Purnima and Amayasya Days
Amavasya and Purnima are two important days connected with the moon. There are many important days and nights in the year that have a profound impact on the earth and the human mind and Purnima and Amayasya are the most important of them. Many people are afraid of the full moon and the new moon. Especially there is more fear towards Amavasya. There are twelve full moons and twelve Amavasya in the year. All have different importance.
According to the Hindu calendar, the thirty days of the month are divided into two sides of fifteen days each on the basis of lunar art – Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha. The last day of Shukla Paksha is called Purnima and the last day of Krishna Paksha is Amavasya. If counted from the beginning, the names of the thirty dates are Poornima (Puranamasi), Pratipada (Padwa), Dwitiya (Duj), Tritiya (Teej), Chaturthi (Chauth), Panchami (Panchami), Shashthi (Chhath), Saptami (Satam), Ashtami (Atham), Navami (Naumi), Dashami (Dasam), Ekadashi (Gyaras), Dwadashi (Baras), Trayodashi (Teras), Chaturdashi (Chaudas) and Amavasya (Amavas).
There are two different systems for making the lunar calendar:
Amavasyanta or mukhya mana system – a month begins with a new moon and ends at a new moon, mostly followed in the southern states.
Purnimanta or gauna mana system – a month begins with a full moon and ends at the full moon, followed more in the North.
There is a recurrence after Amavasya or Purnima i.e. after these two all the others keep coming again for 14 days respectively. After Purnima, there is Krishna Paksha till Amavasya and Shukla Paksha after Amavasya till Purnima. According to Amavasya Panchang, the thirtieth of the month and the last date of Krishna Paksha is the day on which the moon does not appear in the sky. Every month’s full moon and Amavasya must be celebrated in one way or the other so that these days the person’s attention should be towards religion. They have also been related to religion for scientific reasons.
There are mainly two types of powers on the earth – positive and negative, in the same way, there are two types of nature of day and night, light and darkness, two kinds of qualities are good and bad, etc. According to Hinduism, the above two types of powers have always dominated the earth. However, there are also some mixed powers, such as evening and which occur between day and night. It also has the qualities of day and also the qualities of night. Due to these natural and divine powers, all kinds of human beings, animals, birds, and plants on the earth, Nocturnals, etc. have been born and developed. It is because of these powers that humans have the qualities of gods and demons.
On the full moon night, the mind is restless and sleep is less. People with weak minds have increased thoughts of committing suicide or murder. The moon is related to the water of the earth. When the full moon comes, a tidal ebb arises in the sea, because the moon draws seawater upwards. About 85 percent of the water in the human body is also there. The speed and properties of this water change on the full moon day. According to scientists, the effect of the moon is very strong on this day, due to these reasons, the blood inside the body. In this case, neuron cells become active and in such a situation a person is more excited or emotional. Not once, if this happens on every full moon, then the future of the person also becomes and worsens accordingly. Those who have retardation disease or who have metabolic activity in their stomach, then it is often heard that such people.
After eating a meal, you feel like intoxication and the drunk neuron cells become relaxed due to which the control of the mind becomes less focused on the body, more on emotions. The effect of the moon on the stars begins to take the wrong direction. For this reason, it is advisable to keep the full moon fast. On the full moon day, no vengeful things should be consumed. On this day, alcohol, etc. should also be kept away from intoxication. It can have adverse effects not only on your body but also on your future. Knowledgeable people say that it is good to remain chaudas, purnima, and pratipada for the above 3 days.
During Amavasya, we get cooler due to no moon. During the Purnima, we get hotter due to the full moon. Hence incidences of quarrels are more. It affects the working conditions of the ocean also creating more tides in the ocean during Amavasya and Purnima. It impacts the working conditions of our minds also. Hence there are more accidents on the road, more people get sick. More incidents of fire are there during these days. During Amavasya and Purnima if we donate some things to deserving persons or if we feed cows green grass, bread, etc then the effect of Amavasya and Purnima on our minds is overcome up to a certain extent. A full moon is better for a meditator. But Amavasya is good for performing certain rituals and procedures.
Purnima is the Full Moon of Divinity
Purnima the full moon day is the most auspicious day for Hindus. Every wish would be complete on this day. Fasting is the way to achieve your goals. The term ‘Purnima’ is the combination of Sanskrit and Nepali language for the representation of the full moon. This is the only day when there is an occurrence of the full moon and it also shows the division of two lunar fortnights. In Hinduism, this occasion has great importance. Devotees seek fast on these days every month. It is believed that observing vows these days is meant to be fruitful. Šri Satyanãrãyana Pooja is performed with utmost devotion and dedication on Poornima Days.
Fasting On Purnima
Fasting on Purnima is considered to be a very holy act. The level of fasting varies from person to person. Fasting duration lasts from sunrise to sighting of the Moon. While some may go to extremes and restrain from even water consumption, most settle with milk and fruits. Other food items such as nuts and Sabudana (Sago) can also be consumed. The items that should not be consumed on this day are rice, grains, pulses, and cereals. The main deity worshiped on this day is Lord Vishnu (and his avatars). Performing Satyanarayan Puja is a very commonly followed practice in South Indian states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. After the day’s Puja, the fast comes to an end by seeing the Moon and having the Prasad (holy food).
Amavasya is a New Moon Day
Amavasya is the time of the New Moon and the beginning of a new lunar month. On this day, devotees observe fasts, and religious practices are meant to be very fruitful. On this day, performing Homam provides peace to your ancestors. It is believed that during Amavasya, evil spirits get unusual powers and may cause harm. To counter this, people perform Kali Puja, as Goddess Kali is considered to be the destroyer of evil spirits. Many important festivals, for instance, Diwali are celebrated in Amavasya of Kartik Month. Amavasya is an important day as it is the day of a new beginning.
There are many rituals and beliefs associated with this day like it is considered very auspicious to worship the dead forefathers and relatives on a new moon day. It is a belief that the dead visit their homes on earth on this day. It is also auspicious to perform a holy bath and perform important rituals on this day like “Tila Tarpanam” (feeding the dead) and “Annadanam” (Donation to hungry people).
Scientific Reasoning Behind Fasting
Fasting or having a light meal of fruits and milk on Purnima will have positive effects on the body. Studies show that it helps in steadying the metabolism of our body, controlling the acidic content in the body, increasing endurance, and cleansing the digestive system. Fasting is like giving our body and mind a chance to relax. Further, praying helps in soothing our thought process and helps in making it clearer and prominent.
