This year Purushottama Masa falls in the period 18 August to 15 September 2012
Activities for the most auspicious Purushottama Month
1. Establish the Deity/photo of Sri Sri Radha Krishna in your home and worship Them with love and devotion.
2. Offer daily puja by chanting the mahamantra; Chant as many rounds of Hare Krsna Mantra as possible: hare krishna hare Krishna krishna krishna hare hare / hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
3. Study Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad gita, especially Chapter Fifteen, Purushottama Yoga and 14th Chapter of 10th Canto Srimad Bhagavatam (Lord Brahma offer Prayers to Krsna)
4. Daily offer a ghee lamp to Sri Sri Radha Krishna.
5. Give charity to qualified Brahmanas and those engaged in propagating messgae of Srimad Bhagavatam. Engage in
6. Go Seva and distribute prasadam.
7. Associate with and serve saintly devotees.
Benefits of Purushottama Masa
If one sincerely worships Radha and Krsna in Purusottama month, he will attain everything he wants. One who observes Purusottama vrata, will burn up the reactions of all his bad karma and attain the direct service of Radha and Krsna. Purusottama month is the best month for all spiritual advancement because Krsna overlooks all the aparadhas. Purushottama Mmasa yields 1000 times the benefit of activities performed in other months.
Scriptural Evidence on glories of Purushottama Month
All these sastric quotations are from Padma and Skanda Purana"
1. Lord Sri Krsna: "Purusottama Month has all the power I have to bless its observer. One who follows Purusottama vrata will destroy all his past sinful reactions. Without performing Purusottama vrata, one cannot perform pure devotional service. The value of Purusottama month is far more valuable than all other types of austerities and religious activities mentioned in the Vedas. Anyone who observes Purusottama vrata will return to my abode, Goloka, at the end of his life."
2. Durvasa Muni: "Just by bathing in a holy river during Purusottama Month, one becomes sinless. The glory of all other months is not equal to one-sixteenth of the glory of the Purusottama Month. By bathing in a holy place, giving charity and chanting the Holy Name of Krsna during Purusottama Month, all miseries are destroyed, one attains all kinds of perfection and fulfills all his desires".
3. Valmiki Muni: "By observing Purusottama vrata, one attains more benefit than performing one hundred horse sacrifices. All holy places live within the body of a Purusottama Month vrati (an observer of this penance). Anyone who faithfully performs Purusottama vrata will go to Goloka Vrndavana".
4. Narada Muni: "Purusottama Month is the best of all months, vratas and austerities. Just by faithfully hearing the glories of Purusottama Month, one attains Krsna-bhakti and immediately nullifies his sinful reactions. One who performs Purusottama vrata properly will attain unlimited piety and spiritual merit (sukrti) and go to the spiritual world".
5. Naimisaranya Sages: "Merciful Purusottama Month acts like a desire tree to fulfill a devotee's desire".
Significance of Purushottama Month
The Sanskrit word "Purusa" means man or person, and uttama refers to the "Supreme" or "Topmost". Thus, "Purushottama" refers to the "Supreme Person" or the "Individual par excellence". And that Supreme Worshipable Person is none other than Lord Krsna. In the Bhagavad Gita (15.18), Krsna Himself declares
yasmat ksaram atito `ham aksarad api cotamah
ato `smi loke vede ca prathitah purusottamah
Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated in the world and in the Vedas as Purushottama – the Supreme Person.
"Masa" means month. So "Purushottama Masa" is the month of Purna Purushottama Bhagavan Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna. This month is the most auspicious month in the vedic calendar – more auspicious than all other months combined - even the month Kartik, in which Dipawali is celebrated. The merit obtained by an individual who performs prescribed religious duites, austerities, gives charity and chants the holy name of Lord Krsna yields exponentially unlimited benefit during this month.
The Origins Of Purushottama Masa
The Puranas (Historical Accounts of Vedic Civilisation) state that previously this month was named `Adhika Masa' – or the `Extra Month'. The vedic calendar is based on the lunar cycle. With the natural farming cycle of antiquity, the solar year and lunar year and the relation between months and seasons begins to fall out of synchrony. Every two and a half years this results in `Adhika Masa' – an Extra Month, made up of additional, unconsolidated days which constitute the remnants of discrepancies between Solar and Lunar monthly cycles. As such,Adhika Masa did not belong to any particular season or stellar system. It was therefore considered a most inauspicious and condemned month. `Adhik-Masa' was, in fact, disowned by all the stellar deities.
Furthermore, great learned persons had declared that during this month, no formal ritual work would bear fruit.
Everyone gave up performances of sacrifices and penances during this month. All the auspicious work conducted previously came to a halt in this month. It also became known as `Mala Masa' – the "impure" or "untouchable" month.
Feeling dejected and orphaned, the persona of Adhika Masa went to Lord Vishnu for shelter. Being the maintainer of the universe, Lord Vishnu was keen to make sure everyone worked happily in the overall scheme of things. He took the dissatisfied month to Goloka Vrndavan, the eternal spiritual abode of Sri Krsna, and requested Purna Purushottama Bhagvan Sri Krsna to arrive at a solution.
The most Merciful Lord Krsna, forever compassionate, omnipresent and omnipotent, pervades and permeates the entire creation. How could anyone feel orphaned when the universal spirit resided in that Supreme Lord? To dispel the inferiority complex of the Adhik-Masa, Lord Krsnasmiled and said to him, "You are mine! How can you possibly feel orphaned? I declare that from henceforth, any good work carried out during your term will bear enduring fruit and will be of greater value than all works performed at other times of the year." The Lord of the universe continued, "I bless you as my own month. Whatever good deeds are done during your reign will outshine all other works done during all other months. Great works done with devotion during Adhik-masa will amass such great fruits that even the doors to GolokaVrndavan will open for the devotee. Have no fear, amongst all the months, you shall reign as the supreme and shall be known as I am known – Purushottama. You are non different from Me and therefore you will be known by the name of Purusottam-Masa (the month of PurnaPursottama Bhagvan Sri Krsna)."
Lord Krsna gave Himself to this month. Overwhelmed by the Lord's kindness, Purushottama-Masa, very much invigorated, bowed before the Lord and said, "This is a boon beyond my reckoning! I am forever grateful for your compassion."
Purushottama-Masa having offered his obeisances to the Purushottama Bhagavan Sri Krsna returned to the mortal world with great joy. Since that day, everyone looked forward to the time when Purushottama-Masa comes around again and people can worship Lord Krsna with great devotion, hoping to achieve that which would otherwise take several life times to achieve.
Lord Krsna's Teachings to the Pandavas
Lord Krsna advised the Pandavas, during their forest exile, that their great pain and suffering was due to their neglect in observing the Purushottama Masa.
Lord Krsna narrated the historical account of Draupadi's past life in which she committed not only an offence of faith but also blasphemy in the auspicious mont
Draupadi thought that the great benefits narrated to her by the Sage Durvasa were too good to be true and rejected outright the sage’s good instructions. Due to her impudence she became bereft of all beauty and opulence in her past life. And in the present life she was almost de-robed in the assembly of the Kauravas. However, due to her devotion to Lord Krsna, she finally surrendered to Him, uttering His name `Govinda', and was saved from the cruel Dusasana. Upon Lord Krsna's instructions the Pandavas observed future Purushottama Months and as a result were victorious over the Kauravas and reclaimed their lost kingdom, fame and opulence. In this material world their kingdom was unrivalled in wealth and power and after leaving their bodies they attained liberation and went back home, back to Godhead.
The history of Purushottama-Masa is glorified by testimonials of devotees in the Padma Puranawho have achieved miraculous feats by devotional service during this holy month.Purushottama-Masa has been praised by all the great sages and saints, being one of the rare months when great devotion to the Lord can be performed without full regard for rituals and procedures. It is the bhava (sincerity of feeling/emotion) that counts, and this takes precedence over the ritualistic process.
Activities for Purushottama Masa
One should execute loving devotional service to their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krsna during this important month by fasting, charity, welfare activity, chanting Krsna's unlimited names, worshiping Him and listening to His glorious activities as described in the Srimad Bhagvatam.
One should take a vow of truthfulness and fast so that one's body can be purified and one can properly execute devotional service. Persons should rise early in the morning, bathe and meditate on Purna Purushottama Bhagvan Sri Krsna
One should worship Sri Sri Radha Krsna Yugala Kishore with a ghee lamp, flowers, fan, and other paraphernalia as recommended in the scriptures.
One should not waste time at their disposal but should chant, with love and devotion, theMaha Mantra - Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
One should regularly read the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and submissively hear the katha of the Srimad Bhagavatam detailing Lord Krsna's glorious and magnanimous activities.
The great Sage Narada Muni concludes that the best form of welfare activity is to broadcast or assist in broadcasting the katha of Srimad Bhagavatam as this releases the aural receptor once and for all from the continuous cycle of birth and death, the root cause of all problems. Generally this process requires assistance of others.
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Yours Servant
Nandini Patel
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