Concept of Adhika Maasa Posted by: whitephosphorous whitephosphorous on: on: February 2, 2007 • •
In: Astrology and Vedic Sciences 23 o!! o!!ent entss
Continuing the series on time division based on Vedic astrology, astrology, here is a brief br ief explanation on the concept of Adhika Maasa. Solar Month
A solar month is the time taken for the sun to pass through one of the twelve segments. The time when the sun crosses from one sign to the next is called a ankranti and marks the beginning of the solar month. Two well!known sankrantis are Makara ankranti or "ongal around #anuary $% and Mesha ankranti on April $%. Mesha ankranti marks the beginning of the &ew 'ear in Assam, (engal, )erala, *rissa and Tamil Tamil &adu + these the se states follow a purely solar calendar for fixing the length of the year. year. Lunar Month
The lunar months are defined with respect to the solar months + in fact, they have the same names as the solar months. n Andhra "radesh, )arnataka, Maharashtra and -uarat, the lunar month begins and ends with w ith the new moon /amavasya0. n most of &orth ndia, the month runs from full moon to full moon /purnima0. The first lunar month of the year in Chaitra. n Andhra "radesh, )arnataka, Maharashtra Maharashtra and -uarat, Chaitra begins beg ins with the last amavasya before Mesha ankranti /April $%0. The next lunar month is Vaisakha beginning with the first amavasya amavasya during the solar month Vaisakha. imilarly each amavasya falling between two sankrantis marks the beginning of the lunar month. The lunar month inherits the same name as the solar month during dur ing which amavasya falls. A solar month is normally 12 to 1$ days in length whereas the lunar month is only 34.5 days long. Thus, as the year goes by, by, each lunar month starts a little e arlier within the corresponding solar month. 6ventually, 6ventually, an entire lunar month will lie within a solar month + in other words, there will be two amavasyas amavasyas between a pair of sankrantis. n such a case we get an extra!intercalated month, called an adhika masaa. 7or instance, consider a year when there are two amavasyas within the solar month of (hadrapada. The first amavasya amavasya begins an extra month called Adhika (hadrapada while the second one begins the 8real9 month &ia (hadrapada. A year with an adhika maasa occurs around : times in $4 years. The adhika maasa could come at almost any time during the year, year, depending on which solar month happens to have a double amavasya. *ccasionally, *ccasionally, a very peculiar situation occurs + a lunar month spans two sankrantis. This, for example, is what happened in $44$!43. $ 44$!43. There was no amavasya amavasya during the solar month Maagha. As a result, the lunar month Maagha was 8lost9 and became a kshaya maasa. t so happens that a solar month is normally 12 to 1$ days long. ;owever, ;owever, since the earth moves at varying speeds around the sun, the sun
Chinese. Ancient civili=ations, which came up with reasonably sophisticated calendars, include the (abylonians, 6gyptians, Assyrians, and Mayans. All of these were luni!solar, although each had a different way of reconciling the lunar month with the solar year.
Adhika Masa A chandra!ana !asa in which no san"ra!ana occurs is "nown as Adhika Masa# $he instant at which Sun transits %ro! one &ashi to the ne't is called a San"ra!ana# Mathematically, a handra!ana Varsha has 3() days, while a Soura Varsha has 3*( days, the di%%erence being ++ days per year# In the course o% 2 years and !onths o% handra!ana the di%%erence wor"s out to 2-#( days e.ual to another handra!ana !asa# $he 33rd !asa is considered as an Adhi"a !asa which brings the two syste!s /handra!ana and Soura!ana to e1enness# $hus, theoretically, e1ery 33rd chandra!ana !asa is an Adhi"a !asa# In practice, due to the variations in speed of movement of Sun and Moon, Adhika Masa occurs anywhere between 28th and 3th masas!
o Adithya rises in an Adhi"a !asa# Such a !asa with no Adithya is called ali!lucha !eaning a apu!sa"a 4 genderless# Shri!an arayana in the na!e Purushottha!a with 5a"sh!ide1i in the na!e Ananda is the asa iya!a"a o% Adhi"a !asa# $he !asa is also re%erred as "urushotthama masa# Pra6apathi and Vashat"ara are the de1athas o% Adhi"a !asa# $heir antharya!i haga1antha is not di%%erent %ro! Purushotta!a, the !asa iya!a"a# Accu!ulation o% Punya is !ore in a Purushottha!a !asa gi1ing the !asa the na!e Adhi"a !asa# haga1antha will eli!inate the papas during the !asa gi1ing the !asa the na!e ala !asa# $he list o% Shubha "aryas to be a1oided also 6usti%ies the na!e ala !asa# haga1antha will pro1ide 8o!en who obser1e the Adhi"a !asa with Soubhagya and be blessed with Sons with i!!ense lo1e to 9od# Snana in Adhi"a !asa will a1oid !iscarriages# o other !asa is e.ual to the Purushottha!a !asa# #rathas $ %anas in Adhika Masa Masa Snana& Snana during Arunodaya /ne and a hal% hour period be%ore Sunrise on all days o% the !asa in ri1ers ; saro1aras ; tan"s ; wells etc# Ayachitha #ratha& eing content with what you ha1e and not as" anybody %or anything# Akhanda %eepa& ne la!p should glow continuously without a brea" during the entire !asa# %eepa Seva& 5ighting o% 33 la!ps, +0 la!ps, +00 la!ps on all days ; special days ; one day or any co!bination# %harana "arana #ratha& Fi%teen cycles o% ne co!plete day %asting/dharana %ollowed by Parana on the ne't day# #ishnu "anchaka #ratha& Fi1e %asts during the !asa on 4 Shra1ana a"shatra day, $wo <"adashis, Pourna!i and A!a1asya 'aktha (ho)ana * +ka (huktha& o!plete %asting during the day and 6ust ne !eal at night ti!e# hamboola %ana& n all days o% the !asa to brah!in couples# (a-ina dana& 8o!en should gi1e away baginas to at least 33 !utthaides# Apoopa %ana& Apoopas prepared out o% &ice, =aggery and 9hee# At least 33 apoopas in a bron>e 1essel to be gi1en away# 9hee in another 1essel also to be gi1en away# $his is said to bestow Vishesha Phala#
"hala %ana& ini!u! o% 33 plantains or !angoes or =ac" %ruit lo>enges#
$hose who cannot gi1e on all days o% the !asa should try and gi1e on the special days: Shu"la ?wadashi, Pourni!a, @rishna Ashta!i, a1a!i, ?wadashi, hathurdashi and A!a1asya# 'ote& All danas should be acco!panied by ?a"shina /cash# ?a"shina is the na!e o% the 5a"sh!ide1i seated to the south o% Sri!an arayana# ?anas are considered being gi1en to Sri!an arayana and ?a"shina to 5a"sh!ide1i by na!e ?a"shina# Shastras say ?a"shina should be e.ual to the !onetary 1alue o% the ite! being gi1en away# onsidering what shastras say, ?a"shina should not be 6ust a coin#
Vrathas and ?anas are co!plete only with a Sa!arpane to haga1antha# $raditionally, harathi ra!ana u"hya Prananthargatha Shri @rishnarpana!astu is used# $he nu!ber 33 !entioned in all the abo1e cases is the !ini!u! indicated and persons who can a%%ord need not li!it to 33# Adhika Masa 'a./arthavyas
&a"shasas by na!e airuthas do!inate in the Adhi"a !asa and destroy the phalas o% all @a!ya "ar!as 4 Functions or Vratas with a speci%ic desire are "nown as @a!ya "ar!as# 5ist o% the! to be a1oided in an Adhi"a !asa are Agnyadheya, ?e1atha Prathishte, Ba6na, Vratas, Cpa"ar!a, Vrushothsa1a, hooda"ar!a /First haircut, Cpanayana, Vi1aha, Vasthu de1atha poo6a, 9ruha pra1esha, Bathrothsa1a, 8earing o% new orna!ents and ahadanas# $hulapurushadana, Diranyagarbhadana, rah!andadana, @alpapadapada, 9osahasradana are so!e o% the si'teen !ahadanas# 0athrothsava& $he ban on yathra is only %or those who are going %or the %irst ti!e# Dere yathra !eans those who 1isit pilgri! centres %or darshana and Shraddha# /arthavyas in Adhika masa
ithya Sandhya1andana, ?e1atha Poo6a, Vaishwade1a, Pu!sa1ana, See!antha, =atha"ar!a, Shanthis associated with it, asi"a Shraddha, Sapindee"arana, Varshi"a Shraddha /%or those who ha1e passed away during an Adhi"a !asa, ?ana E =apa on 9rahana day, hathur!asya 1ratha /i% the Adhi"a !asa happens to be one o% the hathur!asas, =apas ; Archanas etc as Pariharas %or illnesses, =apas ; Parayanas etc %or getting rain, and other routine acti1ities#
