Cāturmāsa 1929: Pomona, California

Chaturmaas ("four months") is the sacred period beginning on Devshayana Ekadashi (Ashadha Shukla Ekadashi), when Lord Vishnu is said to enter Yoganidra, his cosmic sleep, and ending on Dev Uthana Ekadashi (Kartika Shukla Ekadashi), when he is believed to awaken. The period spans the four lunar months of Shravana, Bhadrapada, Ashwin, and Kartika, coinciding with India's monsoon season.

Chaturmaas is widely observed as a time of increased spiritual discipline: many devotees take up vows of restricted diet, reduced travel, and intensified prayer and study for the duration. It is also one of the most festival-dense stretches of the Hindu calendar, encompassing Guru Purnima, Nag Panchami, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri, and Diwali, all falling within these four months. Dev Uthana Ekadashi itself marks the traditional resumption of auspicious activities such as weddings, which are commonly paused during Chaturmaas.