Chaturdashi Tithi: The Fourteenth Day, Shivaratri and Naraka Chaturdashi

Chaturdashi is the fourteenth tithi, when the Moon is between a hundred and sixty-eight and a hundred and eighty degrees from the Sun. In the bright half it is a nearly full Moon, a night from the full, and in the dark half it is a very thin waning crescent, a night from the new Moon, seen only in the hour before dawn.

It is the tithi of Shiva, and in the dark half it is the tithi of his night. Every Krishna Chaturdashi is Masik Shivaratri, the monthly night of Shiva, and the greatest of them is Maha Shivaratri. It is also a Rikta tithi, and the almanac treats it with caution for ordinary beginnings.

The tithi at a glance

Group and deity

Chaturdashi is the last of the Rikta tithis, with Chaturthi and Navami. Rikta means empty, and muhurat texts advise caution with the group for ceremonies that are meant to grow, such as a marriage or a new home. The classification does not say anything about the spiritual value of the day, and in several traditions the Rikta tithis are among the strongest for worship.

A common list names Shiva as the deity of Chaturdashi, though some lists give Kali or another fierce form for the dark half. The connection with Shiva is the one most visible in practice, and many Shaiva families keep a monthly vigil on Krishna Chaturdashi.

Festivals on Shukla Chaturdashi

Ananta Chaturdashi falls on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi, the day of worship of Vishnu in his endless form (Ananta), with a thread tied on the wrist for fourteen knots. It is also the day on which in Maharashtra and many other regions the Ganesha images installed on Ganesh Chaturthi are taken in procession and immersed.

Narasimha Jayanti falls on Vaishakha Shukla Chaturdashi, the birth of Narasimha, the man-lion form of Vishnu, observed with a fast and an evening worship. Vaikuntha Chaturdashi falls on Kartika Shukla Chaturdashi and is a day on which, in the tradition of Varanasi and some temples, Shiva and Vishnu are worshipped together.

Festivals on Krishna Chaturdashi

Masik Shivaratri is the monthly night of Shiva on every Krishna Chaturdashi, kept with a fast and a vigil on the night of the tithi. The greatest, Maha Shivaratri, falls on Krishna Chaturdashi of Magha in the purnimanta calendar and Phalguna in the amanta, with the worship set out in Maha Shivaratri Puja. Mantras for the night include the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and the Rudrashtakam.

Naraka Chaturdashi, also called Choti Diwali or Kali Chaudas in some regions, falls on Krishna Chaturdashi of Kartika in the purnimanta calendar and Ashvin in the amanta. It is the second day of Diwali, with an oil bath before dawn and lamps in the evening, in memory of the defeat of the demon Naraka.

The different month names for the same Krishna Chaturdashi are explained on the page about amanta and purnimanta.

What muhurat practice says

As a Rikta tithi, Chaturdashi is generally left out of the lists of days recommended for marriage, a housewarming, buying a vehicle or starting a business. Krishna Chaturdashi, with the Moon at its thinnest and the new Moon a day away, is among the days almanacs are most careful about for ceremonies of celebration.

For worship, however, it is among the most respected tithis. Shivaratri, Naraka Chaturdashi, Narasimha Jayanti and Ananta Chaturdashi are all kept on Chaturdashi with devotion. The rule of thumb in practice is to separate acts of devotion and discipline, which look for Chaturdashi, from ceremonies of celebration and growth, which look for other tithis.

The weekday, nakshatra and individual charts count in any choice. The muhurat section explains how tithi, weekday and nakshatra are put together, and your astrologer can check the charts.

A simple way to observe the day

A monthly Shivaratri observance can be as simple as a lamp before Shiva in the evening, water poured over a Shiva lingam or an image, and a short recitation of Om Namah Shivaya. A vigil is optional and is traditional on Maha Shivaratri.

Fasting and vigils are a personal choice. Speak to a doctor first if you have a health condition, are pregnant, nursing, elderly or on regular medicine, and keep to a lighter observance if you need to. Nothing here is a promise of results.

Reading the tithi in the calendar

Chaturdashi is the tithi where the night matters. Maha Shivaratri takes the tithi in force at midnight, the Nishita kaal, so the date may differ from the sunrise tithi, and Naraka Chaturdashi takes the tithi at the time of the oil bath before dawn. Ananta Chaturdashi takes the forenoon.

Krishna Chaturdashi is also the tithi before Amavasya and sometimes merges with it on the calendar. When Chaturdashi is a kshaya tithi, the calendar moves the observance, and the festival pages calculate it for each city.

To see whether Chaturdashi is the tithi running today in your own city, open the daily panchang. Chaturdashi follows Trayodashi in the cycle and is followed by Purnima; the whole set is described in the guide to the thirty tithis.

Related pages

• Maha Shivaratri and Maha Shivaratri Puja: the great night of Shiva.
• Naraka Chaturdashi: the second day of Diwali.
• Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and Rudrashtakam: texts for Shivaratri.
• Ganesh Chaturthi: the immersion day is Ananta Chaturdashi.
• Muhurat: how Rikta tithis are treated.
• Amanta and purnimanta: how the month name of Krishna Chaturdashi differs.

Frequently asked questions