Purushottam Maas (translit. puruśottama māsa) or Adhik Maas (translit. adhika = 'extra', māsa = 'month') is an extra month in the Hindu calendar that is inserted to keep the lunar and solar calendars aligned. "Purushottam" is an epithet of Vishnu, to whom the month is dedicated.
Contents
- Overview
- Scientific Calculation behind Purushottam maas
- Religious significance of Adhik Maas
- References
The position of Adhik Maas amongst the other months is variable, re-occurring about every 32.5 months. This is in contrast to some other common lunisolar calendars that insert an intercalary lunar month at a fixed point of the year. For example, in the Jewish calendar, the extra month is added before Adar; in the Buddhist calendar, it is added after Ashadha / Waso.
During 2015, Adhik Asadha (extra month before Asadha) was observed from 17 June to 16 July (south-west tradition, where month starts after new moon) or from 3 June to 2 July (north-east tradition, where month starts after full moon). In 2018, Adhik Jyaistha will be from 16 May to 13 June (or 30 April to 29 May if ending the months on the full moon).
The other names for Purushottam Maas are Adhik Maas, Mala Maas ('unclean month'), and Malimmacha. Spellings in the Latin alphabet vary, including purshottam, purushottam, purushottama; adhik, adhika; maal, māla; maas, maasa, mās, māsa, mas, mass. This is the thirteenth month of the lunar calendar. Adhik Maas adopts the name of the month that follows.
Purushottam Maas is considered inauspicious and no activities like weddings or moving into a new house are conducted. It is a time for prayer, fasting, charity, and self-improvement.
Overview
According to Vasishtha Siddhartha (the treatise of Vasishtha), Purushottam Maas or the extra lunar month occurs after every 32 months, 16 days and 8 ghati. (A ghati is 1⁄60th of a sidereal day, approximately 24 minutes, so 8 ghati is about 3 hours.) In this reference the concept of Adhik Maas is unique to the traditional Hindu lunar calendars. It is one of the most accurate methods to adjust the gap between Solar and Lunar Year.
When the Sun does not at all transit into a new rāshi (30° sidereal zodiac) but simply keeps moving within a rāshi in a lunar month (i.e. before a new moon), then that lunar month will be named according to the first upcoming transit. It will also take the epithet adhik or "extra". The transition of the sun from one rāśi to the next is called sankranti. For example, if a lunar month elapsed without a sankranti and the next transit is into Mesha (Aries), then this month without transit is labelled Adhik Chaitra. The next month will be labeled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet nija ("original") or shuddha ("clean"), in this case Nija Chaitra. The terms Pratham (first) Chaitra and Dwitiya (second) Chaitra may also be used. Adhika māsa (month) is the first of two whereas an adhika tithi is the second of two.
Extra Month, or Adhika Māsa falls every 32.5 months on an average. It is also known as Puruśottama Māsa, it is said that the name was given by Lord Vishnu as his name to this month. The solar year is made up of 365 days and about 6 hours, and the lunar year is made up of 354 days. Thus there is a gap of 11 days, 1 hour, 31 minutes and 12 seconds between the lunar and the solar years. As this gap accumulates each year, it approximates in three years to one month. No adhik mas falls during Margsheersh to Magh. A case of Adhik Karttik is extremely rare, but in the 250-year span (1901-2150 AD) it would occur once, in 1963 AD.
Scientific Calculation behind Purushottam maas
The only natural satellite of earth i.e.moon takes about 27.3 days to make one complete orbit around the earth. The earth orbits around the sun once every 365.2422 days (= earth’s orbital speed of 29.79 km per second). The earth and the moon in 27.3 days have moved as a system about 1/12 of the way around the sun. This means that from one full moon to the next full moon, the moon must travel 2.2 extra days before it appears full moon. This is due to the curve of the earth’s orbit around the sun. The moon is still making one complete orbit (circle) in 27.3 days. But to line up with the earth and sun to become a full moon again it takes 29.531 days which means 354.372 days per lunar year. This makes a variance of 10.87 days a year between a lunar year and a solar year of 365.2422 days per year. To compensate this difference, the additional month is added after every 32.5 months on an average.
Just as there is the lunar year with the extra month making 13 total, so there is a lunar year with a reduced month, with only eleven months in the particular lunar year. The lunar year with eleven months is very rare. It occurs once in 140 years or once in 190 years.
Religious significance of Adhik Maas
A month-long mela (fair) is celebrated in Machhegaun village in Nepal during Adhika Māsa. It is general belief that one can wash away all his sins by taking a bath in the pond at Machhenarayan temple.
Since this is a special month which does not come every year, there are no specific festivals like Dasara, Diwali in this month. Rather this month is treated as special and holy month and many people perform the adhik mass vrat. People perform extra mala japas, pradakshinas, pilgrimages, scriptural reading and parayans.
During Purushottam Maas, people perform various types of religious rituals such as keeping fast, recitation of religious scriptures, mantras, prayers, performing various types of puja and havan. Vrats (fasts) of various durations (full day, half day, weekly, fortnight, full month) are often undertaken. The vratas may be of complete fasting with liquids only or without liquids, fasting with fruits only or keeping fast with one time vegetarian food carried out as per the tolerance capacity of individuals. It is said that the persons performing good deeds (satkarma) in this month conquer their senses (indriyas) and they totally come out of punar janam (the cycle of rebirth) and also their miseries are eradicated and reach till moksha. Performing penances knowingly or unknowingly in this adhika maasa in any form imbues spiritual merit and attains peace. Any graha dosh or specific dosh nivaran puja performed in Purushottam Masa to rectify the horoscope gives a ten times better result to the individual. Individuals observe this sacred month, which arrives after every thirty-two months, by performing scriptural reading and parayans – holding a katha series of a sacred text. During the entire month of male maas patha of Hindu shastra such as Devi Bhagavat, Bhagwat puran, Vishnu puran, Bhavishyottar Purana etc. are carried out. There is a strong belief that these religious rituals have the capacity to wash away all the sins of people accumulated during this life and past lives.
There is nice story behind the name "Purushottama Maasa". Each of the 12 months in the Hindu calendar was assigned to 12 different gods. But the 13th extra month was not assigned to any god. Adhik Maas felt sad and approached Lord Vishnu and said that no god was assigned to him (Adhik Maas) and for that reason he was called Mal Maas (Unclean Month). Adhik Maas further prayed to Lord Vishnu: 'I am filled with anxiety and I have therefore come to seek your refuge and help.. Lord Vishnu listened to him and gave his name to this month and communicated that this is the special or best month.