Adhika Masa (Purushottam Maas)

About

Adhika Masa (= the extra month) is an additional lunar month added to the Hindu calendar roughly once every 32.5 months, or about seven times in 19 years. It is also called Purushottam Maas (the month of Vishnu) or Mala Masa.

It is the Hindu way of keeping the lunar year in step with the seasons.

Why it is added

A lunar year of 12 lunar months is about 354 days. A solar year is about 365 days. Over a few years the festivals would drift through the seasons, so Diwali, for instance, would eventually fall in summer. To prevent this, an extra month is added.

In the traditional rule, a lunar month in which the Sun does not enter a new zodiac sign (no Sankranti falls within it) is counted as the extra month. It takes the name of the month that follows it, with the prefix "Adhika" (extra). The following month is then the regular one, called Nija (= the proper one).

In an Adhika year there are 13 lunar months, and so there are 26 Ekadashis instead of 24.

Significance and stories

The Puranas tell that the extra month had no deity to protect it and was neglected, so it felt sad. It was taken to Vishnu, who accepted it, named it after himself as Purushottam, and declared it dear to him. For this reason the month is seen as one of special devotion.

How to observe

1. Make a sankalpa on the first day to spend the month in devotion.
2. Rise early, bathe, and begin the day with a lamp and a prayer to Vishnu.
3. Do japa daily, such as ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय (Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya). Ask a priest or elder to guide pronunciation.
4. Read or listen to the Bhagavatam, the Gita or the Purushottam Maas Mahatmya, a chapter at a time.
5. Keep Ekadashi and other fasts as your family does.
6. Give daan (= charity), such as food, lamps, clothes or books. Offering a lamp for the month is common.
7. Visit a Vishnu or Krishna temple when possible.

Fasting and food

Many people eat one simple sattvic meal a day, or keep a grain-free fast on certain days. Others avoid onion, garlic, non-vegetarian food and some favourite items for the month. Choose a discipline you can keep.

People with health conditions, pregnant or nursing women, children and the elderly should follow their doctor's advice and may keep a lighter observance.

What is not started

By tradition, new auspicious ceremonies are avoided in this month. This usually covers weddings, upanayana, mundan, griha pravesh, the start of a new business and the purchase of a new home. Regular daily worship, festivals that belong to the regular months, and ceremonies already in progress continue. Funeral and ancestor rites are not postponed. For important choices, follow your priest's guidance. Traditions vary.

Regional customs

In Gujarat, Maharashtra and the South, women read the Purushottam Mahatmya and offer lamps in this month. In parts of South India and Maharashtra, a custom is to offer 33 cakes (apoopa) in charity, and to honour the son-in-law with 33 of them, because the number 33 is linked to the 33 devas. Customs on the number and items vary by family. Traditions vary; follow your family's custom or your priest's guidance.

Celebrating in the USA

Adhika Masa gives Indian families abroad a natural reason to add a quiet daily practice. A short morning lamp, evening reading, and weekly donation to a temple or food bank are enough. If you plan a wedding or housewarming, check with your priest whether the dates avoid this month. Many temples hold a month-long Bhagavatam or Gita reading series.