Adika Masam

[gowriputran]

Dear NVS Mama,

I was going through some article in the web about Adika Masam. This year the Adika Masam starts on the 18th June and ends on the 17th June. I heard that more details about Adika Masam is available in a book called Purushottama Granth, also called Purushottam maas Mahatyam. I tried to search in Google but i didn't get any details. Will be please guide where I will get the book.

Also if you can give some details about the significance of Adika Masam and dos and donts etc, it will be highly useful to all members of this forum.

Thanks in Advance

With Namaskarams

S. Sankara Narayanan

[bmbcAdmin]

Re: Adika Masam

Sri:
Dear Shankara Narayanan,
I am also not having any books you mentioned.
I try to find out from Adyar Library or in Oriental Manuscript library
but it will not be useful for near future.
I try to give some do and don'ts given in dharmasastra about adika masa.
dasan,
nvs

[R.Varadarajan]

Re: Adika Masam

Dear Shankara Narayanan,
I did a search and found a post by Chaganti Koteswara Rao, a famour religeous speaker like Sri Velukkudi Krishnan Swamy etc., in Teugu on
AdikMass.
Reproducing some portions here.
About do's and don't will be in a separate post as it will be long running into 8 pages or so;
Hope it is useful
varadarajan


Significance of Purushottama Maasam or Adhika maasam||.

ADHIK MAASA -The Extra Lunar Month. Also Known as Adhik Maas, Mal Maas, and Purushottam Maas. The Vedas call upon the inhabitants of this world to re-unite with the spiritual entity of one’s prakruti (comprising of the panch bhootas namely: earth, water, fire, air, and ether, the mind-manas, the intellect-Buddhi; the ego-aham; and the soul divine – atman). Purushottama Maasa is the month where humankind is privileged to become divinely spiritual. This is the month for self-development, self-revaluation, self-assessment, self-reflection, self-retrospection and Introspection.

It is a time for one’s own soul, one’s own spirit of life and no one else. It is a communion between the human earth and the celestial. We pray for abundance of goodness and materials. Time is a valuable gift that flies as seasons come and go. Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. Peace truly means that in the middle of noise and haste, we can bear all our adversities with calmness and serenity. If we are unmoved by pain and pleasure, we are at peace. God grants us the boon of Adhik-Maasa to recuperate our losses in spiritual terms. This chance comes once every three years. So we must really take fullest advantage of this grandeur.

:: Astronomical Significance ::

The concept of Adhika Maasa is unique to the traditional Hindu lunar calendar, which is based on the cycles of the Moon. A lunar month is around 29.5 days long. A solar month is 30 to 31 days long. The solar year is made up of 365 days & 06 minutes and the lunar year is made up of 354 days. So, as years pass by, each lunar month starts earlier than the corresponding solar month. Thus both the solar and the lunar years have a gap of 11 days, 1 hour, 31 minutes and 12 seconds. As this gap increases each year, it approximates in three years to become one month. So to match the two calendars, an extra month is added. This is the thirteenth month of the lunar calendar, called 'Adhik Maas'. The Adhik Maas is added when the Amvasya and the Surya Sankranti coincide. It adopts the name of the month that follows Adhik Maas. Just as there is the lunar year with the extra month (called Adhik Maas), there is ALSO a lunar year with a diminished or reduced month called the KSHAYA MAASA, with only eleven months in the year. The lunar year comprising of eleven months only is very rare indeed, occurring as rarely as once in 140 or 190 years. But the extra month or Adhik Maas comes every third year. Whenever Sankranti does not fall within one month then Adhik Maas occurs. When there are two Sankrantis within one month then it becomes a lunar year with one reduced month or a Kshaya Maas.

[Note: The 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 ways 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. 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. 29.531 day Lunar months = 354.372 days per lunar year. Thus we arrive at a difference of 10.87 days a year between a lunar year and a solar year of 365.2422 days per year.] Vasishta Siddhanta, a treatise of Sage Vasishta, says that the Adhika Masa occurs after every 32 months, 16 days and 8 Ghatis. A Ghati is 24 minutes. The Kshayamaas first arrives after 141 years and then after 190 years.

असंक्रान्तिमासोअधिमासाः स्फुटः स्याद द्विसंक्रान्तिमासः क्ष्याख्यः कदाचित

Meaning: The month that does not carry Surya Sankranti is called Adhik maasa and the month carrying two Sankrantis is called Kshayamass.

Adhik masa is celebrated as sacred month. People perform extra malas, pradakshinas, pilgrimages, scriptural reading and parayans. All efforts with the intention of worldly gains are strictly prohibited during Adhikamas as mentioned in scriptures –“न कुर्यादधिके मासि काम्यं कर्म कदाचन.”During this period, marriages, tonsures (mundan), inaugurations of new home, fasting with desire of some worldy gains, buying new ornaments and vehicles are prohibited. In a book called Purushottama Granth, also called Purushottam maas Mahatyam, many aspects of the special religious significance of this month are found. Many people read or listen to this book during Purushottama Maas . By reading and listening, high merits are acquired. There are lots of lovely stories connected with the special significance of this month.. It is written in the Bhavishyottar Purana that fasting or eating once a day should commence on the first day. According to ability, distribute charities and do good deeds: daan, jaap, vrat , path and poojas to be blessed by Bhagvan Purushottam. Adhik Maas/Mal Maas Vrat is capable of washing away all the sins of people who observe the Vrat. It is written in the Devi Bhagavat that charitable and meritorious acts and fasting etc. carried out during the Adhik Maas, produce fruitful results. Just as atomic sized contents within a seed produce a giant and long-living Banyan tree, in the same manner even a little charitable act done during this Maas produces big results.

( Brahmasri Koteswara Rao's explanation of Adik Maas)

[gowriputran]

Re: Adika Masam

Dear NVS Mama and Mr. Varadarajan Sir,

Very Many thanks. The details are really very useful. I am planning to be in Chennai during this Adika Masa and hence I was askinf for the details. Once again thanks for the very useful information.

With Namaskarams

S. Sankara Narayanan

[R.Varadarajan]

Re: Adika Masam

Dear Gowriputran,
Thanks. But there appears to be an error in the dates for Adik Maas this year in your post.
The duration is a month. This year it is said to be starting on 17 June and ending on 16 July. But your post says 18 June and ending on 17 June! Some thing cannot start at a later date and end the previous day!!!
Please check up. I think my dates are correct.
It appears to be a typographic error.
varadarajan

[P.S.NARASIMHAN]

Re: Adika Masam

Mr.varadarajan sir,
The information furnished are very useful indeed. But however i note that there is no mention about auspicious functions like, marriages,upanayanam etc.,being conducted in this month. According to my knowledge there should not be any auspicious functions during this mala masam or say adika masam. In Paranthaman panchangam, there are a number of muhurthams mentioned during tamil month AANi which coincides with June/july 2015 being Adika masam. Could you kindly clarify this matter, as I have to tell about this to one of my relatives though he has not so far consulted the Vadyar.

[gowriputran]

Re: Adika Masam

Dear Varadarajan Sir,

Thanks for the correction. You are right. The Adika Masam starts on the 17th June and ends on the 16th July.

With Best regards

S. Sankara Narayanan

[bmbcAdmin]

Re: Adika Masam

Mr.varadarajan sir,
In Paranthaman panchangam, there are a number of muhurthams mentioned during tamil month AANi which coincides with June/july 2015 being Adika masam.

Sri:
There are so many restrictions and conditions said by shastram and sampradayam to avoid muhurthams.
In those shatras itself there is a sub clause : "No dosham if there is any urgent".
We (I) feel and consider all marriages done in these days are urgent only because all (100%) marriages are done only against shastra.
"பிறந்த வீட்டில் ஒரு பெண் விவாஹத்திற்கு முன் எத்தனை முறை தூரம் குளிக்கிறாளோ, அத்தனை சவரன் தானம் செய்து பின் விவாஹம் செய்யவேண்டும்"
"எவன் ஒருவன் விவாஹத்திற்கு முன் ருதுவான பெண்ணை மணக்கிறானா, அவனுடன் சம பந்தியில் உட்கார்ந்து போஜனம் செய்தவன் அடுத்த ஜன்மத்தில்
நாயாகப் பிறப்பான்"
என்றெல்லாம் கூட சாஸ்த்ரம் இருக்கிறது.
தாஸன்,
என்.வி.எஸ்

[P.S.NARASIMHAN]

Re: Adika Masam

ஸ்வாமின் தாங்கள் சொன்னது ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளகூடியதே. மேலும் நேற்றைய தினம் அடியேன் சந்தாதாரராக இருக்கும் "ஸ்ரீ ரங்கநாத பாதுகா' பங்குனி மாத இதழ் வரப்பெற்றேன். அதில் 197ம் பக்கத்தில் இன்றைய ராசி பலன் தலைப்பில் ஸ்ரீசேஷாத்ரி,ஸ்ரீரங்கம் ஜோதிடர் அவர்கள் ஒரு முக்கிய அறிவிப்பு வெளியிட்டு இருக்கிறார்.அதை அப்படியே இங்கு சமப்பிக்கிரேன்:அதிக மாசம்,மல மாசம் இவற்றில் ஒரு க்ரஹம் உச்சமானால் சுப காரியங்கள் செய்யலாம்(காலப்ரகாசினி ) மன்மத வருடம் ஆனி மாதம்(திருகணி தப்படி)30 தேதி வரையிலும் வாக்கியப்படி 20 தேதி வரையிலும் குரு உச்சத்தில் உள்ளதால் மல மாச தோஷமில்லை .சுபகாரியங்கள் செய்யலாம் .
இதை கருத்தில் கொண்டு பரந்தாமன் பஞ்சாங்கத்தில் உள்ள சுபா முஹுர்தங்கள் சரியே.. தோஷமில்லாத முஹுர்தங்கள் ஆகும்.