Adhik Maas
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The Navaratri festival is the nine–day puja that is done for the Divine Mother every year. It normally starts immediately after the Mahalaya Paksha Amavasya which falls on the 17th September in this year 2020. However this year is a very special year. There will be a gap of one month between Pitru Paksha Amavasya and Navaratri. What is the reason for this curious phenomenon?
Hindus follow the lunar month which has only 29.531 days and therefore there are only 356.372 days in the lunar year. Therefore there is a gap of 10.87 days a year between the lunar year and a solar year of 365.2422 days per year. This gap will keep increasing every year until it will approximate to one full month every three years.
Therefore an additional month is added to the Hindu calendar once in three years in order to align it with the solar calendar. 2020 is a year which will have this extra month which is known as Adhik Maas. “Adhik” means “extra” and “maas” means month. This extra month is also known as Purushottam Maas.
This is how this extra month will be added. The month of Ashwin will begin with the beginning of pitru paksha on September 3rd which will be krishna paksha or the waning phase of the moon and continue till pitru paksha ends on the amavasya day on September 17th. The Adhik Maas will then begin and continue till October 16th. The second half of the month of Ashwin will then start from October 17th and culminate on October 31st. So the Adhik Maas will be sandwiched between the two halves of the month of Ashwin. Navaratri will start from October 17th which will be shukla paksha or the bright phase of the moon and end on October 25th.
The four months of the monsoon period is known as Chaturmasya. These are Shravan, Bhadrapad, Ashwin and Kartika. But this year Chaturmasya will have five months since Adhik Maas will be added to it. During this period Hindus do not conduct marriages etc. but they are supposed to make use of these months to get spiritual benefits.
Astrologers say that this splitting of the month of Ashwin due to the Adhik Maas being sandwiched in between is happening after 165 years, so 2020 is a very special year for the whole world.
The Adhik Maas is different from regular months because it does not have a sankranti (the movement of the sun from one raashi on the zodiac to the other). Every lunar month will have one sankranti. The rishis have said that if the sun migrates from one zodiac sign to the other when the moon is in the sun’s aura (mandal), auspicious rituals like yagas, marriages, house warming etc. should not be conducted since they will not generate the usual power. However giving of charity, chanting of mantras, giving of food, listening to holy talks etc. will have great benefit.
Giving of daan or charity has been given great importance in Hinduism. It has extra benefit if done in this month. If done with the right attitude daan neutralises the effect of previous sins committed knowingly or unknowingly. The best type of daan is when things you hold dear are given to someone who needs it without hope of any reward. It becomes more effective when it is done without the knowledge of others. Anna daan or giving of food and vastra daan, the giving of clothes has special significance during this month.
The Hindu calendar assigns each month of the lunar year to one God. The rishis calculated and made the Adhik Maas in order to balance the solar and lunar years. This month was also known as Maal (unclean) therefore no god agreed to become the Lord of this month. Lord Vishnu took pity and agreed to become the deity of this month and hence it is also known as Purushottama Maas. Purushottama Granth is the book explaining the significance of this month. The Purushottama Mahatmya is recited in temples during this month. Reading of all holy books is also recommended during this month.
Purushottaman means someone who is filled with all noble qualities like Vishnu. Hence this month is kept aside for self-development, reflection, introspection etc. By doing this we will be able to evaluate ourselves, reflect and assess oneself. It is a time to detoxify the body and regain one’s physical strength. It is also the time to meditate and listen and read holy books to gain mental, emotional and spiritual strength.
Lord Vishnu is the preserver in the trinity. He grants all wishes that are evolving, eradicates the sins of the past life and helps us to overcome our negative nature.
All human beings are made up of the pancha bhutas (5 elements). These act through our five senses as well through the mind-intellect and ego. But we also have a spiritual entity called the Atman in us. The Purushottama Maas is the best time to establish our connection with this spiritual entity and gain moksha.
Chanting of any Vishnu Mantras during this time will be highly beneficial since Vishnu is the preserver in the trinity and will grant all wishes that will lead us to liberation and will help to eradicate the sins of our past. This month holds a special place in Hinduism and anything done to rectify the planetary defects in our horoscope will have ten times more benefit than when performed during other months. Hence the rishis encouraged everyone to do as much sadhana and give as much daan as possible during this month and thus eradicate our previous negativities and provide a strong spiritual platform for further evolution.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
