Purusottama Adhika Maasa 

  : (Adhika Aswayujam)
Every two (sometimes three) years in Vedik Sidereal astrology there is a time
compensation month added to correct, and adjust the time movements. This is something
similar to the western Leap Year.
This month is considered to be very auspicious (adhika = best or greatest), as Vishnu
Himself appearing in a Calendrical Form to rectify our astrological and astronomical
calculations.
The astronomical parameters differ only slightly in different astronomical texts. For our present discussions,
these differences will not matter much and so we follow the Suryasiddhanta. According to this text,
1 Lunar year = 29.5305 X 12 = 354.366 days
1 Solar year = 365.2587 days.
Thus one lunar year lags behind the solar year and one lunation has to be added after 3 years to fit the lunar
year into the solar one. Astronomers have called this intercalary lunation as adhika month, and have asserted
that this month is to be added to the lunar year.
Adhika (Purushottam) Maase Since the calendar is based on the phases of the Moon, the
transits take 354 days, 8 hours and 34.28 seconds. This creates a difference of 10 days, 21
hours and 35.16 seconds from the actual solar year (365 days, 6 hours, 9.54 seconds) When
the accumulated difference exceeds 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.865 seconds, an
adjustment is made with an extra month (Adhika Maas), which carries the name of the
previous or the next month, depending on the proximity of the month. Normally, seven
extra months occur in 19 years.
Astronomical & Astrological technicalities explained regarding origin of, and purpose of
Adhika mase, and also symbolically what the Adhika represents.
Purushottama adhika masa vratas from Mahanidhi Swami, submitted by
Mahamantra (das) ACBSP (Vrindavan - IN) [14243]

------------------------------------------------------------
...this may be useful to you or yours Recommended Vows for Purusottama Month
(2001 18 September-16 October) The main vrata is to worship Radha Krishna Yugala
***Rise Brahma-muhurta DAILY (bm means one. hours before sunrise til one hour; if sunrise at 6am
then bm starts 4:30 goes to about 5 a.m.) Means taking rest EARLY night before.
***take vow to REMAIN TRUTHFUL for whole month.
***Careful not to BLASPHEME any devotee, sastra, brahmin, cows, saints, or one observing the
Purusottama Vrata.

1.fixed increased chanting 25, 32, 64,128 rounds daily!

2. hearing hari katha (Study Krishna Book (chapters dealing with Vraja lila and Krishna meeting
gopis at kuruksetra) Srimad Bhagavatam & Chaitanya Charitamrita specifically desc. Radha
Krishna guna and lila) and/or speaking daily hari-katha
3. worshiping Radha Krishna, which means,  unless you have deity with = you, then daily offer fresh
first class lotus or rose plus tulasi = garlands to Radhe Shyam photo or painting of Radha-Govinda
Yugal.
*if worship Salagrama (could apply to Radha-Govinda also) offer 100,000 tulasi leaves and achieve
"unlimited merit beyond the powers of Brahma to describe."
4. Sing bhajans and kirtans specifically glorifying Yugala Kishora. Such as Jaya Radha Madhava;
Radhe jaya jaya madhava dayite; radha-krishna prana mora; Radha-krpa kataksa (in back our
radhakunda book or in Giti Guccha song book; also sing Nandanandana Astakam (also in Giti
Guccha song book); jaya radha madana mohan.. sanatana prana dhana he; jaya madhava madana
murari radhe shyam shyama shyam; radha-krsna bol bol bolo re sobhai; vrndavana ramya sthana;
tulasi arotik prayers with deep prayer of longing and meditation;
5. MUST OFFER Daily GHEE (pure cow's ghee only) lamp to Radha-Krishna Deity or photo.
6. Bathe DAILY in Yamuna around sunrise. Or if not in holy land then pour drops on head from
bottle of Radha-kunda water or Yamuna after offering obeisances and prayers to Radha-kunda or
Yamuna.
7.Eating--Fast till noon and eat only fruits or just vegetables without any beans or grains. (like
ekadasi preps for one month!) once a day if you can. Or just eat mahaprasadam, full to neck ONCE A
DAY. Take a vow according to your capacity to follow, and in no condition can one break his vow in
the middle of the month.
HOW TO BREAK THE PURUSOTTAMA VRATA AFTER ONE MONTH?
1. Worship Radha-Govinda and chant this mantra: "O Supreme Lord! O Sanatana! O
Purusottama! O Lord Hari! I offer my obeisances unto You. May You and Your beloved
Srimati Radhika please accept my offerings. I offer my repeated obeisances unto Radha-
Syamasundara, who wears effulgent yellow garments on His beautiful body."
2. Offer pushpanjali and dandavats to Radhe-Syama.
3. Give charity to 3,5,7,9, 11 brahmanas to best of your ability.
a. Best charity to give Srimad Bhagavatam to qualified Vaisnava devotee brahmana. This
charity will deliver all you forefathers to Goloka dhama and the association of Lord
Purusottam!
b. Other recommended gifts: new clothes, gold (rupees, bucks, pounds), two pairs of new
shoes
4. Feed brahmanas with prasadam
SPECIAL ACTIONS AT END OF MONTH:
   1. If not bathed in sacred waters---nullify reaction by donating milk and yogurt to brahmanas
   2. If eat rice, wheat, fruits,oil, or ghee during P.M.-give charity to brahmanas (as mentioned above)
   3. If eat on leaf plates for month-then feed brahmanas with ghee and sugar
   4. Not cut hair and nails for P.M.-give mirror to one brahmana.
IF BROKE ANY RULES DURING PURUSOTTAMA MONTH:
Must feed brahmanas with different kinds of sweet juice. (sugar cane, oj, grape, etc)
BENEFITS OF OBSERVING PURUSOTTAMA VRATA
1. All the holy places in the world come to reside in your body.
2. One who observes Purusottama Month with faith and devotion will go back home, BTG to serve
Radha-Govinda eternally in Goloka Vrndavana at the end of his life!
These are the recommended vratas described in Padma Purana PUrusottama = Mahatyam. We are
sure Prabhupada will help you honor this month nicely.
Ekadasi's of the Adhika masa:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/ekadasi-25.htm
http://www.hknet.org.nz/ekadasi-26.htm
References to Kali-yuga and adhika masa
More on Adhika Masa
As the name itself suggests it is the extra month in the lunar calendar. Once in three years we get an extra
month and this year "Jesta" is the "Adhika Masa". It has started on the 16 of May and is up to 13 June. The
two months are called Adhika Jesta and Nija Jesta. In Adhika masa good things like marriage are not done.
They wait for the Nija Jesta to come. But to do poojas and danas in this month is very good, The offerings
done now are weighed 33times more than the offerings of the ordinary month.
Ladies put 33 Padmas in rongoli every day, put 33 flowers. Light 33 lamps and finally do 33 namaskars
throughout the month. 33 Appupas made and given to a good Brahmin, put in a container along with good
dhakshina, How to make Appupa I will tell you later. Dear Akkama used to do all this and the Brahmin
invariably used to be Sri, Subbanacharya of Madras. If Appupa is difficult for you can make any sweets in
33 numbers and give, I do hope that our M.B. Family people read this and appreciate it.
 
Adhika Masa
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/6291/adhik.html
©B. Aikat
The year 1999 has an Adhika Mas or additional month between May 16 to June 14. The Hindu calendar is
based on the cycles of the Moon and the months are based on lunar months which vary from 27 to 29 solar
days. The lunar year of twelve months consists of 354 solar days. However a solar year consists of 365 days
which is the basis of civil calendars. There is a difference of 11 days between the lunar year and the solar
year. Due to this difference the two calendars move out of synchronization and we notice that Holi is
celebrated earlier and earlier in Spring every year as well as Diwali in the Fall. However in about two and a
half years a difference of 29 days accumulates between the two calendars. Hence every two and half years
an additional month or adhika masa (thirteenth month) is added to the Hindu calendar to bring it back in
synchronization with the solar calendar. The astronomical rule for adding the Adhika Mas is that it occurs in
a lunar month when no Solar Samkranti or transit occurs. Dwisankranti Masah Kchaykhyah Kadachita or a
lunar month that falls between two Sankrantis is additional or expunged.
Since this is a floating month, no celebrations are held in this month. However this month is also called
Purusottam Mas and it is dedicated to the Uttam Purush or Lord Krishna himself. The Maha mantra for this
month is:
"Govardan dharang vande Gopalang Goprupinang.
Gokulotsava Mishanang Govinda Gopikapriya."
The one who held the Govardhan mountain aloft and who also tended the cows, I sing his praise. Govinda
who is celebrated in the festivals of Gokul and who is loved by all Gopis.
In this month one is supposed to live simply, chant the Maha mantra, worship idols of Sri Krishna clad in a
yellow robe accompanied by Sri Radhika, sing Kirtan in the streets, protect cows and help widows or
women in distress.
More technicalities about the year and Puroshottam Adhika mAse and symbolicly what it
is.
http://www.salagram.net/adhika-mase.html
This information comes from Shyamasundar prabhu's page ACBSP:
http://www.shyamasundaradasa.com/Shyama_site/what_is_jyotish/how_long_year/how_long_year_4.htm
Is the 360 day year advocated for Mahadasa usage some how Moon related and the 365 day year Sun
related?
Those who advocate the 360 day year say it is Lunar while the 365 day year is Solar and say something like
the following:
"I once had a conversation with a jyotishi here in Australia who told me he uses the 360 day calendar as
opposed to the 365 day calendar when calculating Vimsottari dasa. His argument was, why should we use a
solar based calendar for calculating a  lunar based dasa system?"
This argument reveals several fallacies:
The first fallacy is that Vimsottari Mahadasa is "lunar based." Simply because the apparatus used for
ascertaining what the mahadasa should be is based upon the Moon and Naksatras doesn't mean we should
reject the standard year simply because it is based on the movement of the Sun. There are other systems of
mahadasa which are not based on the Naksatras does that mean we should shift definitions for the length of
the year to suit them? There is also the fact that Satyacarya has suggested that the Janma-naksaträ be chosen
from the stronger of the Moon or Lagna. If the Lagna were stronger then this would not be  based on the
Moon. In such cases would the length of the year be a different amount?
Of course I want to quickly point out that Satycarya's suggestion of using the Lagna is not followed by any
astrologers and the  Moon's position is universally accepted as the standard for the janma-naksaträ.
The second fallacy, is the assumption that since 365.25 is a solar year, we should reject it because mahadasa
is a lunar based phenomena and rather accept a 360 day year. The unspoken assumption is that a 360 day
year is somehow "Lunar." As we have pointed out before the Lunar year is not 360 days long but rather 360
tithis (lunar days) long, which is about 354.36 solar days long. Thus, since the 360 day year in not "lunar"
then it should not be favored and the 365.25 day year should not be rejected for being "solar."
There is a third fallacy in this argument which leads us to the next question.
What is the relationship between the Solar and Lunar year?
The third fallacy is a bit more complex. The implicit assumption is that time measured by the lunar and solar
calendar somehow yield different results. If we were to use a 360 day-year rather than a 365.25 day-year, for
mahadasa calculations then there would be a difference. After some time they would become more and more
divergent. After one year they would only be different by five days, but in six years it would be a gap of
31.5 days (counting leap years). After 35 years it would be about six months out of phase and after 70 years
a whole year out of phase. Thus the older the person got the farther out of phase the mahadasas would be.
Thus using the 360 d/y Jupiter mahadasa may start at age 35 but at age 35 y 6m using the solar year. This
would introduce serious difficulties in timing events especially in regards to the Bhuktis. This difficulty
would only increase with age. However, contrary to the implicit assumption of the advocates of the 360 d/y,
there is no such discrepancy between the Vedic Lunar calendar and the Solar calendar. Actually the Vedic
Lunar calendar is Solar as will be seen from the following quotation from Dikshit's BJS (emphasis mine):
"They purchased 'Soma' juice from the thirteenth month, and hence the thirteenth month is censurable".
Aitareya Brahmana
"Should the reins in the horse-sacrifice be twelve cubits in length or thirteen? The year consisting of (six)
seasons is a kind of bullock whose hump is the thirteenth month. The horse-sacrifice is the best of all
sacrifices. The year in the form of a bullock has got a hump (in the form of the thirteenth month)." Aitareya
Brahmana
"It is clear from the above quotations that the year was solar in the Vedic age. The natural means of
measuring a year used to be one complete cycle of the seasons, just as the natural means of measuring a day
was the period between two consecutive  sunrises or that for measuring a month used to be the period
between two full moons. The year as a unit of time could not come into being if seasons didn't exist. It is,
therefore, obvious then that the year must have been solar.
". . . the seasons were naturally supposed to recur after 12 lunar months. Although, one complete cycle of
seasons required 11 days more than 12 lunar months . . .[and the result of this difference of 11 days]. . . . .
the lunar month which used to fall in the  summer must shift to occur in the winter and later on in the rainy
season and thus have gradually receded through all the seasons.
 Every month of such a calendar, like the Muharram of the Muslims, was bound to pass through all the
seasons, thus completing a revolution in 33 years. [To avoid such a 33 year cycle] . . .to insert an intercalary
month; and the fact that such an intercalary month used to be reckoned in the Vedic times goes to prove that
the year was solar [even] in those days. This may appear trivial today, but it certainly was no ordinary matter
that our people conceived the idea of inserting an intercalary month in those  days of hoary antiquity. As a
matter of fact it is extremely significant. The ancient Romans were at one time a very powerful nation, they
used to regard the year as consisting of 10 months for quite a long time. . ." (BJS vol. 1, pp. 20-21)
The Vedic Lunar calendar is actually a luni-solar calendar, that is, it is not independent from the Sun. A
lunar month starts with the new Moon after the Sun enters into a sign and is named in accordance to the
Solar sign or sometimes to the Naksatra in which the full Moon will take place in that Lunar month, the
naming conventions differ in various geographical areas of India. In any case the lunar month is tied to the
solar month. How the Solar year and Lunar year are linked shall now be explained.
The Lunar year consists of 12 lunar months each consisting of 30 tithis but this does not add up to 30 solar
days since in the course of a lunar month a tithi will vary from about 19 hours to 26 hours with an average
length of 23h 37m 28s. The lunar month would be 29.530589 days. Because the Lunar year is 360 tithis
long, that is only 354.36 solar days long after only three years it would be about one month out of phase
with the solar year. However to keep it in phase with the solar year, and thus with the seasons and religious
observances, a leap month (adhika-masa) is introduced. The introduction of the adhika-masa is not artificial,
but a natural occurrence (Metonic cycle) because about every third year there will be experienced the
phenomena of two new Moons while the Sun transits through one Rasi. And since the lunar month is
defined as the length of time between successive new Moons and that there can only be one Lunar month
corresponding to a solar month, the extra lunar month becomes a leap month. Thus the solar and lunar years
would continue to stay in phase perpetually, their difference never being more than about 22 days. In the
first year they would be out of phase by 11 days, the second year out of phase by 22 days, the third year the
leap month brings them back in phase, the fourth year out of phase by 11 days, etc.
If the Vedic Lunar year were not linked to the solar year then within only a few years there would be very
noticeable differences in a change of seasons in relation to the calendar. By an accumulation of about 11
days per year it would not take long before a festival associated with the summer such as Krsna Janmastami
would be observed in the spring when Gaura Purnima should be observed. That would be absurd. However,
there is a Lunar calendar which is independent of the Sun, the Islamic. In this calendar, based on a cycle of
30 years, 19 of which are 354 days long and 11 of which are leap years, having 355 days each. In 30 years
each lunar month will have cycled through all the solar months. Thus the first month of the Muslim calendar
Muharram will retrogress through the whole solar Gregorian calendar, and also through the Vedic luni-solar
calendar. Returning to our argument; the Vedic lunar calendar is tied to the Sun thus the Vedic Lunar
calendar is actually a Solar calendar. It will always be very close to the Solar calendar and never go out of
phase as would a 360 day year which would only become more divergent with time.
 
The Hindu calendar by Pt. Sanjay Rath explaining Adika mase
http://sanjayrath.tripod.com/Article/hindu_calendar.htm
There is a need to review the calendar system used in Vedic astrology and to set the standards for the right
calendar to be followed in this regard. There have been various calendar reform committees set up in various
forum, yet there has not been any consensus as deep inside they realize that some vital point is being missed
out. The calendar being followed by the Indian Government, is widely off the mark as it just blindly
superimposes a lunar calendar on a solar calendar! Without trying to harmonise them as had been originally
done by the Vedic Seers. The Rashtriya Panchang, although correct in its delineation of the planetary
positions, (uses Lahiri’s Ayanamsa, that is the closest to the truth so far) does not address this issue.
Facts
Second- 1/86,400 of a day
Ephemeris Second- 1/31,556,925.9747 of a tropical year
Atomic Second- oscillations of cesium atom= 9,192,631,770
Sidereal Day- 23H 56M 4.09S
Lunar Month- 29.53059 days
Lunar Months in a Solar Year- 12.36827
Sidereal Month (time moon around earth)- 27D 7H 43M 11.5S
Synodical Month (new moon to new moon or full moon to full moon)- 29D 12H 44M 3S = 29.53059D
Tropical Year- 365D 5H 48M 46.43S = 365.2422D
Sidereal Year- 365D 6H 9M 9.5S = 365.2564D
Solar Year- 365.2422 days
Obliquity of the Ecliptic (angle of ecliptic and Celestial Equator)- 23 degrees 27'
Tropics- 23 degrees 27' (Ant)Arctic- 66 degrees 30'
Canonical Hours: Catholic- prime(one)=6AM, tierce(three)=9AM, sext(six)=Noon, none(nine)=3PM
Saros Period (eclipses repeat)- 18 years 11 1/3 days
Metonic Cycle (aligning Lunar calendar to Saros period)
Sothic Cycle (Sirius's heliacal rising period)- 1461 years
Julian Cycle (Lunar months, Saros period, etc align)- 7980 years
Precession of the Equinoxes- 25,800 years
Julian Day/Astronomical Day= # of days since Julian cycle started
1 year = 365 days = 8760 hours = 525,600 minutes = 31,536,000 seconds
360 degrees/24 hours=15 degrees/1 hour=1 degree/4 minutes
Names of months are Roman gods
Names of days are Teutonic deities (Norse gods)- Moon, Tiw, Woden, Thor, Fria, Saturn-Roman, Sun
"PZT"= Photographic Zenith Tube- can determine spinning of the earth to 1 second
Master Clock- vibrations of cesium atoms / 24 hours by PZT sightings- atomic clocks
Universal Time (UTO) is the equivalent to mean solar time at Greenwich Meridian
Universal Coordinate Time (UTC) is the average of several atomic time scales
The equation of time equals the difference between apparent and mean time.
The whole world has the same day when the international date line is at midnight.
June 21- summer solstice- longer days
December 21- winter solstice- shorter days
September 23- autumnal equinox
March 20- vernal equinox- night and day equal
Sun & Moon movements
The Saura[1] Varsha or the solar year has been precisely measured as equal to 365.2421896698 days long,
although it is gradually becoming shorter by about half a second per century. This movement of the Sun
around the zodiac (or movement of the earth around the Sun) is the primary model on which the lunar
movement has to be superimposed.
The movement of the Moon in the zodiac can be measured by two methods –
1)       The movement around the zodiac considered independently, which is approximately 27 days and 7 ¾
hours. Based on this, the zodiac of 3600 was divided into 27 Nakshatra, (each 130 20’ of arc). Each
Nakshatra was identified with a star, (or star cluster) and derived its name from it. The 7-¾ hour shortfall in
a sidereal lunar transit was made up by a short-span intercalary (hypothetical) Nakshatra called Abhijit. The
span of Abhijit is determined proportionally as (7h 38min / 24 hrs) x 130 20’ = 40 14’ 13". This span is from
2760 40’ to 2800 54" 13" overlapping the 21st Nakshatra (Uttarasadha).
2)       The relative motion between the Sun and the Moon from one conjunction to another (or from one
opposition to another) defines the Lunar Month (Chandra Masa). This period is 29.5305888531 days long,
but getting longer by a fiftieth of a second per century. Thus, there are 12.36826639275 lunar months in a
tropical year. We can use various types of approximation to synchronize these two periods of the Sun &
Moon i.e. the Solar Year and the Lunar Month.
 The history of the calendar is the attempt of various astronomers, astrologers, priests and mathematicians to
perform the ultimate magic of synchronizing the Solar and Lunar periods. There is also the constant attempt
to tinker with the solar calendar itself to have perfect months. This is a separate issue which we shall discuss
as we study the history of the calendar.
Ancient calendars were based on lunar months, but in order to keep the calendar in step with the seasons, it
was necessary to insert extra months, because 12 lunar months are 10.8751234326 days short of a tropical
year. The point to be noted is that the Vedic astrology paradigm uses the sidereal zodiac where the relative
motion of the solar system itself, in this universe is noted and its precession has been measured @ 50.23
seconds of arc per year. This translates into an additional 20 minutes of time in a solar year.
 The Vedic Calendar is the oldest and tries to cover this shortfall of 10.87 days between 12 lunar months and
a year by interpolating an extra month every third year called he Adhika Masa. Since the names of the
months[2] were based on the Nakshatra position of the Full Moon, I have every reason to believe that the
months were initiated from the end of the full Moon called Poornima (when the Satya Narayana Vrata is
performed and a person promises to abide by Dharma and be truthful). This Vedic calendar called ‘Suklanta’
is in vogue even today in some parts of Punjab and Orissa, although the later period New Moon calendar has
become popular. These divergent views of reckoning of the starting of the Lunar Month are called as
Amanta (i.e. Amavasya + Anta or the end of Amavasya the last day in the dark half) and Suklanta (i.e. the
end of Sukla Paksha as the starting point of the Lunar Month). Yavanacharya (called Yavanas) preferred the
Amanta method[3] of reckoning Lunar Months, whereas Varahamihira who followed the ancient
Maharishi’s and was no less than a Maharishi himself, followed the Suklanta. Thus, I would prefer to follow
Varahamihira and believe that this must have been the correct method of reckoning the Lunar Months.
This was the first approximation and had an inbuilt error of 3.095 days in every 3 years that would tend to
shift the seasons back by as much time. This inbuilt error can be rectified by having another Adhika Masa
every 30 years i.e. every 30th year has two Adhika Masa (leaves an error of about 1.417 days in 30 years)
and yet another every 625 years (i.e. every 625th year has 3 Adhika Masa).
Saturn’s years & Metonic cycle
Around 432 B.C., Meton of Athens noticed that 235 lunar months were almost exactly equal to 19 tropical
years and proposed a 19-year cycle of intercalation. This is the same as the dasa period of 19 years for
Saturn. We know that Saturn has Brahma the creator as its deity and that the entire creation process evolves
on the mutual relation between the Sun (representing the father) and the Moon (representing the Mother).
Thus, it may not be too far fetched to say that the Vedic seers were well aware of this Metonic cycle of 19
years where the relative periods of the Solar Year and the Lunar month matched. They referred to this as the
cycle of creation and attributed the period to Saturn.
The Eclipse factor & Gaurabda
The basic difference between the two methods of reckoning of Lunar Month is based on the eclipse. It is
well known that the solar eclipse occurs only at a new Moon, as the Moon passes between the Earth and the
Sun, casting its shadow toward the Earth whereas the lunar eclipse occurs only at the Full Moon as the
earths shadow falls on the Moon. The fact that the birth of Sri Gauranga (Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) is used
as the starting of a spiritual calendar called the Gaurabda shows that the Full Moon (i.e. Suklanta) was used
to determine the lunar month. Further, Sri Chaitanya was born during a lunar eclipse.
 Eclipses do not occur in every month, due to the fact that the shadow cast by the Moon (Solar eclipse) or
the earth (lunar eclipse) passes over the Earth/Moon respectively. This pass over is caused as the Moons
orbit is tilted to the earths orbit (called the ecliptic) by 5 degrees. The points of intersection of the lunar orbit
on the ecliptic are called Rahu (the ascending Node) and Ketu (the descending Node). Only at those times
when the new Moon is near one of its nodes can an eclipse occur. Thus, when the new Moon appears within
18-3/4 days before or after the alignment of a node, a solar eclipse will take place. This creates a 37 &1/2-
day time frame for eclipses, called an eclipse season, indicating the conditions being favorable for an eclipse
to occur.
The nodes of the lunar orbit are gradually shifting their orientation in space and moving in a retrograde
manner leading to a shift in successive annual eclipses by 18.62 days. Thus, the eclipse year is about 346.62
days (i.e. 365.24 – 18.62 = 346.62 days). Now, the synodic month (called Masa) does not match this period.
However the ancient Vedic seers had known that in about every 18 years cycle this does fall in place . Thus,
a period of 18 years 11-1/3 days (or 18 years 10-1/3 days if five February 29ths fall within the period), Saros
cycle coincides closely with 19 eclipse years: 223 synodic months (29.5306 days) = 6,585.32 days and 19
eclipse years (346.6200 days) = 6,585.78 days. This is the period of Rahu in Vimsottari Dasa and it was apt
to give this period to Rahu, the ascending node that causes the eclipse of the luminaries.
The paths of the solar eclipse (shadow on earth) gradually widen as they shift to more northerly latitudes in
every successive eclipse. The longitude for each successive eclipse in the series shifts to the west by about
120 degrees. The Solar eclipse has a profound impact on geo-politics. The areas traversed by the Umbra are
normally those where political upheavals are definitely going to occur, although this may not be immediate.
For example, the death of Herod the evil king and child slayer occurred close to an eclipse that is used to
time the birth of Christ as occurring before that period. As another example, we see that the Moon’s umbra
never passed over the city of London during a period of 837 years between consecutive total solar eclipses in
the years 878 and 1715. During this period the British Royalty was at its height. I finish here for the Jyotish
Pundits to do their research.
[1] Saura is derived from the word Sura or Surya
[2] Mukunda Daivagya in his immortal classic Nasta Jataka often uses the term ‘Sukladi Chandra Masa’ i.e.
use of the lunar months whose names are based on the position of the Moon in a constellation during the full
moon.
[3] Ref: Mukunda Daivagyna in Nasta Jatakam; chapter Varahadi Yukti Prakaranam Sloka 17-20.
 Adhika/ Nija   Masas
http://www.vmmp-usa.org/panchangfaq.htm
Normally we have 12 lunar months in a year, which contains roughly 355 days (29.53*12). This falls short
of the solar year by 10 days, which will need a correction approximately every 3 years. This correction is not
done by arbitrary rules but by the natural motion of Sun and the Moon. The occurrence of Amavasyas solves
this deficiency in the number of days.
Usually there is only one Amavasya between Sankrantis. But sometimes, two Amavasyas occur between
successive Sankrantis, one at the very beginning and the other near the end; the lunar month first occurring
is termed Adhika and the next one Nija. Both the months carry the same name with the prefix Adhika and
Nija. There are rare cases when then there is no Amavasya between two Sankrantis. Then a Lunar Month is
suppressed - Kshaya. Such an event occurred in 1963 and again in 1982 and may occur in the future as well.
In Adhika Masa, no festivals are celebrated.
More technicalities about the year and Puroshottam Adhika mAse and
symbolicly what it is.
This information comes from Shyamasundar prabhu's page:
http://www.shyamasundaradasa.com/Shyama_site/what_is_jyotish/how_long_year/how_long_year_4.htm

Is the 360 day year advocated for Mahadasa usage some how Moon related and the 365 day year Sun
related?
Those who advocate the 360 day year say it is Lunar while the 365 day year is Solar and say something like
the following:
"I once had a conversation with a jyotishi here in Australia who told me he uses the 360 day calendar as
opposed to the 365 day calendar when calculating Vimsottari dasa. His argument was, why should we use a
solar based calendar for calculating a  lunar based dasa system?"
This argument reveals several fallacies:
The first fallacy is that Vimsottari Mahadasa is "lunar based." Simply because the apparatus used for
ascertaining what the mahadasa should be is based upon the Moon and Naksatras doesn't mean we should
reject the standard year simply because it is based on the movement of the Sun. There are other systems of
mahadasa which are not based on the Naksatras does that mean we should shift definitions for the length of
the year to suit them? There is also the fact that Satyacarya has suggested that the Janma-naksaträ be chosen
from the stronger of the Moon or Lagna. If the Lagna were stronger then this would not be  based on the
Moon. In such cases would the length of the year be a different amount?
 
Of course I want to quickly point out that Satycarya's suggestion of using the Lagna is not followed by any
astrologers and the  Moon's position is universally accepted as the standard for the janma-naksaträ.
The second fallacy, is the assumption that since 365.25 is a solar year, we should reject it because mahadasa
is a lunar based phenomena and rather accept a 360 day year. The unspoken assumption is that a 360 day
year is somehow "Lunar." As we have pointed out before the Lunar year is not 360 days long but rather 360
tithis (lunar days) long, which is about 354.36 solar days long. Thus, since the 360 day year in not "lunar"
then it should not be favored and the 365.25 day year should not be rejected for being "solar."
There is a third fallacy in this argument which leads us to the next question.
What is the relationship between the Solar and Lunar year?
The third fallacy is a bit more complex. The implicit assumption is that time measured by the lunar and solar
calendar somehow yield different results. If we were to use a 360 day-year rather than a 365.25 day-year, for
mahadasa calculations then there would be a difference. After some time they would become more and more
divergent. After one year they would only be different by five days, but in six years it would be a gap of
31.5 days (counting leap years). After 35 years it would be about six months out of phase and after 70 years
a whole year out of phase. Thus the older the person got the farther out of phase the mahadasas would be.
Thus using the 360 d/y Jupiter mahadasa may start at age 35 but at age 35 y 6m using the solar year. This
would introduce serious difficulties in timing events especially in regards to the Bhuktis. This difficulty
would only increase with age. However, contrary to the implicit assumption of the advocates of the 360 d/y,
there is no such discrepancy between the Vedic Lunar calendar and the Solar calendar. Actually the Vedic
Lunar calendar is Solar as will be seen from the following quotation from Dikshit's BJS (emphasis mine):

"They purchased 'Soma' juice from the thirteenth month, and hence the thirteenth month is censurable".
Aitareya Brahmana
"Should the reins in the horse-sacrifice be twelve cubits in length or thirteen? The year consisting of (six)
seasons is a kind of bullock whose hump is the thirteenth month. The horse-sacrifice is the best of all
sacrifices. The year in the form of a bullock has got a hump (in the form of the thirteenth month)." Aitareya
Brahmana
"It is clear from the above quotations that the year was solar in the Vedic age. The natural means of
measuring a year used to be one complete cycle of the seasons, just as the natural means of measuring a day
was the period between two consecutive  sunrises or that for measuring a month used to be the period
between two full moons. The year as a unit of time could not come into being if seasons didn't exist. It is,
therefore, obvious then that the year must have been solar.
". . . the seasons were naturally supposed to recur after 12 lunar months. Although, one complete cycle of
seasons required 11 days more than 12 lunar months . . .[and the result of this difference of 11 days]. . . . .
the lunar month which used to fall in the  summer must shift to occur in the winter and later on in the rainy
season and thus have gradually receded through all the seasons.
 Every month of such a calendar, like the Muharram of the Muslims, was bound to pass through all the
seasons, thus completing a revolution in 33 years. [To avoid such a 33 year cycle] . . .to insert an intercalary
month; and the fact that such an intercalary month used to be reckoned in the Vedic times goes to prove that
the year was solar [even] in those days. This may appear trivial today, but it certainly was no ordinary matter
that our people conceived the idea of inserting an intercalary month in those  days of hoary antiquity. As a
matter of fact it is extremely significant. The ancient Romans were at one time a very powerful nation, they
used to regard the year as consisting of 10 months for quite a long time. . ." (BJS vol. 1, pp. 20-21)
The Vedic Lunar calendar is actually a luni-solar calendar, that is, it is not independent from the Sun. A
lunar month starts with the new Moon after the Sun enters into a sign and is named in accordance to the
Solar sign or sometimes to the Naksatra in which the full Moon will take place in that Lunar month, the
naming conventions differ in various geographical areas of India. In any case the lunar month is tied to the
solar month. How the Solar year and Lunar year are linked shall now be explained.
The Lunar year consists of 12 lunar months each consisting of 30 tithis but this does not add up to 30 solar
days since in the course of a lunar month a tithi will vary from about 19 hours to 26 hours with an average
length of 23h 37m 28s. The lunar month would be 29.530589 days. Because the Lunar year is 360 tithis
long, that is only 354.36 solar days long after only three years it would be about one month out of phase
with the solar year. However to keep it in phase with the solar year, and thus with the seasons and religious
observances, a leap month (adhika-masa) is introduced. The introduction of the adhika-masa is not artificial,
but a natural occurrence (Metonic cycle) because about every third year there will be experienced the
phenomena of two new Moons while the Sun transits through one Rasi. And since the lunar month is
defined as the length of time between successive new Moons and that there can only be one Lunar month
corresponding to a solar month, the extra lunar month becomes a leap month. Thus the solar and lunar years
would continue to stay in phase perpetually, their difference never being more than about 22 days. In the
first year they would be out of phase by 11 days, the second year out of phase by 22 days, the third year the
leap month brings them back in phase, the fourth year out of phase by 11 days, etc.
If the Vedic Lunar year were not linked to the solar year then within only a few years there would be very
noticeable differences in a change of seasons in relation to the calendar. By an accumulation of about 11
days per year it would not take long before a festival associated with the summer such as Krsna Janmastami
would be observed in the spring when Gaura Purnima should be observed. That would be absurd. However,
there is a Lunar calendar which is independent of the Sun, the Islamic. In this calendar, based on a cycle of
30 years, 19 of which are 354 days long and 11 of which are leap years, having 355 days each. In 30 years
each lunar month will have cycled through all the solar months. Thus the first month of the Muslim calendar
Muharram will retrogress through the whole solar Gregorian calendar, and also through the Vedic luni-solar
calendar. Returning to our argument; the Vedic lunar calendar is tied to the Sun thus the Vedic Lunar
calendar is actually a Solar calendar. It will always be very close to the Solar calendar and never go out of
phase as would a 360 day year which would only become more divergent with time.