8 solar days, respectively. One needs to practice the spiritual routine for 11 days and conclude the entire practice on the 11th day if lunar nine-night navarātri span 10 solar days. Whereas if the nine-night navarātri spans only 8 solar days instead of typical 9 solar days, one needs to add the two extra days and conclude the practice on the 10th solar day since the beginning.

If you wish to further study the transition of dates for your own area (local latitude and longitude), feel free to explore these links at your own risk. Even though the original Vedic or Sanskrit significance might not be detailed, the calculations are fairly reliable. Please remember to fill in your local city for correct results on applicable daybreaks or transitions.

https://www.drikpanchang.com/navratri/navratri-calendars.html

https://www.mypanchang.com/2018americacanadawestindiesfestivals.php

A reliable website that is a good resource for relevant dates, such as eclipses in your area, is also worth studying.

http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/

A famous Vedanta verse proclaims that our immortal essence or the consciousness cannot be introspected by those who are physically weak (nāyāmātmā balahinena labhya). Thus a mindful seeker considers the gift of a healthy body as the most important support for introspection. Such a seeker serves to heal the earth by understanding that the body is like wet earth (or soil) in subtle balance with the oxygen. The oxygenated breath and vibrant cruelty-free food is very much dependent on a clean environment and sustainable living.

Thus navarātri is an ideal time to participate in healing the earth through the meditation and worship of the Divine Mother. A Vedic fire ceremony or Homa as an offering by devotees and aspirants beholds an immense promise of reciprocation. Meditation mass and fellowship services invoking the Divine Mother with her attributes are a good addition to our personal meditation routine. An ardent seeker is not focused on personal gains from giving charity and spiritual offerings at temple altars, but is more inclined to share resources through spiritual practices and meditation that is compassionately healing to the earth.

Those who sacrifice for the greater cause have truly understood the core principles and spiritual values that guide our service. It is not enough to seek personal benevolence for oneself from the Divine Mother, but better still to undertake genuine spiritual practices of honouring and serving that elevate our minds and fulfil our hearts without wanting anything in return. After all, a mother wants hardly anything from the child!