Caturdaśīचतुर्दशी(Chaturdashi)
The fourteenth tithi; primary devatā Śiva (Kālī in Kṛṣṇa-14), Riktā-class, classical register of intense transformation.
Caturdaśī
Caturdaśī (चतुर्दशी, also written Chaturdashi) is the fourteenth of the thirty tithis, occurring in both Śukla-pakṣa and Kṛṣṇa- pakṣa. Its presiding devatā in the primary classical register is Śiva. In the Kṛṣṇa-14 register specifically, where the tithi closes the waning fortnight on the eve of Amāvāsyā, the devatā shifts to Kālī — the form of the Goddess associated with time's dissolving register, classically invoked at month-end. In the five- class auspiciousness scheme of the Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi, Caturdaśī belongs to the Riktā class (tithis 4, 9, 14) — the release- oriented register, classically avoided for most auspicious undertakings but carrying specific power for dissolution-oriented ritual.
Classical grounding
Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi and the Nirṇaya Sindhu identify Śiva as Caturdaśī's primary devatā, with Kālī specifically named for the Kṛṣṇa-14 context. The Śiva Purāṇa is the principal source for the Śukla-Caturdaśī observances, including Anaṅga Trayodaśī- Caturdaśī (Mārgaśīrṣa). Mahāśivarātri — the single most important annual Śaiva observance — falls on Phālguna-Kṛṣṇa- Caturdaśī, the Kṛṣṇa-14 before Amāvāsyā, when the classical Liṅga-pūjā and jāgaraṇa (night-vigil) practices converge on the single most powerful Śiva-night of the lunar year. Narakacaturdaśī (Kārtika-Kṛṣṇa-14) is the Dīpāvali-adjacent observance commemorating Kṛṣṇa's victory over Narakāsura.
Significations
What Caturdaśī classically governs:
- Mahāśivarātri — the annual Śaiva observance on Phālguna-Kṛṣṇa- Caturdaśī, classically the most potent night for Śiva-oriented practice, Liṅga-abhiṣeka, and jāgaraṇa
- Pitṛ-related observances where the Kālī register applies — Kṛṣṇa-14 carries specific weight for dissolution and transformation work
- Narakacaturdaśī on Kārtika-Kṛṣṇa-14, the chhotī Dīpāvali observance in many regional traditions
- Śaiva monthly observances where the Caturdaśī tithi is the classical complement to the Trayodaśī Pradoṣa
- Avoidance of travel, marriage ceremonies, and most Saṃskāra work per classical muhūrta
- Dissolution-oriented ritual — ceremonies that mark endings, closures, and the completion of long phases
Pakṣa-level reading
In Śukla-pakṣa, Caturdaśī carries the waxing register and the primary Śiva devatā attribution. Anaṅga Caturdaśī is among the classical Śukla-14 observances. The Śukla-Caturdaśī half-tithis carry the movable karaṇas Gara and Vaṇij, both generally favourable despite the Riktā-class tithi. In Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, Caturdaśī carries the waning register and the Kālī devatā shift — the tithi closes the fortnight on the eve of Amāvāsyā and classically carries the most intense dissolution-register of any non-Amāvāsyā tithi. The Kṛṣṇa-Caturdaśī first half carries Viṣṭi (the Bhadrā karaṇa, distinct from the Bhadrā-class tithi naming); the second half carries Śakuni — the first of the four fixed karaṇas, marking the pakṣa-boundary transition. Mahāśivarātri (Phālguna-Kṛṣṇa-14) is the peak Śaiva observance of the lunar year.
Muhūrta-relevance
Classical muhūrta names Caturdaśī among the Riktā tithis classically avoided for general auspicious undertakings. The specific exceptions are Śaiva-oriented and Kālī-oriented observances, for which Caturdaśī is precisely the correct tithi. Mahāśivarātri is classically the most powerful single tithi- observance of the year for Śaiva practice. The Kṛṣṇa-Caturdaśī second-half transition into the fixed karaṇa Śakuni marks the structural handover from the movable-karaṇa stretch of the fortnight to the four fixed karaṇas that occupy the month-boundary region.