Adhik Or Purushottam Maas: Everything You Need To Know!

Adhik Maas, also known as  Mal Maas or Purshottam Maas, is considered to be very unique and auspicious event for spiritual and religious enlightenment. The Adhik Maas importance is doubled because it only occurs every three years. In simple words, Adhik Maas meaning in English states that it’s an additional or extra month that is added to the Hindu calendar so that it gets aligned with the solar calendar. 

That sounds interesting, right? So, let’s discuss in detail what and why an extra month is added, its significance, and its benefits. 

Adhik Maas Meaning 

According to Sanskrit, the word Adhik means additional or extra due to the occurrence of Adhik Masam, which happens to be thirteen months in a year instead of twelve. Adhik Maas importance expands because it’s associated with Lord Vishnu, Rama, and Krishna, but a special preference is given to Lord Vishnu. 

Moreover, the main reason behind adding an extra month to the Hindu calendar is to match the differences between the Lunar and Solar months. Also, the lunar year is shorter than the solar year, which means the lunar and solar months can fall out of sync over time. However, to fix this, an extra month, called Adhika Masa, is added to the Hindu calendar every three years so that the lunar months can align with the solar months.

Also Read: Jyeshtha Purnima 2024: Know the Time, Date, and Significance 

Significance of Adhik Maas 

Coming to the most important part, Adhik Maas importance and why it is significant. We will understand it from both the scientific and religious perspectives so that you can get a better and clearer understanding of both. 

1. Scientific Significance of Adhik Maas 

The main scientific Adhik Maas importance is aligning the Lunar and Solar Calendars. The Lunar Calendar has 354 days, and the Solar Calendar has 365 days, which is a difference of 11 days, 1 hour, 31 minutes, and 12 seconds. 

Moreover, it occurs every 32.5 months, and it last occurred in 2023. However, this difference occurs because the Moon takes 27.3 days to complete an orbit around the Earth. While the Earth takes 365.25 days to orbit around the Sun. 

2. Religious Significance of Adhik Maas 

Coming to religious significance, it is believed that the extension of the month in the lunar calendar allows the natives to wash away all their past karma and bad deeds. It is the time to purify one’s soul through puja, mantras, meditation, nishkaam upasana, daan, vrats and many more. 

Moreover, Adhik month is considered both auspicious and inauspicious for two different reasons. It is considered auspicious and significant because it’s the time to purify one’s soul by getting rid of past karma. On the other hand, it’s considered inauspicious because, during this period, there was no Sun’s solstice, which is why it is also named Adhik Malmas. Malmas is not the right time to engage in auspicious rituals such as marriage, mundan, Griha Pravesh, and many other auspicious rituals. 

Mythological Story Behind  Purshottam Maas

There is a Hindu story about Adhik Maas and Lord Vishnu. A king named Nabha asked his guru why he was restless. The guru said that the king had done something bad in his past life and needed to do something to make up for it. The guru told him to observe a fast of Mal Maas Vrat during the extra month called Adhik Maas. 

Moreover, the king followed the guru’s advice and did special activities to honour Lord Vishnu during that month. At the end of the month, Lord Vishnu appeared and blessed the king, saying he was now free from his past sins. This story teaches that by following the rituals during Adhik Maas, we can purify our souls and seek blessings from Lord Vishnu.

What to do in Adhik Maas? 

Here is all that you need to know about the things to do during adhika masa. Read carefully so that you can follow all these important rituals to get the benefit of Adhik month. 

1. Rituals to follow during Adhik Maas 

• First, Adhik Masa importance is that one must engage in Shri Prabhu’s seva, manorath, kirtan, samagri and Satsang/path.
• During this auspicious month of Adhik Masam, devotees can read religious texts and scriptures such as the Vishnu Purana, Srimad Bhagavatam, and Bhagavad Gita. 
• As this month is dedicated to Lord Visnu, performing Vishnu Puja can be very auspicious for seeking his blessings. Devotees can also worship Lord Vishnu’s incarnations, Lord Krishna and Lord Narasimha, for extra blessings. 
• Observing fast and eating Satvik Food keeps the body clean, pure and hydrated during this period. 

2. Special Mantras to chant during Adhik Maas 

Here are some special suggestions about the mantra, books and shloka you can read or chant during the adhik month. This doubles the Adhik Maas importance and will benefit you in many ways. 

• Chaurastakam 
• Jagannathastakam
• Nanda Nandanastakam 
• Jaya Radha Madhav 
• Vrajraj Sutastakam 
• Radhikatakam 
• Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15: Purushottam Yoga 
• Brahma Samhita 
• The Hare Krisha Maha Mantra 
• Read the Book Purushottam Adhik Maas (The Month that Grants All Desires) 

3. Things To Donate 

Here are some suggestions about all the things one can donate during the Adhika Masa month. 

• One can donate day-to-day essentials such as food, clothes, money, and shelter. Also, paying respect and gratitude to Brahmins, sages, and saints is considered auspicious. 
• One can donate money for the cause of education and health for poor and less fortunate people. 
• One can donate to an NGO or any other religious place so that it can benefit someone who cannot afford it. 
• One can also contribute their time to an environmental cause, such as by raising awareness about environmental issues.

4. Things to avoid during Adhik Masam 

Now that we have a brief idea of auspicious things one can do to get the benefits of Adhik Masa. So, let’s also take a look at things one must avoid during this period. 

• Avoid performing any important and auspicious activities such as engagement, marriage, Griha Pravesh or any other activities. 
• Do not hurt anyone with your words or even physically. 
• Avoid involving in fights and consuming any toxins during this time. 
• Avoid buying new things such as utensils, clothes, furniture, cars or any other things. 

Also Read: Somvati Amavasya 2024: Significance, Vrat Katha and Rituals

Child Born in Adhik Maas is Good or Bad? 

Children born during the Adhik Maas are very different from normal children. Their overall personality, behaviours and way of thinking are different and unique. They hold the ability to be well-disciplined and creative and have strong leadership qualities. It allows them to obtain a higher position and gain a good reputation in society in the future. 

Moreover, the future of these individuals is also blessed and they will gain good skills that allow them to reach great heights in future. They will have a smooth and fortunate love life in future. Their presence in the family makes the environment of home auspicious and bright. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

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