Gaṅgā Saptamī: Reappearance of the River of Time

GAṄGĀ SAPTAMĪ

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Sunday, May 4th
This sacred observance falls on the Saptamī tithi (seventh lunar day) of the waxing phase of the Moon in the Vedic month of Vaiśākha (April/May), and commemorates the auspicious reappearance of Gaṅgā Devī upon Earth.  

Through King Bhagīratha’s penance, Gaṅgā descended from Svarga-loka, crossing realms to reach Earth, where her sacred waters released the sons of Sagara from their karmic imprisonment.  

While Akṣaya Tṛtīyā celebrates the boon of her descent, it is on Gaṅgā Saptamī that her celestial stream was finally released from the matted locks (jaṭā) of Lord Śiva and began to sanctify the Earth.

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The Purāṇas, including the Rāmāyaṇa (Bālakāṇḍa) and the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Skandha 9), recount the tale of King Bhagīratha, whose generations-long tapasya invoked Gaṅgā’s compassion to liberate the souls of the sons of Sagara. 

Yet her descent was so powerful that it threatened to shatter the Earth—only Śiva, in his vast stillness, could receive her. Holding her within his jaṭā, he did not restrain her, but contained her—transforming overwhelming force into sacred flow.

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Here lies a deep teaching: Gaṅgā is awakened śakti—pure descent, untamed grace. Śiva, as the unmoving ground, is the stabilizing force of consciousness that alone can channel her power without collapse. This is the union of śakti and śiva, the dance of movement and stillness, of becoming and being. Her release from Śiva’s locks symbolizes not chaos, but the sanctified expression of grace once held in silence.

Gaṅgā is also the river of Time—kalā herself, flowing endlessly through the three worlds. To bathe in her is to step beyond the bounds of karma, if only for a moment. Śiva, as Mahākāla, the Great Time, stands not within the current of time but beyond it, as the witness of all cycles. In her descent, Time meets the Timeless; and through her, we glimpse the possibility of release from the wheel.

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In yogic traditions, Gaṅgā is traditionally associated with the Iḍā nāḍī—the left-sided lunar channel, governed by the Moon’s cooling, inward-drawing current of śakti. Alongside Yamunā (Piṅgalā) and Sarasvatī (Suṣumṇā), she forms the subtle triveṇī saṅgam within the energetic body—the sacred inner confluence of breath, mind, and consciousness at the heart of spiritual awakening.

In tantric linages, Gaṅgā is also envisioned as the luminous current of consciousness descending from sahasrāra (the crown) through the Suṣumṇā nāḍī (central channel)—a divine fall not unlike her celestial plunge. Her flow through the inner spine mirrors her outer journey: a river of remembrance, rethreading the soul toward its Source.

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On this day, devotees honor her presence through mantras, ritual bathing, and silent invocation. Even remembrance is an offering. For those far from her physical waters, to close the eyes and chant her name is to be washed in her subtle presence. May we allow ourselves to be received as she was received—held, softened, and sanctified by the stillness within.

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Oṁ Gaṅgāyai Namaḥ
Jaya Jāhnavī Mā

Akṣaya Tṛtīyā: Day of Lasting Achievements

AKṢAYA TṚTĪYĀ

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April 29/30th

Today marks the most auspicious day in the Vedic calendar, where both the luminaries, sūrya (sun) and chandra (moon) are in their exalted positions, occurring on the third (tṛtīyā) lunar day of the spring month of Vaiśākha. Akṣaya, meaning “never decreasing,” illuminates this day as a beacon of enduring accomplishments—also known as the day of lasting achievements. 

This auspicious occasion beckons new beginnings with unparalleled favorability, be it in the sacred bond of marriage, the initiation of ventures, the acquisition of gold or a new abode, or acts of benevolence. Such is its potency that the necessity of calculating an auspicious moment, known as muhūrta, becomes obsolete, for the entire day brims with divine blessings.

Tṛtīyā Tithi Begins — 5:01 AM PST | 05:31 PM on Apr 29
Tṛtīyā Tithi Ends — 1:42 AM PST | 02:12 PM on Apr 30

Today commemorates the denouement of the epochal Mahābhārata war, a pivotal event marking the transition from Satya Yuga, the golden age, to Tretā Yuga, the silver era. It is also revered as the day when Lord Gaṇeśa and Veda Vyāsa commenced the writing of the Mahābhārata, and the moment when, through King Bhagīratha’s penance, the celestial waters of Gaṅgā descended from Svarga Loka to grace the earthly realm.

This day is further sanctified by the celebration of Mātaṅgī Jayantī, honoring the Mahāvidyā who embodies knowledge, creativity, and the mastery of sacred speech. Governing the subtle realms of sound and thought, Mātaṅgī refines perception and harmonizes the mind with the cosmic rhythms of truth. She holds a deep connection to Sūrya Graha—the illuminator of consciousness and the eternal ātman (Self)—guiding the soul’s expression through the purity of voice, wisdom, and inner sovereignty.

Finally, Akṣaya Tṛtīyā also coincides with Paraśurāma Jayantī—the birth anniversary of Bhagavān Paraśurāma, the sixth avatāra of Viṣṇu, the divine warrior-sage whose fierce incarnation saw him wield the paraśu (axe) against the kṣatriya class to restore dharma and renew a more righteous society.

ॐ नमो नारायणाय | Oṁ Namo Nārāyaṇāya

New Moon in Bharaṇī: The Star of Restraint

NEW MOON

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27th 12:32 PST | 28th 1:02am IST

As we eagerly welcome the long-awaited energies of April’s New Moon (Amāvásyā), aligned with the Vedic lunar mansion of Bharaṇī भरणी (Aries)—the Star of Restraint—we find ourselves standing at a doorway between worlds: a pivotal moment for purification and initiation into transformative new beginnings.

Bharaṇī Nakṣatra, associated with Yama Rāja—the son of Sūrya (the Sun) and Saṃjñā (the goddess of consciousness, daughter of Viśvakarman, the celestial architect)—guardian of the threshold between worlds, lord of dharma, the afterlife, and king of the ancestors—beckons us to cleanse ourselves of impurities and stand at the threshold where the old is shed to make way for the new.

Bharaṇī holds the mysteries of both birth and protection—the passage from womb to tomb, and the sacred transition into new life (symbolized by the yoni). The dying of the old is the inevitable consequence of the birth of the new. As the Sufis say, "You must die before you die."

Bharaṇī’s śakti is Apabharaṇi Śakti—the power to carry things away; its very name means "she who bears."

This lunation cycle marks the culmination of recent energies, revealing new dimensions of ourselves and our lives—a delicate balance between self-discovery and our essential interconnectedness.

We are being called into a grand transformation—stepping into new power, claiming bold visions, and embracing the emergence of a renewed identity. What once confined you is now ready to be released.

Mercury and Venus are completing their post-shadow phases within Uttarabhādrapadā, awakening a potent window for deep healing, clarity, and integration. Notice what is surfacing to be acknowledged and released, clearing the way for the chapter ahead.

In early May, Jupiter (Bṛhaspati) steps into Gemini (Mṛgaśirā), inviting reflection on what truly nourishes our search for wisdom—and how we embody learning, connection, and the spirit of inquiry.

It is a time for radical release and courageous rebirth, shedding what no longer serves to pave the way for new life.

This transformation will require forbearance, hard work, and discipline, echoing the deeper wisdom found in the Yamas and Niyamas of the Yogasūtras—and perhaps a surrendering of the ego to a higher divinity, a passage that demands thoughtful action, clear discrimination, and unwavering trust.

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The momentum, clarity, and forward movement you have been waiting for are now within reach.

Let go of what no longer serves you. Stand boldly at the threshold of new life. Embrace this potent moment between sunrise and sunset, life and death.

What leap are you willing to take?

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“Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it's a feather bed.”

―Terence McKenna