Why is Maarghazhi Month called Dhanur Maasam ?

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Raama BhakthAs :

 

Soon it will be Dhanur Maasam .The GhOsham of ThiruppAvai

will be cleansing the air all around in dhivya dEsams and private

homes of BhakthAs . Devotees reciting ThiruppAvai will be shivering

in he cold as they go around the Raaja Veethis of Dhivya dEsams

reciting GodhOpanishad .

 

One BhakthA asked me recently a question about Dhanur Maasam .

He wanted to know why this sacred month of Maarghazhi is called

Dhanur Maasam .

 

I was wondering about it until Vaikunta Vaasi MukkUr Lakshmi NrusimhAcchAr

Swamy Came to the rescue . He has an extraordinarily informative book entitled ,

Veda Raaman dealing with the 14 artha visEshams enshrined in AaraNya

KhANDam of Aadhi Kavi Vaalmuki . The revered MukkUr Swamy describes in

this book a scene in which Lord Raamachandra is performing morning SandhyA

before Sunrise , while standing knee high in cold GodhAvari Waters . In this context ,

Swamy says: " During the Hemantha Ruthu , Lord Ramachandra was living with

His DEvi and brother LakshmaNa on the banks of Godhaavari river . The first month of

Hemantha Ruthu is Maarghazhi ( Dhanur Maasam) .During Marghazhi month ,

the chill in the morning air will prod the sleeping people to bend their body

in the form of a bow (DhanuraakAram) to get additional protection against

the cold air that makes them shiver ".

 

One explanation for the name of Dhanur Maasam for Maarghazhi month

seems thus to be the connection of the DhanurAkAram of the humans during

the nights of this month .

 

One can think of additional explanations for the link of Dhanus (Bow)

with the Maarghazhi month . AdiyEn will take them up in the future postings .

 

Sri Raamachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

[Guest guest]

Dear Sriman Parasaram :

 

Many thanks for your mail .

 

Number of BhakthAs have pointed out the JyOthisham

side of the observation regarding the name for Dhanur

Maasam . It is good to have this interaction in the context of

" Parasparam BhOdhyanthi " .

 

Let me comment briefly on the JyOthisham part

connected to Maasa SankramaNams and then go

on to the Rg Vedic connection to the Name " Dhanus "

and move on to the SaraNAgathy tatthvam and the role

played by Dhanus in its observance . Thanks for your

observation below :

 

*********************************************

> Bhaagavatajanebhyo namah

 

> beautiful explanation.

> to my little knowledge i think, it is called

> dhanurmaasa, because sun is in dhanu raasi from dec 15

> to Jan 14. Sun enters in Dhanurasi on Dec 15 ( Dhanu

> sankramanam) and he leaves dhanu and enters in Makara

> on Jan 14 ( Makara Sankramanam)

>

> Saahasaaya kshantavyosmi>

> sri ramachandra parabrahmane namah

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1. JyOthisham & Dhanur Maasam

***********************************

We have 27 Nakshathrams .Each have 4 Paadhams .

They remind one ( vaguely or clearly ) of a Ram , Bull,

Couple , Bow , Scorpion etc. They are split among 12 Raasis

into 12 unequal portions . 27 stars are being divided into

2 and 1/4 units .

 

The RasinAthan's travel and the 27 Nakshathrams

affiliated with the 12 Raasis/Months are :

 

1.Mesham (Aswini , BharaNi , Krutthikai 1/2)

2.Rishabham(Krutthikai1/2 , RohiNi , Mrugaseersham1/2)

3.MiTunam( Mrugaseersham1/2 , ThiruvAdhirai , Punarvasu 3/4)

4.Katakam(Punarvasu1/4 , Poosam , Aayilyam)

5.Simham( Makam , Pooram , Utthiram1/4)

6.Kanni(Itthiram 3/4 , Hastham , Chitthirai1/2)

7.TulAm( Chitthirai1/2 , SwAthi , VisAkam3/4)

8.Vrucchikam (VisAkam1/4, Anusham , Kettai)

9.Dhanus ( Moolam , PoorADam , UtthirAdam 1/4)

10.Makaram( UtthirAdam3/4 , ThiruvONam , Avittam1/2)

11.Kumbham ( Avittam 1/2 , Sathayam , PoorttAthi 3/4)

12.Meenam ( PoorattAthi1/4, UtthirattAthi, Revathy ).

 

These 12 Raasis have their English equivalents:

Aries , Taurus , Gemini , Cancer , Leo , Virgo , Libra ,

Scorpio , Capricorn , Aquarius and Pisces .

 

As the 7 planets , Raahu and Kethu ( not strictly planets)

traverse among these 12 Raasis , they stay for shorter or longer

periods to complete one round of journey . For instance Sooryan

stays one month in one Raasi and completes a round of the 12 Raasis

in One year ( 365 days !). Chandran takes 27 days for such a travel

and Sani stays two and half years in each raasi and therefore needs

30 years for the completion of its journey .

 

Bruhaspathy( Jupiter) , the Deva Guru stays one year in each Raasi

and is the Lord of Dhanus and Meenam in the Zodiac .

 

These Nakshathrams have dhOshams and Nakshathra

Ghanam and Nakshathra Saanthi Manthrams are recited

when there is GrahaNam et al .

 

Besides the 27 Nakshathram , there is a 28th " Nakshathram " ,

a Brahmin , who has properly learnt VedAs in the Guru KUlam

way after Upanayanam and Brahmacharyam . He is considered

free of DhOshams and he is called to sanctify thru his utterance

the Vaidhika KarmAs at their beginning and remove the dhOshams

of Nakshathrams . What they utter through their auspicious

Veda Vaak is " Ithu PUNya dinam , Ithu PuNya dinam , Ithu PuNya

duinam ( Idham dinam puNyam ithi aahu: ) " with PuNyAvachana

manthrams and remove the dhOshams of the day . Without these

sacred utterences by Bruhaspathys , who should be VedAdhyAyees ,

the Vaidhika ceremonies should not be started .

 

This is the JyOthisham Connection to Dhanur Maasam .

 

2. SaraNAgathy & Dhanus(Upanishad Vaakyams)

****************************************************

MuNDaka Upanishad manthram(2.2.4) is to be invoked here :

 

PraNavO Dhanu: SarOhyAthmA Braham TallakshyamuchyathE

aprapamatthEna Veddhavyam Saravath tanmayO bhavEth

 

(Meaning) : The Omkara PraNavam is the Dhanus( Bow). The aathman is

the arrow. The target is Brahman . That target should be hit by a Saadhakan

,

who is unerring ( apramatteNa) . The Saadhakan should be one with it

like the arrow.

 

3. Veda Vaakyams

********************

We will cover this link in the next posting .

 

NamO Veda PurushAya ,

V.Sadagopan