What is Chaturmas?
The Adhik month and the Chaturmas are considered very auspicious and extra observances (vrat) are taken. One of the major vrats taken is to attend religious discourses. To facilitate this important observance, special Adhik Mas / Chaturmas discourses, lasting 5 days, are held in all the major Temples of Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan.
The Shravan month falls within the auspicious Chaturmas. The 4 month period between Ashad sud ekadashi (Devshayni Ekadashi - usually falls around July) and Kartik sud ekadashi (Prabodhini Ekadashi - usually falls in October / November) is referred to as the Chaturmas, literally, 4 months. During this time, all disciples will take extra vows such as fasting, scripture recitals, meditation and other religious observances as described by Lord Swaminarayan in the Shikshapatri, sloks 76-78.
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What do you have to do?
- Decide which of the niyams you want to do to please the Lord.
Remember this is a promise to God; for the next 4 months, you will do this each day to please Him. So you should not
promise something that you cannot achieve.
- Either download the form and write your niyams OR fill in the form below and you will be able to download and print your niyams.
- The night before or on the first day of the start of Chaturmas, read the letter in front of God in the Mandir or at home.
Chaturmas Niyams Form
Enter your niyams in the form below. Once you have filled in the form, you can download and print your niyams ready for reading in front of God in Mandir
Oh merciful Lord Swaminarayanbapa Swamibapa and Acharya Swamishree!
On this auspicious day of Ashadh Sud Ekadashi when we, Your loving children, make a vow before You, that we will perform additional devotional rites during the forthcoming Chaturmas. We perform these rites solely for the purpose of pleasing You.
Dear Lord! Shower me with Your divine grace and provide me the strength to fulfil the promise that I make to You today. Without Your divine mercy, that would be impossible.
Additional vows I wish to undertake:
Acharya Shree Jitendriyapriyadasji Swamiji Maharaj is the current spiritual leader of Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan. He is the heir to Acharya Shree Purushottampriyadasji Swamishree Maharaj, and sixth in the lineage of ascetic Acharyas, which descends directly from Lord Shree Swaminarayan.