Caturthīचतुर्थी(Chaturthi)
The fourth tithi; devatā Gaṇeśa, Riktā-class, classical register of obstacle-removal and release-oriented work.
Caturthī
Caturthī (चतुर्थी, also written Chaturthi) is the fourth of the thirty tithis, occurring in both Śukla-pakṣa and Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa. Its presiding devatā is Gaṇeśa, the remover of obstacles and lord of beginnings who presides classically over the first invocation at nearly every ritual. In the five-class auspiciousness scheme of the Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi, Caturthī belongs to the Riktā class (tithis 4, 9, 14) — the "empty" register, classically avoided for most auspicious undertakings but specifically powerful for release- oriented, obstacle-removing, and completion-oriented work. The Riktā framing is not a general "inauspicious" label; it names the tithi's orientation toward clearing rather than accumulating.
Classical grounding
Muhūrta Cintāmaṇi and the Nirṇaya Sindhu identify Gaṇeśa as Caturthī's devatā. The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa and Mudgala Purāṇa treat this devatā assignment at length, and the monthly Caturthī vrata — observed on both Śukla-Caturthī (as Vināyaka Caturthī) and Kṛṣṇa- Caturthī (as Saṅkaṣṭa Caturthī) — is among the most widely practiced fortnightly observances in the Gāṇapatya tradition. Gaṇeśa Caturthī (Bhādrapada-Śukla-Caturthī) is the major annual festival. The Riktā classification places Caturthī alongside Navamī and Caturdaśī as the three tithis where classical muhūrta prescribes specific avoidances — and these are precisely the tithis where release, obstacle-clearing, and transformation-oriented work is favoured.
Significations
What Caturthī classically governs:
- Invocation of Gaṇeśa — every ritual that begins with a Gaṇeśa invocation draws classically on Caturthī's register
- Removal of obstacles (vighna-nivāraṇa) — the tithi's most direct significance, reflected in the Saṅkaṣṭa Caturthī ("trouble- removing fourth") observance
- Beginnings that require specific protection from obstacles rather than generic auspiciousness — Caturthī is the tithi when a ritual to clear obstacles is more appropriate than a general-purpose inauguration
- Fasting observances — both Vināyaka Caturthī (Śukla) and Saṅkaṣṭa Caturthī (Kṛṣṇa) are classically observed as full-day fasts broken at moonrise
- Avoidance of travel, marriage muhūrta, and formal contract signing during Caturthī, per classical muhūrta — though with specific exceptions for Gaṇeśa-associated initiations
Pakṣa-level reading
In Śukla-pakṣa, Caturthī is Vināyaka Caturthī — the waxing-moon manifestation, classically observed as a fast for Gaṇeśa and read for setting obstacle-free beginnings. The Śukla-Caturthī half-tithis carry Vaṇij and Viṣṭi (the Bhadrā karaṇa) — Viṣṭi's presence in the second half reinforces Caturthī's overall avoidance register for general muhūrta. In Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, Caturthī is Saṅkaṣṭa Caturthī — the waning-moon manifestation, classically observed by those seeking resolution of specific difficulties. The Kṛṣṇa- Caturthī half-tithis carry the movable karaṇas Bava and Bālava, both generally favourable. Aṅgāraka Caturthī — a Caturthī falling on Maṅgalavāra (Tuesday) — is classically the most powerful Caturthī for obstacle-removal work.
Muhūrta-relevance
Classical muhūrta names Caturthī among the tithis classically avoided for general auspicious undertakings — travel, marriage ceremonies, opening of new ventures, and contract signing are all named as activities to be scheduled away from Caturthī where possible. The specific exception is Gaṇeśa-oriented work: the tithi is precisely the day when a Gaṇeśa invocation or obstacle-removal ritual is most potent. The Viṣṭi (Bhadrā) karaṇa in the second half of Śukla-Caturthī reinforces the avoidance register for that window specifically.