Adhik Maas: Religious significance
Indian culture always give the message of internalization of virtues. There is significance of worship, charity, fasting and chanting of Mantras in the ancient Hindu scriptures. However, the importance is given to the virtues and charity in the Vedic religion. The best result can be obtained if these practises are performed during the Adhik Maas.
During the period of Purushottam Maas, people perform various type of religious rituals like recitation of scriptures, chanting mantras, performing puja and havan. Some people also observe this month by performing parayans, holding Katha series of sacred texts, attending satsangs etc. Fasting on full day, half day, weekly, fortnightly, full month are carried out as per the capacity of individuals.
Astronomical Significance
The concept of Adhik Maas is unique to the traditional Hindu Lunar calendar, which is based on the cycles of Moon. Lunar month is 29.5 days long and the solar month is 30 to 31 days long. The solar year is made up of 365 days and 06 minutes, while the lunar year is made up of 354 days. So, as the year pass by, each lunar month starts earlier than the corresponding solar month. Thus, both the solar and lunar month 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 thirteenth month of the lunar calendar is referred as Adhik Maas. This month is added when the Surya Sankranti and Amvasya coincide. Similar to the lunar year with an extra month, there is also a lunar year with a diminished month, which is referred to Kshaya Maas with only eleven months in the year. This year is very rare and it occurs once in 140 or 190 years. But the extra month comes every third year. Another concept to identify Adhik Maas is if the Sankranti does not fall within one month then Adhik Maas occurs. When there are two Sankranti’s within one month it becomes lunar year with reduced month.
In the Hindu scripture, Vasistha Siddhanta, a research work of Sage Vasishta says that the Adhik Maas occurs after every 32 months 16 days and 8 ghatis. A ghati in the ancient time was used to represent 24 minutes. The Kashaya Maas first arrives in 141 years and second time it arrives in 190 years.
असंक्रान्तिमासोअधिमासाः स्फुटः स्याद द्विसंक्रान्तिमासः क्ष्याख्यः कदाचित
Meaning: The month that does not carry Surya Sankranti is referred as Adhik maasa and the month that occupies two Sankranti’s is called Kshaya Maas.
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