fasts and vrats
What is the Chaturmas vrat and what activities and foods are restricted during these four months?
What Chaturmas is
Chaturmas means "four months." It runs from Devshayani Ekadashi, which falls in the month of Ashadha (June-July), to Devuthani Ekadashi in Kartik (October-November). The tradition holds that during these four months, Vishnu, the preserver god, enters a cosmic sleep. This time is seen as especially sacred and a period for spiritual discipline and self-restraint. Many Hindus use it to deepen their practice through fasting, prayer, and pilgrimage.
Foods restricted month by month
The Padma Purana and Skanda Purana list specific foods to avoid in each of the four months. In Shravan (July-August), leafy greens are avoided. In Bhadrapada (August-September), yogurt and curd are set aside. In Ashwin (September-October), milk is restricted. In Kartik (October-November), pulses and lentils are avoided. These restrictions are not the same everywhere—some families follow them strictly, others follow some but not all, and regional and household customs vary. The idea behind them is to simplify the diet and focus the mind inward.
Other restrictions and practices
Beyond food, the tradition holds other restrictions during Chaturmas. Marriages are not performed during these four months. Many people avoid shaving or cutting hair. Some undertake enhanced fasting on certain days, especially on Ekadashi, the eleventh day of the lunar cycle. Pilgrimage is common, and many visit temples and sacred sites. Monks and renunciates stay in one place for the entire period rather than traveling, using the time for study and meditation. The overall spirit is one of turning inward and away from worldly activity.
Today
In practice, Chaturmas observance varies widely. Some families keep all the restrictions carefully. Others follow a few that feel important to them. Many Hindus abroad mark the period with increased prayer or fasting even if they cannot follow every food rule. The four months remain a time when many people feel called to spiritual practice, whether that means a full fast, a partial one, or simply more time in prayer and reflection. How strictly someone observes it depends on their own belief, family tradition, and life circumstances.