scholars today

 Sri U.Ve.  T. Srinivasachariar swami diligently sits in front of the computer every day, typing in both Sanskrit and Tamil for his next book.

He is an expert in agamas (ancient temple rituals and practices).

He doesn’t stop with this.

He even plans the design and layout of the book.

He learnt Adobe PageMaker at the age of 86 on his own and has been working on it ever since.

he says

“I studied the Vedas to become a priest. Though I became one, I never abandoned the habit of reading the old Sanskrit scripts.

I wrote the first prose book on the day-to-day temple ritual called Sri Padmatantra Prayogam.

I even started my own press Sri Raghavasimham Press in the 80s.

Through the years, I have been writing and printing my own books,” says this resident of Mandavelipakkam, who has written 16 books on various subjects based on the ancient Sanskrit texts.

Shri  Srinivasan is also proficient in reading and composing in Grantham.

“I was hand-composing till 2000, after which I bought a computer.

For an old man like me it was a drastic change. But, I had to learn to use the applications to be able to write. I even cut and bind my own books,” says shri Srinivasan, who has served as a priest at the SriVedantadesikar Temple in Mylapore.

 He also delivers religious discourses and kathakalakshepams.

His books have also been prescribed by the HR & CE Board for those studying to become priests.

I  remember speaking to him and telling him his article was so nice and that his picture phone and  details i read on the web. he was happy and told me can you share the page with me. i am glad that he has been active.

he is now 92.

Nanda nandastakam

 GOVARDHAN DHARAM VANDE GOPALAM GOPAROOPINAM |

GOKUL UTSAVA MISHAANAM GOVINDAM GOPIKA PRIYAM ||

Oh Lord! Oh Girirajdhar! One who held the Govardan mountain in His hand, Oh Hari ! May you similarly hold my faith and devotion. May devotion grow steadily in my life through Your blessings. May my Faith strengthened by Your blessings protect me in the form of Govardhan. Oh Govardhan dhari, I offer my obeisances to You, Your capability is boundless, yet You displayed pleasant recreations of a child. May this festival of selfless service and remembrance always enlighten my heart. Pray I never get tired of doing japa, sadhana and service. May my senses never get attracted to the worldly pleasures, grant me pure intellect such that my senses in the form of Gopi always yearn for you, never for this world.

Sri Nanda-Nandanastakam

sucaru-vaktra-mandalam sukarna-ratna-kundalam sucarcitanga-candanam namami
nanda-nandanam
sudirgha netra-pankajam sikhi-sikhanda-murdhajam ananga-koti-mohanam
namami nanda-nandanam
sunasikagra-mauktikam svacchanda danta-panktikam navambudanga-cikkanam
namami nanda-nandanam
karena venu-ranjitam gati-karindra-ganjitam dukula-pita sobhanam namami
nanda-nandanam
tri-bhanga-deha-sundaram nakha-dyuti-sudhakaram amulya ratna-bhusanam
namami nanda-nandanam
sugandha-anga-saurabham-uroviraji-kaustubham sphuracchri-vatsalanchanam
namami nanda-nandanam
vrndavana-sunagaram vilasanuga-vasasam surendra-garva-mocanam namami
nanda-nandanam
vrajangana-sunayakam sada sukha-pradayakam jagan-manah pralobhanam namami
nanda-nandanam
sri-nanda-nandanastakam pathed ya sraddhayanvitah tared-bhavabdhim
dustaram labhet tadanghri-yugmakam

TRANSLATION:
I offer pranama to Sri Nandanandana (the son of Nanda Maharaja, Krishna), whose face is extremely delightful, from whose beautiful ears hang jewelled earrings, and whose entire body is anointed with fragrant candana.

I offer pranama to Sri Nandanandana, whose eyes are more beautiful than the fully-bloomed lotus, whose head is beautifully adorned with an arrangement of peacock feathers, and who enchants millions of Cupids.

I offer pranama to Sri Nandanandana, from whose beautiful nose hangs an elephant-pearl, whose teeth are brilliantly shining, and whose bodily complexion is more beautiful and lustrous than a fresh rain cloud.

I offer pranama to Sri Nandanandana, whose lotus hands hold the flute, whose lingering gait defeats even that of an impassioned elephant, and whose dark limbs are beautified by a yellow shawl.

I offer pranama to Sri Nandanandana, whose three-fold bending posture is exquisitely elegant, the effulgence of whose toe-nails puts to shame even the moon, and who wears invaluable jewels and ornaments.

I offer pranama to Sri Nandanandana, whose body exudes an extraordinarily beautiful fragrance and whose broad chest is adorned with the kaustubha jewel and the mark of Srivatsa.

I offer pranama to Sri Nandanandana, Vrindavana’s expert lover who dresses in a manner that enhances His charming, playful pastimes, and who pulverized the pride of Indra.

I offer pranama to Sri Nandanandana, who as the lover of the Vraja gopis perpetually delights them and who enchants the minds of all living entities.

Whoever regularly recites this Sri Nanda-Nandanastakam with deep faith will easily cross the seemingly insurmountable ocean of material existence and attain eternal residence at the lotus feet of Sri Krishna.

satataḿ kīrtayanto māḿ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māḿ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate 

Gange cha yamune chaiva godavari saraswathi
narmade sindhu kaveri jalesmin sannidhim kuru  

गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति ।
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् संनिधिं कुरु ॥

Garuda mantra

 Garuda Bhagwan and Shri Garudar, Lord Garuda is the vehicle of Lord Vishnu and is the emblem on his flag. Garuda is an eagle and is noteworthy in the Hindu religion. He is the son of Vinata and the brother of Arjuna, the charioteer of Surya. Garuda is popular for his speed. He flies in the sky fast like meteors and the gush of wind created with his wings produces tremor in the mountains. He is depicted to possess a golden body of a mighty man with a white face, red wings and eagle’s beak with a crown on the head. The Garuda Mantra or Garuda Gayatri Mantra is dedicated to Lord Garuda.

Garuda has an everlasting hostility to serpents that run away the moment they smell his presence. The Garuda Mantra invokes the bird form of the Divinity to eradicate all fears and anxiety. It was composed and sung by a scholar known as Venkatesa to please Lord Garuda.

There are numerous benefits of chanting the Garuda Mantra. It eradicates the fear of poisonous reptiles and snakes. It is believed that chanting this mantra with devotion helps remove all diseases and ailments like the viral fever and even poisonous bites.

Garuda Mantra can be recited to eliminate black magic, evil eyes, and negative energies. Those who are affected by sarpa dosha can chant this mantra to worship Lord Garuda. This mantra also helps you thwart off any ill effect of accidentally killing a snake.

It is believed that cancer and tumors are caused by curses of snakes and thus, it is advisable for those who are diagnosed with such illnesses to pray to Lord Garuda for relief from such death causing diseases.

According to Hindu religion, praying to Lord Garuda before Lord Vishnu speeds up the prayers and effects. Lord Garuda can be worshipped for an increase in confidence and courage and removal of all kinds of fears.

• Relief from skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, lupus, dermatitis, fungal infections, rosacea and more
• Safe and worry-free travels and trips
• Relief from the fear of unknown and anxiety
• Chanting the Garuda Mantra regularly with devotion blesses the devotee with Vahana Bhagya that gives him the ability to purchase the vehicle of his choice

• The best day to start reciting the Garuda Mantra is Garuda Panchami or any Paksha Panchami Tithi. The mantra can be chanted at any time on any day. However, the best time to practice the mantra is early morning. It can also be chanted during the Rahu Kala in the day. The mantra can be repeated for a minimum number of 11 times. You can chant it for 108 times or 1008 times. Anybody can chant the mantra without any restriction of age and gender. You can use a picture of Lord Garuda or the yantra to chant the mantra.

  When a person gets Garuda darshan in the sky, he can recite the mantra to get better blessed. One can sit in the North East or East quadrant of the house to chant the mantra. It is advisable to face the East direction while practicing the Garuda Mantra. You can use japa mala made using Tulasi or quartz while reciting the mantra

• Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe

  Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe

  Thanno Garuda Prachodayath

  Meaning:

  I offer my salutations to the great living being, Oh, the bird with golden wings, bless me with higher intellect and let the Lord Garuda illuminate my mind.

• Sri Garuda Dandakam:

  Nama: pannaganaddhaaya vaikunta vasavardhineh
  Sruti-sindhu Sudhothpaada-mandaraaya Garutmathe

  Meaning:

  I bow down to Lord Garuda who has beautiful wings. His limbs are adorned with mighty serpents which he won in battle. They are his ornaments. Garuda is always devoted to the God and his service.

  Garudamakhila Veda NeeDadhirooDam Dhvishath Peedanothkantithaakunta
  vaikuntapeetikrta skandhameedhe SvaneeDaa gatipreetha Rudraa Sukeerthi
  sthanaabhoga-gaaDopakuDa sphuratkantakavraata veda vyataavepamaana
  dhvijihavaadhikalpa vishppaaryamaaNa sphataavatikaa ratna rochischataa raaji-
  neerajitham kaanti kallolinee raajitam

  Meaning:

  Lord Garuda has designed the Vedas to be his cage. Lord Narayana sets out to destroy the enemies of his devotees and uses shoulders of Garuda for conveyance. When they set out on the mission, the wives Rudrai and Sukreethi miss his presence. Upon completion of the mission, Garuda returns home and embraces the wives with affection. In such a state, the hairs on his body turn thorny and hurt the serpents wrapping his body. They raise the hoods and the ratnas on the hood radiate brilliant red rays at the time when the mangala Aarti is offered to Garuda.

  Jaya Garuda Suparna Darveekaraahaara Devaadhipaahaarahaarin diwowkaspati
  Kshipta Dambholi Dhaaraa kinaakalpa Kalpaantha Vatoola Kalpodhayaanalpa
  Veerayithoodhyacchamatkaara Dhaityaari Jaitra Dhwajaarohanirdhaaritothkarsha
  Sankarshanaatman Garutman Marutpanchakaadheesa Sathyaathimurthe na Kascchit
  samas te namaste punaste nama

  Meaning:

  O Lord Garuda, you have been named as Suparna as your wings are so beautiful. Large serpents become your food. It was you who brought nectar from Indra Loka to free your mother from the bonds. At that time, Indra became angry and threw a weapon at you whose sharp edge hurt your wings and the body. Those wounds look as ornaments on your body and prove your bravery. You sit on the flag of your God representing his victory over the enemies. You have divided the self into five parts and matched them with the five vayus. O Lord with beautiful wings, there is nobody equal to you. I offer my prayers to you and repeat my salutations.

  Nama Idhamajahath-saparyaaya Paryaaya-niryaata- pakshaanilaasppalanodhvela
  PaToti Veechi- chapetaahataagaadha paatala Bhankara sankruttha nagendra
  peetaasrunee bhaava bhasvannakhasreNayE chandatundaaya nrtyat bhujanga
  bhruve vajrine dhamshtrayaa thubhyam Adhyaatmavidyaa vidheyaa vidheyaa
  bhavath dhasyamaapaadhayeta dhayaTaasccha meh

  Meaning:

• O Lord Garuda, scholars offer their worships to you. Your wings create mighty winds stirring all the oceans and making them flow over the boundaries. Waves rising and falling from the powerful winds reach down the netherworld and the entire effect is quite violent. The mighty elephants shiver with the sound and run to attack you and your sharp nails attack them. You have a mighty beak that creates terror among the enemies. Your knot of brows resembles the movement of a cobra’s hood. Your teeth look like the vajra weapon of Indra. I offer my salutations to the glorious Lord. Bless me with compassion so that I can have good fortune.

  Recitation of Garuda Mantra confers multifold blessings on the reciter and fulfills the hearty wishes of all the kinds. If one chants the mantra with devotion on daily basis, he would start noticing changes in his life. The devotee gets rid of all the enemies and gets increased confidence and power. His fears and anxiety disappear as he practices the powerful Garuda mantra.

Garuda-Panchaasat (The fifty on Garuda)

This is a Stotra consisting of fifty-two slokas on Garuda, the vehicle and the emblem on the banner of Vishnu. This is written in the grand Sragdhara metre having twenty-one syllables in a quarter. Sri Desika says (in Sloka 52) he wrote  this under the command of Garuda himself with devotion and
respect.

The Stotra in five sections:

1. Para-Vyooha-varnaka(1-8 slokas)
2. Amrata-aaharana-varnaka(9-25)
3. Naaga-damana-varnaka
4. Parishkaara-varnaka(36-45)
5. Adbhuta-varnaka(46-50)
Colophon(51 and 52)

Sri Vedanta Desika  was under the care of his maternal uncle Aatreya Ramanuja , who was popularly known by the names Appullar and Vaadi-hamsa-ambuvaaha). By the time Sri Desika was twenty years old, he had learnt from his maternal uncle and Acarya the Vedas, Vedangas  and all the other Sasthras and had mastered them. The Acarya initiated Sri Desika in the Garuda Mantra and advised him to go to Tiruvaheendrapuram to meditate upon Garuda and earn his grace. Sri Desika went there and at the foot of an Asvattha tree on the Oshadhi hill, began the meditation. Garuda was pleased even within a short time taught him the Mantra on Hayagreeva(the God of Learning) so that he might get greater knowledge and do service to God. Pleased by the devotion and penance of Sri Desika, Lord Hayagreeva appeared
before him and by giving a mouthful of nectar blessed him with deep knowledge and ability to write books and give discourses for the redemption of all people.

In order to please Garuda who helped him to realize the Lord of Learning, Sri Desika composed a Hymn, Garuda-dandaka by name, in which he briefly described the greatness of Garuda. Later on, he composed Garuda Pancaasat(the Fifty on Garuda)(and that under command of Garuda) (52) wherein Garuda’s greatness is dealt in grater detail for the benefit of all.

The Stotra, with Para-Vyooha-varnaka as the first section, opens with the details about the different forms of the Garuda-Mantra and about the preliminary observances for recitation and meditation (Japa and Dhyana) (1). Then the greatness of Garuda is described in several ways; He is an incarnation of Ssnkarshana, one of the four Vyooha-forms of Vishnu (2). He is an embodiment of the Veda as the limbs of his body (3). Satya, Supana, Taarkshya, Garuda and Vihagesa are his Vyooha (Emanation) forms which preside over the five divisions of Vital air (Praana, Apaana, Vyaana, Udaana and Samaana(39). All this is revealed by the religious books=Paancaraatra Aagama,Saatvata-samhita, Paadma, Narayana and Vishvaksena  Samhitas.

The second section Amrtaaharanavarnaka(9-25) (Bringing the pot of nectar) describes the strength and greatness of Garuda in flying Svargaloka to take the nectar-pot, driving away the army of gods who came to fight and compelling Indra himself to hand over the pot to him. Garuda’s mother, Vinata, was kept in custody by the Nagas (Serpents) in the Patala-loka who promised to release her if the nectar is given to them. So Garuda had to do it to bring about her freedom.

The third section is Naaga-damana-varnaka (26-35) (the subjugation of the Serpents. When Garuda went to Naga-loka, the serpents there began to molest him. He fought and defeated all. When  he began to swallow them, the Serpent-king agreed to send one snake every day for his food if he would stop killing them.

The fourth section Parishakaara-varnaka (34-35) (The Decoration of Garuda) describes how Garuda adorned  himself with the great serpents Aasisesha was the bangle on the left hand and Gulika on the right; Vaasuki was the sacred thread on his body and  Takshaka his belt; Kaarkota was garland; Padma and Mahaa-padma he wore his  ear-rings and Ssnkhapaala  as the diadem. Each serpent has a sloka in this section.

The fifth and the last section is Adbhuta-varnaka(46-50) (the section on Wonders) describes the wonderful exploits of Garuda in the service of the various incarnations pf Paramatma. He is the beautiful canopy and agreeable fan,the glorious banner and horseless chariot in wars, a devoted servant, kind friend and helpful companion.

  He was the swiftest vehicle for Parama Purusha when he rushed to save the Gajendra from the hold of the crocodile. He was the friend who helped Sri Rama to nregain consciousness when he lay on the ground bound by the Nagastra of Indrajit.He was the devoted servant who had brought back the
crown of Vishnu which was stolen by Virochana, the son of Prahlada when Vishnu was in Yoga-nidra(mystic sleep) in the milk-ocean and adorned with it Sri Krishn, the cowherd boy(Balagopala) in Gokula.

Sri Vedanta Desika concludes the Stotra with a prayer that Garuda should bestow knowledge and devotion on him to wipe off all his sins. He also reveals that he composed the Stotra Garuda Panchasat under the command of Garuda.

  The Stotra Garuda-Panchasat is of great significance for several reasons, since it deals with the all-round greatness Garuda and the unfailing efficacy of the meditation on Garuda, the deity, by the Garuda-mantra.

The first sloka is devoted to the treatment of the Garuda-mantra which has five letters and which is in three words. The first word is Pranava, second is ‘Pakshi’ and the third word is ‘Svahaa’. By an interchange of two letters of the word ‘Pakshi’ and by a change in the order of the words, the mantra,
is said to become four mantras.

The meditation on this mantra is to be preceded by the Bheejakshara followed by PraNavam and Dandakam (i.e. namah). Even before beginning the mantra rendering the anga nyAsam and kara nyAsam need to be performed. One needs to learn the mantra at the lotus feet of SadhAchAryan.

The dexterity of Swamy Desika in poetical composition can be seen in every sloka. In Sloka four, the forms of the relative pronoun (yah- who) in the singular of all cases; the numerals one to ten, thousand, ten thousand, lakh and infinity in sloka five; the episodes of Garuda in several slokas. Instead of repeating the word Garuda in every sloka, thirty five synonyms are used. What a great Acharya! What a poet!

Such is the intrinsic merit of Garuda Panchaasath which is the result of the love and devotion of Swamy Vedantha Desika for Garuda, the deity and his mantra as well as his fascination for Garuda’s greatness and exploits. The Acharya makes a prayer to garuda for protection in every one of the slokas
of the stothra.

---

 

edu

The education of a human being should begin at birth and continue throughout his life.

Indeed, if we want this education to have its maximum result, it should begin even before birth; in this case it is the mother herself who proceeds with this education by means of a twofold action: first, upon herself for her own improvement, and secondly, upon the child whom she is forming physically. For it is certain that the nature of the child to be born depends very much upon the mother who forms it, upon her aspiration and will as well as upon the material surroundings in which she lives. To see that her thoughts are always beautiful and pure, her feelings always noble and fine, her material surroundings as harmonious as possible and full of a great simplicity - this is the part of education which should apply to the mother herself. And if she has in addition a conscious and definite will to form the child according to the highest ideal she can conceive, then the very best conditions will be realised so that the child can come into the world with his utmost potentialities. How many difficult efforts and useless complications would be avoided in this way?

Education to be complete must have five principal aspects corresponding to the five principal activities of the human being; the physical, the vital, the mental, the psychic and the spiritual. Usually, these phases of education follow chronologically the growth of the individual; this, however, does not mean that one of them should replace another, but that all must continue, completing one another until the end of his life.

We propose to study these five aspects of education one by one and also their interrelationships. But before we enter into the details of the subject, I wish to make a recommendation to parents. Most parents, for various reasons, give very little thought to the true education which should be imparted to children. When they have brought a child into the world, provided him with food, satisfied his various material needs and looked after his health more or less carefully, they think they have fully discharged their duty. Later on, they will send him to school and hand over to the teachers the responsibility for his education.

There are other parents who know their children must be educated and who try to do what they can. But very few, even among those who are most serious and sincere, know that the first thing to do, in order to be able to educate a child, is to educate oneself, to become conscious and master of oneself so that one never sets a bad example to one's child. For it is above all through example that education becomes effective. To speak good words and to give wise advice to a child has very little effect if one does not oneself give him an example of what one teaches. Sincerity, honesty, straightforwardness, courage, disinterestedness, unselfishness, patience, endurance, perseverance, peace, calm, self-control are all things that are taught infinitely better by example than by beautiful speeches. Parents, have a high ideal and always act in accordance with it and you will see that little by little your child will reflect this ideal in himself and spontaneously manifest the qualities you would like to see expressed in his nature. Quite naturally a child has respect and admiration for his parents; unless they are quite unworthy, they will always appear to their child as demi-gods whom he will try to imitate as best he can.

With very few exceptions, parents are not aware of the disastrous influence that their own defects, impulses, weaknesses and lack of self-control have on their children. If you wish to be respected by a child, have respect for yourself and be worthy of respect at every moment. Never be authoritarian, despotic, impatient or ill-tempered. When your child asks you a question, do not give him a stupid or silly answer under the pretext that he cannot understand you. You can always make yourself understood if you take enough trouble; and in spite of the popular saying that it is not always good to tell the truth, I affirm that it is always good to tell the truth, but that the art consists in telling it in such a way as to make it accessible to the mind of the hearer. In early life, until he is twelve or fourteen, the child's mind is hardly open to abstract notions and general ideas. And yet you can train it to understand these things by using concrete images, symbols or parables. Up to quite an advanced age and for some who mentally always remain children, a narrative, a story, a tale well told teaches much more than any number of theoretical explanations.

Another pitfall to avoid: do not scold your child without good reason and only when it is quite indispensable. A child who is too often scolded gets hardened to rebuke and no longer attaches much importance to words or severity of tone. And above all, take good care never to scold him for a fault which you yourself commit. Children are very keen and clear-sighted observers; they soon find out your weaknesses and note them without pity.

When a child has done something wrong, see that he confesses it to you spontaneously and frankly; and when he has confessed, with kindness and affection make him understand what was wrong in his movement so that he will not repeat it, but never scold him; a fault confessed must always be forgiven. You should not allow any fear to come between you and your child; fear is a pernicious means of education : it invariably gives birth to deceit and lying. Only a discerning affection that is firm yet gentle and an adequate practical knowledge will create the bonds of trust that are indispensable for you to be able to educate your child effectively. And do not forget that you have to control yourself constantly in order to be equal to your task and truly fulfil the duty which you owe your child by the mere fact of having brought him into the world.

 

A M

According to Vasishtha Siddhartha (Treatise of Vasishtha), Adhika Maasam or the extra lunar month occurs after every 32 months, 16 days and 8 ghati. (A ghati is ​1⁄60th of a sidereal day, approximately 24 minutes, so 8 ghati is about 3 hours.) Concept of Adhika Maasam is unique to the traditional Vedic lunar calendars.
It is one of the most accurate methods to adjust the gap between Solar and Lunar Year.
Transit of the sun from one rāśi (30 degrees sidereal zodiac) to the next is called sankranti or sankramana.
If a lunar month elapsed without a sankranti and the next transit is into Mesha (Aries), then this month without transit is labelled Adhik Chaitra (because Sun is in Aries and Fullmoon occurs when Moon transits Chitra Nakshatra. So month is named after that nakshatra).
The next month will be labeled according to its transit as usual and will get the epithet nija (original) or shuddha (clean), in this case Nija Chaitra. The terms Pratham (first) Chaitra and Dwitiya (second) Chaitra may also be used.
Adhika māsam (month) is the first of two whereas an adhika tithi is the second of two.
Extra Month, or Adhika Māsa falls every 32.5 months on an average. It is also known as Puruśottama Māsa, it is said that the name was given by Lord Vishnu as his name to this month. The solar year is made up of 365 days and about 6 hours, and the lunar year is made up of 354 days. Thus there is a gap of 11 days, 1 hour, 31 minutes and 12 seconds between the lunar and the solar years. As this gap accumulates 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 CE) it would occur once, in year 1963 CE.

Scientific Calculation behind Adhika Maasam

Moon, which is the only satellite of earth, takes about 27.3 days to make one complete orbit around the our planet.
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 way 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 month is added after every 32.5 months on an average.

Just as there is the lunar year with the extra month making 13 total, so there is a lunar year with a reduced month, with only 11 months in the particular lunar year. The lunar year with 11 months is very rare. It occurs once in 140 years or once in 190 years.

Religious and Spiritual Significance of Adhika Maasam

There are no festivals observed during this lunar month. All festivals, muhurtas for auspicious ceremonies like marriage, house warming, initiation of mantras etc will be postponed to Nija Maasam.
Rather this month is treated as special and holy month and people perform the adhik mass vrat. Extra mala japas, pradakshinas, pilgrimages, scriptural reading and parayans.
Few even practice strict celibacy and avoid alchohol, meat, tobacco etc during this month.
This is the best month to do any Puja or Havan. Also, if a person wants to chant any specific mantra, he/she should get initiated by a guru in earlier month itself and continue practice.
Any graha dosh or specific dosh nivaran puja and remedies performed in Adhika Maasam to rectify the horoscope gives a better result to the individual.

Upcoming Adhika Maasam

In 2018-2019 during Jyeshta masam (May-June 2018)

In 2020-2021 during Asweeyuja masam (September-October 2020)

In 2023-2024 during Sravana masam (July-August 2023)