PURUSHOTTAM MONTH – GLORIES, SIGNIFICANCE & PROCEDURE!
H.H Jayapataka Swami says about Purushottam month:
“The Adhik masa was feeling shelterless and was crying that people would call it in bad names. So she went to Narayana and asked what to do. He let her to see Lord Krishna, The Adhika masa surrendered to the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. So Krishna said, “Anyone who surrenders to me, I give special mercy. So you will have my name after this. “Purushottam month” and you will have all the glories that I have and people will worship you. They will get the same good fortunes like that they worship Me. Of all the months of the year, the month of Karthik or Damodar is 100 times more than the ordinary months. And this Purushottam month comes once in three years is one thousand times powerful than the Karthik month. So this is a great opportunity to chant and do some devotional service, to offer some lamps to Krishna and like that increase the devotional service or to start it. It is said that by observing the Purushottam month you can live happily and peacefully in this life and when this life is over, you go back to the planet of Krishna in the spiritual world.”
(Glories of Govardhana Hills and Govardhana Puja! READ HERE!)
WHY IS IT CALLED PURUSHOTTAM MONTH?
Lord Sri Krishna is Purusottama, and it is the Lord’s favorite month.
As Krsna is the supreme among all incarnations, Purusottama is the supreme among all months.
It is the holiest month, far superior to the pious months of Magha, Vaisakh and Karttika.
Purushottam month is worshiped all over the universe by devotees, sages, demigods and even Lakshmi Devi Herself.
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WHY IS IT CALLED ADHIKA MASA (THE EXTRA MONTH)?
It is an extra month of the year as per the Lunar Calendar.
The Vedic calendar is a lunar calendar and is based on the cycles of the moon.
Also because Sri Krsna has placed all His potencies, mercy, blessings in this month.
WHY PURUSHOTTAM MONTH IS ALSO CALLED THE MALA MASA (THE POLLUTED MONTH)?
Because the performers of karma kanda cannot get any material fruitive results from their worship during this month, they call it so. Only works of devotion (Krsna-bhakti) give results in Purushottam month.
(LORD JAGANNATHA OF PURI – A to Z DETAILS YOU SHOULD KNOW! READ HERE!)
HOW TO OBSERVE PURUSHOTTAMA VRATA?
Keep celibacy for one month. (Sleep on the floor – optional)
Bathe daily before sunrise (best in a holy place, or at least 3 days in a month).
Chant Hare Krsna Mahamantra and meditate on Krsna’s forms, qualities and pastimes. Dally chant extra rounds: 24, 32, or 64 rounds (DEPENDING ON YOUR POSSIBILITY)
Daily offer ghee lamp to Radha-Krsna Deities or picture. 33 lamps daily or at least 1 day in the month.
Daily offer aratika and perform parikrama around Tulasi Devi.
Daily perform parikrama around the temple (4 times).
Daily offer Radha-Krsna Deities or picture roses, lotus flowers and 100,000 Tulasi leaves or as many as you can.
(Chandana Yatra and Akshaya Tritiya – 20 Significances! READ HERE!)
GLORIES OF PURUSOTTAMA MASA
(From Padma and Skanda Puranas)
Lord Sri Krsna: “Purushottam month has all the power I have to bless its observer. One who follows Purushottam vrata will destroy all his past sinful reactions. Without performing Purushottam vrata, one cannot perform pure devotional service. The value of Purushottam month is far more valuable than all other types of austerities and religious activities mentioned in the Vedas. Anyone who observes Purushottam vrata will return to my abode, Goloka, at the end of his life”.
Durvasa Muni: “Just by bathing in a holy river during Purushottam month, one becomes sinless. The glory of all other months is not equal to one-sixteenth of the glory of the Purushottam month. By bathing in a holy place, giving charity and chanting the Holy Name of Krsna during Purushottam month, all miseries are destroyed, one attains all kinds of perfection and fulfills all his desires”.
(Worship of Radha Krishna or other forms of Krishna – How to select? READ HERE!)
One Purushottam vrata equals a thousand Kartika vratas.
Valmiki Muni: “By observing Purushottam vrata, one attains more benefit than performing one hundred horse sacrifices. All holy places live within the body of a Purushottam month vrati. Anyone who faithfully performs Purushottam vrata will go to Goloka Vrndavana”.
Residence in the holy dhama in Purushottam month yields 1000 times the Benefit.
Naimisaranya Sages: “Merciful Purushottam month acts like a desire tree to fulfill a devotee’s desire”.
If one sincerely worships Radha and Krsna in Purushottam month, he will attain everything.
One who observes Purushottam vrata, will burn up the reactions of all his bad karma and attain the direct service of Radha and Krsna.
Purushottam month is the best month for all spiritual advancement because Krsna overlooks all the aparadhas.
Daily read Srimad Bhagavatam, especially Lord Brahma’s prayers to Krishna (Canto 10, Chapter 14), and Bhagavad-gita (Chapter 15).
Recommended to daily chant Sri Jagannathastakam, Sri Cauragraganya purusastakam, Sri Nanda-Nandanastakam, Jaya Radha Madhava, and other Radha Krishna bhajans and prayers.
Take a vow to remain peaceful and truthful throughout the Purushottam month.
Be careful not to blaspheme any devotees, brahmanas, saints, cows, sastras or people who follow this vrata in the Purushottam month.
Try your best to please Radha and Krsna by performing devotional austerities according to your abilities.
Eat on leaf plates sitting on the floor (optional).
No cutting of hair or nails (optional).
No cooking in oil or rubbing of oil on your body.
(Compulsory Rituals for Busy Krishna Devotees that should never be avoided! READ HERE!)
No eating or rubbing of mustard oil. • Daily offer 33 dandavats to Bhagavan Sri Krsna or the Vaishnavas.
DIET:
Best to eat once a day after sunset or noon the following diets:
(1) only milk
(2) only fruits (no milk, no vegetables) 3. no grains (selected vegetables, fruits, nuts, milk) 4. selected foods (all categories as per chaturmasya standards).
Hari-bhakti-vilasa: “During Purushottama month, one should remember Lord Krishna and then donate thirty three milk cakes cooked in ghee to grhastha brahmanas, who are well versed in sastras. Failing to do so, one loses all the piety he accumulated in the previous year.”
Recitation of the following mantra of Kaundinya Muni is recommended: govardhana-dharam vande, gopalam gopa-rupinam kalolsavam sanam,
govindam gopika-priyam
Bhaktivinoda Thakura: Perform the Nirapeksa Vrata, which means 30 days of concentrated, one-pointed worship and service to Radha-Govinda by hearing, chanting, remembering Their divine names, forms, qualities, pastimes. All day and night, hear about Bhagavan Sri Krishna, chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra, take only mahaprasada.
(Glories of Govardhana Hills and Govardhana Puja! READ HERE!)
BREAKING PURUSOTTAMA VRATA
Bathe in brahma-muhurta time, worship Radha Syamasundara Deities or picture, and pray thus: “O Supreme Lord, O Sanatana, O Purusottama, O Lord Hari! I offer my obeisances unto you. May you and your beloved Radhika, please accept my offerings. I offer my repeated obeisances unto Syamasundara, who wears effulgent yellow garments on His beautiful body,
Offer pushpanjali and obeisances to Radha Syamasundara Deities or picture.
Feed and give charity to 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 brahmanas to the best of your ability (eg, new clothes, two pairs of shoes, money). The best charity is to give a Srimad Bhagavatam to a qualified grhastha vaisnava brahmana. This act in Purushottam month will deliver all your ancestors to the spiritual world and award them the association of Lord Purushottam.
Let the Lord Purushottama bless all of you in this Purushottam month.
(DAMODARA – KARTHIKA MONTH GLORIES AND DAMODARASHTAKAM! READ HERE!)
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