Vaisakha Mahatmya

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Garamond">Dear Jyotishis,

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Garamond">Today, pournamasya of Vaisakha, is an auspicious day. So I thought it

fitting to post a brief note on the importance of Vaisakha as a month.

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color:#A50021;font-weight:bold">Vaiśākha Māhātmya

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Garamond">Vaisakha (Sun’s transit of Aries), Vishnu’s favourite

masa, is said to be the greatest, the most

sacred and shubha of all months.

Maharshi Narada says that Kartika, Magha and Vaisakha are the finest months, but

of these three, Vaisakha is the supreme. Vaisakha has the capacity to remove

the sins of past births and liberate the worshipper from worldly bondage. It is

the best month for doing dharma, yagna, rituals and tapasya, as it is the most

suitable compared to other seasons. Vasanta or Spring is most conducive for

worship for the common man and during this time, from Meena to Karkata, i.e.

from Chaitra Sankranti to Shravana Sankranti, Vishnu roams the celestial woods

and gardens with Rama. During Vaisakha, Vishnu tests his devotees, as those who

sit idle during this month, without any puja or daana, suffer a fall in dharma.

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Garamond">The four ayanas, namely, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are

attainable with Vaisakhadharma, i.e., worship and rituals during this month

will yield nothing less than the fruits of these highest goals. At a more

mundane level, it grants ayu

(longevity), yash (fame) and pushti (sustenance) and the unending

blessings of Vishnu. Vaisakha is the month par excellence for doing daana

(charity), yagna (fire sacrifice), vrata (fasting ritual) and snan (bathing).

Daana is an important

aspect of Vaisakhadharma. This can comprise the giving of any item in charity, but

the highest among these is the daana of water or

italic">jaladaana. Those who do not give water to a thirsty

passer-by or a guest or a visitor to one’s home, shall be re-born as the bird

chataka, who had spent its life pining for water. Bathing in the Brahma muhurta

i.e., before sunrise, during Vaisakha followed by worship of Vishnu is

considered to be equal to visiting all the pilgrimages. The devata for the

month is Madhusudana and worshipping the deity after bathing with puja and

arghya will absolve all sins and give endless pleasure to Vishnu.

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Garamond;color:#990033;font-weight:bold">Prayer for Bathing

Garamond">Madhusudana devesha vaisakhe meshage ravau

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Garamond">Pratah snanam karishyami nirvighnam kuru Madhava

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Garamond;color:#990033;font-weight:bold">Prayer for Arghya

Garamond">Vaisakhe meshage bhanau pratahsnanparayanah

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Garamond">Arghyam tehham pradasyami grihana Madhusudana

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Garamond">Gangadyah saritah sarvastirthani cha hradaschaye

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Garamond">Pragrihita maya dattamarghyam samyakprasidatha.

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Garamond;color:#990033;font-weight:bold">Important tithis in Vaisakha

Garamond">The auspicious tithis for the month of Vaisakha are Chaitra Sankranti

(if amavasya), shukla tritiya and shukla ekadashi. Chaitra Sankranti Amavasya

is especially favourable towards pitri

shraddha. Shukla tritiya is better known as Akshay Tritiya, as

vratas and worship done on this day never get depleted in any way. Akshay

literally means, that which does

not erode. Vishnu himself had told King Kirtiman of Kashi (Varanasi), that

Akshay Tritiya is the ultimate tithi

of the three worlds. No other tithi could

compare to it. The worshipper

could easily escape the cycle of Kalachakra and attain liberation. “The way,

merely by remembering my lotus feet, sins are destroyed, similarly, Vaisakha destroys

millions and millions of accumulated paapa.”

Benefits of worship of the pitris,

daana and achievement of moksha are easily attainable on this day. The next in

hierarchy for the month of

Vaisakha are a triad of tithis known as the Pushkarini tithis. These are shukla

dwadashi, shukla trayodashi and shukla chaturdashi. Together with pournamasya,

they vibrate with an auspiciousness, which is unsurpassable. Shukla dwadashi is

so glorious that it

is compared to the brilliance of a billion suns and moons blazing together. On

Pushkarini tithis and pournamasya, the great Lord himself, in his address to

King Kirtiman, advises worshipping Madhusudana with tulasi and flowers and

listening to the Gita and the Vishnu Sahasranama. This will grant long life,

remove disease and eradicate the fear of death.

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Garamond">Vaisakha is the month for listening to and thinking about the

greatness of Vishnu. Even those who are irreligious and have sinful ways can achieve

salvation by praying during this month. Ultimately Vaisakha gives the

worshipper the “nearness” or company of Vishnu. Mahadeva had spent a hundred

years in trying to describe the greatness of Vaisakha to Parvati, but even such

a time period proved to be insufficient for expounding the supremacy of this noble

month.

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Garamond">Best regards,

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Garamond">Sarbani

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Garamond;display:none;mso-hide:all">or the common man

yes"> her birth data?t catch yours. I suggest you ask your

contacts in Calcutta to do the same.

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