Adhik Maas (also called Purushottam Maas) is a special extra month in the Hindu lunar calendar that appears roughly once every 32 months, 16 days. It is added to align the lunar calendar with the solar year.
Significance of Adhik Maas
· It is considered a highly sacred month dedicated to Lord Vishnu, especially in his form as Purushottam.
· Unlike other months that may focus on festivals or worldly activities, Adhik Maas is seen as a time for inner purification, devotion, and spiritual upliftment.
· Traditionally, major auspicious ceremonies like weddings, गृहप्रवेश, and other material celebrations are often avoided during this month, so that attention can turn more fully toward sadhana and bhakti.
The spiritual or Adhyatmik significance of Adhik Maas is valued as a month for; Prayer and worship, Japa (chanting God’s name), Fasting and self-discipline, Reading sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita, Vishnu Sahasranama, Bhagavatam, Charity and seva also Reflection and repentance.
It is believed that spiritual practices done during this month bring greater merit than usual, because the month is specially sanctified.
Adhik Maas, also known as Purushottam Maas, holds a unique and revered place in the Hindu lunar calendar. Although it appears as an additional month inserted to harmonize lunar and solar cycles, tradition sees it as far more than a calendrical adjustment. It is regarded as a sacred period specially dedicated to Lord Vishnu, a month of spiritual refinement, self-discipline, devotion, prayer, and charitable action. For many devotees, Adhik Maas is a divine opportunity to pause worldly preoccupations and turn inward toward dharma, introspection, and God-remembrance.
What Is Adhik Maas
The Hindu calendar follows a luni-solar system, combining the cycles of the Moon with the movement of the Sun. A lunar year is approximately 354 days long, while the solar year is about 365 days. This creates a difference of roughly eleven days each year. Over time, this gap accumulates, and to prevent the calendar from drifting away from the seasons, an extra lunar month is added roughly every two and a half to three years. This additional month is called Adhik Maas. A traditional explanation also notes that Adhik Maas occurs when a lunar month passes without a solar transition, or Sankranti, making it distinct from regular months of the year.
Why It Is Called Purushottam Maas
In devotional tradition, this extra month was once considered neglected because it had no presiding deity and no distinct festive identity. Because of this, it was sometimes viewed as unsuitable for worldly celebrations and was even referred to as Mal Maas. According to a widely told sacred narrative, the month approached Lord Vishnu seeking dignity and purpose. Vishnu, moved by compassion, accepted it as his own and blessed it with his title Purushottam, meaning the Supreme Being. From that moment, Adhik Maas came to be honoured as Purushottam Maas, a month especially sanctified by divine grace and regarded as exceptionally powerful for spiritual practice.
अधिकमासस्य संस्कृते संक्षिप्ता व्याख्या एषा—
अधिकमासस्य व्याख्या
अधिकमासः हिन्दू-चान्द्रसौर-पञ्चाङ्गे आगच्छन् विशेषः अतिरिक्तमासः अस्ति। सः चान्द्रवर्षस्य सौरवर्षेण सह सामञ्जस्यं स्थापयितुं योज्यते।अयं मासः पुरुषोत्तममासः इत्यपि कथ्यते, यतः एषः विशेषतया भगवतः विष्णोः अर्पितः पवित्रकालः मन्यते।
आध्यात्मिकमहत्त्वम्
अधिकमासे जनाः—
· जपं कुर्वन्ति
· व्रतं चरन्ति
· दानं ददति
· विष्णुपूजां कुर्वन्ति
· गीता, भागवतं, विष्णुसहस्रनाम इत्यादीनि पठन्ति
अस्य मासस्य मुख्यसन्देशः अस्ति—
आत्मशुद्धिः, भक्ति:, संयमः, तथा ईश्वरस्मरणम्।
पौराणिकमहत्त्वम्
पौराणिककथासु उक्तं यत् अयं मासः पूर्वं उपेक्षितः आसीत्, तदा भगवान् विष्णुः तम् स्वकीयमासत्वेन स्वीकृतवान्। तस्मात्एषः पुरुषोत्तममासः इति ख्यातिम् अलभत।
सरलतया
अधिकमासः केवलं कालगणनायाः अतिरिक्तभागः न, अपितु
आध्यात्मिकसाधनायाः, आत्मचिन्तनस्य, धर्मपालनस्य च विशेषः अवसरः इति मन्यते।
यदि इच्छसि, अहं एतत् अधिकं विस्तृतं संस्कृत-निबन्धरूपेण अथवा सरल-संस्कृतभाषायाम् अपि लिखितुं शक्नोमि।
