A simple Google search on Adhik maas these days gives you more results on what to do and what not to rather than what adhik maas is. This just goes to show that people have decided to stop thinking altogether. They want others to tell them what to do and they will happily oblige! Some critical thinking, some questioning can lead you to a long and interesting path of knowledge and fulfillment about the topic you choose to want to know about.
But why!? I ask!
I will first reinforce my point with a few examples of vedic practices which people do during adhik maas. Then of course, we will come to the main topic - Krishna seva in Adhik maas!
What the maryada margiya shastras ask you to do during Adhik maas:
A lot of things! But all of it can be condensed into three;
1. Become more pious (Do more Pujas, Japas, Satsang, etc.)
2. Fast (Daily or selected days of 'Falaar' (eating fruits and water only)
3. Daan (Charity, All sorts of charity from directly giving things and money to feeding the needful)
That's basically it! That's all what shastra ask us to do. There's no denying that it's not the right thing either! This especially holds true for the holier than thou 'shastra knowing' pushtimargiya crowd who would deny and belittle every aspect of maryada marga at every opportunity they get. Let us find out why, what the maryada shastra ask from us, even as pushti jeevs is just alright and not anyashray as long as you know what you are doing and do it in a limit, after all Bhagwad seva must be your highest priority and nothing else.
Before I start explaining why the three things mentioned above are justified and can be done by us vaishnavas during adhik maas, read this quick snippet from part one of this #adhikmaasisawesome series.
recalling on what adhik maas is,
and also read the conclusion of the article.
Adhik mās has a lot of philosophical implications. Conceptually speaking, Adhik mās does not have an identity of its own. It is in a state of existential crisis but also an equally necessary component of time keeping harmony. Think of it as 'space'. It is just 'nothingness'. But that nothingness singlehandedly is responsible for current state of the universe. Space defines everything that is not space, space does not react with the universe at all but all the universe lives in space. Space is that nurturing home which lets stars and planets grow. A universe without space will quickly become unstable and possibly die! At least, it won't be fit for human habitation. Similarly, timekeeping without Adhik mās will quickly go unstable and definitely won't be fit for human observations as our calculations will become more and more inaccurate at every passing year!
So then, what implications does this adhk mās have on us practically? I mean, considering the Indian calendar (vikram samvat) , This year is gonna have 13 months.. so will I have to do an extra ekadashi fast? will I get paid an extra month's salary? Will I have to work one month extra? Will I have to pay one extra credit card bill? These are all the practical aspects of Adhik mās. This is what will really affect us in our day to day life.
Now considering the exotic and special status of Adhik mās, Bhagwan prescribed something equally exotic - befitting its special case.
Adhik mās is that nothing which improves everything. Adhik mās does not have its own identity, but it improves and perfects the identities of all the other months and years. Similarly we must also do to us, what adhik mās does to timekeeping - Improve and perfect ourselves!
This way, all the three commands of Bhagwan are justified and make total sense to all the people.
While the objective of the maryada man is to relieve himself from the cycle of birth and death via moksha, the Pushti man's moksha is right in front of his life - in the satisfaction he gets from prabhu seva. So working more towards the 'pushti' version of moksha is essentially doing more prabhu seva!
Nothing so complicated after all isn't it?
So that is why friends,
 |
| Typical Google search results for 'Adhik mās' |
But why!? I ask!
I will first reinforce my point with a few examples of vedic practices which people do during adhik maas. Then of course, we will come to the main topic - Krishna seva in Adhik maas!
What the maryada margiya shastras ask you to do during Adhik maas:
A lot of things! But all of it can be condensed into three;
2. Fast (Daily or selected days of 'Falaar' (eating fruits and water only)
3. Daan (Charity, All sorts of charity from directly giving things and money to feeding the needful)
That's basically it! That's all what shastra ask us to do. There's no denying that it's not the right thing either! This especially holds true for the holier than thou 'shastra knowing' pushtimargiya crowd who would deny and belittle every aspect of maryada marga at every opportunity they get. Let us find out why, what the maryada shastra ask from us, even as pushti jeevs is just alright and not anyashray as long as you know what you are doing and do it in a limit, after all Bhagwad seva must be your highest priority and nothing else.
Before I start explaining why the three things mentioned above are justified and can be done by us vaishnavas during adhik maas, read this quick snippet from part one of this #adhikmaasisawesome series.
recalling on what adhik maas is,
The Lunar year is 11 days short of the Solar year. As years go by, this gap increases by 11 days every new year. In three solar years, the the Lunar year is roughly 33 days behind the Solar year. To match the two cycles again, an Adhik mās is added in this year so that the 'lag' between the two systems can be rectified. Pretty awesome how Adhik mās works isn't it?
and also read the conclusion of the article.
The Adhik mās is that important correction which prevents time tracking from going haywire. It is that key which lets the sun and the moon run in harmony.
It is a necessary void!
Adhik mās has a lot of philosophical implications. Conceptually speaking, Adhik mās does not have an identity of its own. It is in a state of existential crisis but also an equally necessary component of time keeping harmony. Think of it as 'space'. It is just 'nothingness'. But that nothingness singlehandedly is responsible for current state of the universe. Space defines everything that is not space, space does not react with the universe at all but all the universe lives in space. Space is that nurturing home which lets stars and planets grow. A universe without space will quickly become unstable and possibly die! At least, it won't be fit for human habitation. Similarly, timekeeping without Adhik mās will quickly go unstable and definitely won't be fit for human observations as our calculations will become more and more inaccurate at every passing year!
So then, what implications does this adhk mās have on us practically? I mean, considering the Indian calendar (vikram samvat) , This year is gonna have 13 months.. so will I have to do an extra ekadashi fast? will I get paid an extra month's salary? Will I have to work one month extra? Will I have to pay one extra credit card bill? These are all the practical aspects of Adhik mās. This is what will really affect us in our day to day life.
Now considering the exotic and special status of Adhik mās, Bhagwan prescribed something equally exotic - befitting its special case.
How Bhagwaan Made Adhik mās:
The maryada man must improve and perfect his karma. A good karma score will lead him to his moksha. A maryada man and improve his karma by pleasuring the devas and schmoozing them by various havanas and poojas. Along with that, a man is already entangled in the 'laukik' irrespective of his pushti or maryada inclination, so effort must be done to clean this laukik part of our life as well.
When we do charity, we feel good, we feel happy. The people enjoying the charity will definately get a chance improve their lives for better. Hence you will not only make yourself happy from this act, but also improve the lives of others around you, this action will lead to a better community.
Fasting purifies and cleanses the body and also gives you more time to do the above mentioned two activities. A day of Fasting provides you with more energy to do more positive things at one go. Therefore fasting is also a very essential aspect of improving yourself.
This way, all the three commands of Bhagwan are justified and make total sense to all the people.
BUT! The Pushti way is a little different!
While the objective of the maryada man is to relieve himself from the cycle of birth and death via moksha, the Pushti man's moksha is right in front of his life - in the satisfaction he gets from prabhu seva. So working more towards the 'pushti' version of moksha is essentially doing more prabhu seva!
Nothing so complicated after all isn't it?
So that is why friends,
Adhik maas is a month of spiritual cleansing for all, but for us Krishna bhaktas, just one more excuse to celebrate our Krishna!
- Goswami Vatsal (Mumbai)
