Question 1

Why are weddings avoided in Pausha?

Accepted Answer

It is the solar position, not the lunar month, that causes it. Through most of Pausha the Sun transits Dhanu (Sagittarius), a period called Dhanurmas or Kharmas, in which the Muhurta texts withhold Sanskaras — weddings, Upanayana, Griha Pravesh and the like. The pause lifts at Makar Sankranti, when the Sun enters Makara (Capricorn). Because Dhanurmas is solar and Pausha is lunar, the two overlap but do not coincide exactly.

Question 2

Is Pausha the same as Kharmas or Adhika Maas?

Accepted Answer

No, all three are different. Kharmas or Dhanurmas is the solar period of the Sun in Sagittarius, which mostly overlaps Pausha. Adhika Maas is the intercalary thirteenth lunar month inserted roughly every 32 months, which can fall in any month and rarely in Pausha. Pausha itself is simply the tenth lunar month; the restrictions attached to it in common speech actually belong to Kharmas.

Question 3

What is Kalpavas, and why does it start in Pausha?

Accepted Answer

Kalpavas is a month of austerity kept camped on the banks of the Sangam at Prayagraj — bathing three times a day, eating once, sleeping on the ground, and spending the day in recitation and discourse. It runs from Pausha Purnima to Magha Purnima, which is why the observance begins here and belongs, in name, to Magha. Its participants are called Kalpavasis.

Question 4

How long does the month of Pausha last?

Accepted Answer

A lunar month runs about 29.5 days — the time the Moon takes to return to the same phase relative to the Sun. Because that figure is not a whole number of days and the Moon's speed varies, Pausha does not begin at the same clock time each year, and its length can differ by several hours from one year to the next. The begin and end timestamps listed above are computed for your own location rather than quoted from a fixed table.

Question 5

Why do the Amanta and Purnimanta dates for Pausha differ?

Accepted Answer

They are two different conventions for where a month starts. An Amanta month runs New Moon to New Moon and is the standard across South and West India — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat. A Purnimanta month runs Full Moon to Full Moon and is standard across North India. The Purnimanta Pausha therefore begins about a fortnight earlier and its dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) comes first, while in the Amanta reckoning the bright fortnight comes first. The two systems agree on which Tithi a given day is; they disagree only on which month to file it under. Use the toggle above to switch between them.

Question 6

Can Pausha occur twice in one year?

Accepted Answer

Yes, though rarely. Twelve lunar months fall about eleven days short of a solar year, so roughly every 32 or 33 months an extra month — Adhika Maas, also called Mala Maas or Purushottama Maas — is inserted to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the seasons. The extra month takes the name of the month that follows it, so an Adhika Pausha is followed by a Nija (true) Pausha. Rites of passage such as weddings, sacred-thread ceremonies and house-warmings are traditionally deferred out of the Adhika month, while recitation, charity and pilgrimage are held to be especially meritorious in it.

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