Purushottam Maas

Purshottam maas is an extra month in the Hindu calendar. This is been done for bridging of the lunar and solar calendars. According to Vasishtha Siddhanta (the treatise of Vasishtha) Purshottam maas or the extra lunar month occurs after every 32 months, 16 days and 8 Ghatis (a Ghati is a period of 24 minutes and 60 Ghadts equal 24 hours). In this reference the concept of Adhik Maas is unique to the traditional Hindu lunar calendars. It is one the most accurate method to adjust gap between Solar and Lunar Year. During 2015, Adhik Maas was observed during from 17 June 2015 to 16 July 2015.

The other names for Purshottam maas are Adhik Maas, mala maas, Malimmacha. This is the thirteenth month of the lunar calendar. Adhik Maas adopts the name of the month that follows Adhik Maas.

Overview

When the Sun does not at all transit into any rāshi 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 of adhik or "extra". For example, if a lunar month elapsed without a solar transit and the next transit is into Mesha, then this month without transit is labeled adhik Chaitra. The next month will be labeled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet nija ("original") or shuddha ("clean"). Adhik māsa (month) is the first of two whereas an adhika tithi is the second of two.

Extra Month, or adhik mas māsa (mas = lunar month) falls every 32.5 months on an average. It is also known as puruśottama māsa, it is said that the name is been given by Lord Vishnu as his name to this month. The solar year is made up of 365 days and about 06 hours and the lunar year is made up of 354 days. Thus both the solar and the lunar years have gaps of 11 days, 1 hour, 31 minutes and 12 seconds. As this gap increases 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 Purshottam 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 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 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 mass is been added after every 32.5 months on an average.

Just as there is the lunar year with the extra month (Adhik Maas), 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 fair is celebrated in Machhegaun during adhik māsa. Since this is a special month which does not come every year, there are no specific festivals comes 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 the period of purushottam masa, people perform various types of religious rituals such as keeping fast, recitation of religious scriptures, mantras, prayers, performing various types of puja's and havans. Vrats of various timings(full day, half day, weekly, fortnight, full month. 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 indriyas/senses and they totally come out of punar janam i.e. cycle of rebirth and also their miseries are eradicated and reach till moksha. Performing penances knowingly or unknowingly in this adhik masa 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 ten times more 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 are having capacity to wash away all the sins of people accumulated during this life and past life.

There is nice story behind the name as Purshottma mass. 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 Vonshu listened to him and gave his name to this month and communicated that this is the special or best month.

In this month, the fifteen days in Shukla paksha are dedicated to fifteen deities. Each day of the month is dedicated to a different god.

Shukla Paksha	Krishna Paksha
1. Prathama	1. Prathama
2. Dwitiya	2. Dwitiya
3. Tritiya	3. Tritiya
4. Chaturthi	4. Chaturthi
5. Panchami	5. Panchami
6. Shashti	6. Shashti
7. Saptami	7. Saptami
8. Ashtami	8. Ashtami
9. Navami	9. Navami
10.Dashami	10.Dashami
11.Ekadashi	11.Ekadashi
12.Dwadashi	12.Dwadashi
13.Thrayodashi	13.Thrayodashi
14.Chaturdashi	14.Chaturdashi
15.Purnima	15. Amavasya

See also

• Hindu calendar
• Tithi

External links

• Hindu Chronology, Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911)
• The Astronomical Basis of the Hindu Lunisolar Calendar
• Hindu Calendars in various Indian Languages