Painful Legs and RFA

 

Everyone wants to be happy. Have we seen anyone who desires to be unhappy? The answer is an emphatic NO! To be happy, there are certain conditions or requirements. Being free of worries is one of the foremost requirements for anyone to be happy. Even with every need and luxury provided for, one cannot be happy if there is some disturbance in the corner of the mind. Again, foremost among all the worries is the trouble of one being physically unwell. All other forms of happiness stands on the foundations of a person being hale and hearty. The word "hale" means being "free from disease or infirmity". The word also indicates of having a "sound and uninjured body".

The state of health may be described as in good health, being sick or very sick. When very sick, it results in hospitalisation and rehabilitation. When only sick, there may be treatment at home. It is also possible that one is carrying on his routine activities but still sick. There are certain physical issues where one cannot be said to be sick, but still not healthy. Routine activities are managed but not entirely efficiently. There is a shade of lethargy and pain associated with every activity. Each day is a light and shade product; there are high spots as well as low dips. Some of the causes of such state are always there, but may get aggravated during the day. As the day progresses, pain level may increase. Pain killers may give temporary relief. When painkillers operate, pain is suppressed and not felt but not gone. It may abate with rest but return next day to haunt again. There may not be any enthusiasm to take up new activities. Life goes but because it is an unavoidable cycle.

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Swollen legs or painful legs is one such sore issue that makes normal life difficult. In the initial stages one may not worry much about this, but as days pass pain in the legs keeps growing. There are many reasons for pain the legs. Some of them are:

• Pain as a result of arthritis - relating to bones and wear and tear in them. It may be break down of cartilage or affecting the entire system.
• Infection, injury to bones, joints or muscles or nerve problems.
• Pain due to blood flow problems in the veins like narrowing of arteries or veins, Deep Vein Thrombosis, etc.
• Being overweight, aggravated by diabetes.
• Jobs like teachers, conductors, traffic policemen etc. where one is required to stand for long periods of time day after day.
• Jobs requiring sitting for long hours without any activity for the legs. 
• Many other medical issues depending on the patients medical history.

Among the above, leg pains resulting from insufficient blood flow and inefficiency of the valves in the legs to ensure proper blood flow are very common. Swelling in legs increases as the day progresses. There is some relief when there is a good nights sleep, but the problem returns the next day. Keeping the legs elevated during sleep gives some relief, but does not solve the problem. Doctors advice weight reduction, movement of legs periodically by taking short walks and prescribe medicine for better blood circulation. Legs tire quickly due to  insufficient blood flow. At the advanced stage, ulcers may be formed and these wounds take a long time to heal. Diabetes aggravates the delay in healing process. Even after the wounds heal, there is a danger of a repeat wound at the same spot. The plight of patients with such wounds visiting Cardiovascular Surgeons and Wound Centres is to be seen to be believed.

Swelling in legs often result in accumulation of fluids in the legs and sometimes results in what is known as "Weeping Legs". In such cases legs continuously perspire as it happens to us during summer months. Water drops keep coming and it is as if the legs are weeping. Sometimes a small hole may be formed in the leg and water may come out continuously from it. It is a very messy situation and disturbs normal life. 

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Doctors decide on the line of treatment for relieving pain depending on the patients medical history and likely chances or effectiveness of the chosen method. Surgery is recommended and performed in some cases. Surgeries require hospitalisation, conducting the procedure and followed by long recovery periods. Working people have to manage leave situations and patients undergoing surgery require some support at home for sometime even after being discharged from the hospital.

Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive technique to relieve pain. It is used for various purposes, one of them being to treat problems associated with the swelling and ulcers of the legs. This is being used more and more nowadays for treatment of swelling in the legs and preventing ulcers due to varicose veins. The advantages of RFA are:

• It is done as a outpatient procedure and does not require hospitalisation.
• As there is no hospitalisation, costs are lower.
• It takes two to three hours and done without general anaesthesia.
• The patient is awake during the whole procedure and can even understand what is being done, to some extent.
• It is a minimally invasive technique and there are no cuts and wounds. 
• Small incisions (usually two) are made and the surgeon inserts a needle like probe through the incisions. 
• Radio Frequency waves are sent through this and by suitably manipulating the probe, identified cells are heated and burnt, The areas shrink and make the affected veins ineffective. Ultrasound and imaging technique is used for this. The other veins in the legs develop efficiency to take the load and issue gets resolved.

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The patient undergoing RFA Ablation can return home in a few hours and follow the instructions given for recuperation. Recovery is faster as there are no cuts and wounds and procedure done without general anaesthesia. There is no requirement of daily dressings as well. The patient has to visit the hospital in the next 48 to 72 hours, as advised by the surgeon for a follow up imaging exercise to check and confirm that there are no blood clots and bleeding, and that the procedure has gone on the desired lines. 

There may be shooting pain or burning sensation sometimes for some patients, after the procedure. Doctors advise the likely reactions and the required precautions to deal with them and when to contact them if required. 

Working people can get back to work within two or three days. Long travel is advised to be avoided for a few days. Doctors give detailed instructions sheet for the recovery process. They are simple and easy to follow. 

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As mentioned earlier, RFA treatment is used for many purposes. It is becoming more and more popular for treatment of swelling and pain in the legs. Anyone suffering from these symptoms would do well to discuss possibility of RFA treatment with their surgeons.

Buying You Out with Your Money!

"Marriages are Made in Heaven" is an oft repeated adage. There is also a popular book by name "Marriages are Made in Heaven, But Maintained on Earth". People even joke that marriages are made in heaven, but divorces are made on earth and in courts. One of the famous stars in Bollywood got engaged (and later married too) in the early 1970s. The press reporters present at the engagement ceremony interviewed her and asked her whether she believed that her marriage would last long. She answered with a twinkle in her eyes, "Marriages will be stable and succeed as long as the couple have a common bedroom but separate bathrooms". It is common in many big houses to have a big bedroom with bathrooms on either side together with storage and wardrobe spaces separately for the two partners. No study has been carried out so far about the divorces taking place in such houses. Not yet.

Things are fine when some asset or property or entity is owned exclusively by one person or group. But it is not always possible to have this ideal situation on hand. Especially in large enterprises, due to the requirement of huge capital and resources, there is always a need for different persons or groups to come together and build the edifice. There is perfect understanding when the things shape up, but in due course of time differences crop up. Thick friends become sworn enemies and getting on together becomes impossible. It is in such situations that one of the parties, usually the dominant share holder, makes efforts to get rid of the minority shareholders and take full control of the assets and management. 

The concept of "Buy Out" is often practiced in business circles. What is buying out? Each party has a certain stake in the entity, but not in full. Consensus is required to run the entity and share the profits. Sometimes things reach such a stage that carrying on together will become impossible. One of the parties (usually the one with a bigger share or stake) wants to have a free run without any hindrance from the other party or parties. 

How to achieve this buying out? Make a valuation of the business. Arrive at the value of the share of the unwanted party. Offer to pay that value and ask that party to get out of the system. Once this is done, you own the entity or organisation or asset on your own. You can do whatever you want to do with it. The other party who is bought out cannot ask you any questions because he was paid the value of his share and hence is no longer connected with it.  

Buying out is not easy because the party deprived of the part ownership is to be paid the value for his share. What to do when the party buying out does not have the money then and there? If the parties are agreeable, a value for the share given away can be arrived at and payment is made in future, either in lump sum or in instalments as mutually agreed upon. This is known as Deferred Payment because the money or value to be paid is postponed to a future date. This is risky for the party going out, but many times they agree for various reasons, one of them being a promised higher amount for the immediate sacrifice they make. Parties going out in such situations take care to protect their interests in case of default in payments in future.

Thus buying out can be completed either with immediate payout of the agreed value or an agreement to pay at future dates. But the fundamental issue is that the party holding on to the business will have to raise funds to pay off the exiting party. The money can come in any form, say own funds or borrowed from someone else, but cannot be from the exiting party. 

Can there be a situation where the party buying out does not have any share at all in the entity, but will promise to pay its value at future dates, and from the funds belonging to the outgoing party? The question prima facie looks absurd and funny, All elements here are favourable to the party holding on and equally unfavourable to the party going out. Value is not given now. There is only a promise that It will be given in future. Moreover, the money for buying out will be taken out from the pockets of the party going out! 

Totally unbelievable, one may say. But these types of activities are going on continuously around us. And to add insult to injury, they are repeating with predictable regularity! 

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India became independent from foreign rule and declared itself a sovereign democratic republic. Adult suffrage  was chosen as the tool for electing and forming governments, both at the central and state level. The initial elections were fought more on emotions than on any other principles. Leaders associated with the freedom movement or from royal families easily won and ran the governments. Name of the person or party was enough to ensure victory. Size of the electorate was small, communication mediums were minimal and most of the voters were illiterate. Some small leaders in the villages and towns decided how their area or mohalla will vote. After two or three general elections, the generation of leaders who fought for the freedom of the country were all gone and a new crop of leaders came to the forefront. The composition of the voters also changed, more and more post-independent India generation called the shots. 

Electioneering became more complex now. Political parties developed their own vote banks and each groups had their leaders who extracted their pound of flesh for pledging their follower votes. Candidates had to spend on keeping these groups happy, and keeping the mood in their favour during election time by distributing money, liquor, clothes etc. Hiring people as volunteers for canvassing, food and refreshments for the canvassing teams, hiring vehicles and other allied resources for campaigning became more and more costlier. To win an election cost a lot of money. After winning, the winner had to get back this investment made during elections with interest and also provide for fighting the next elections. The system of investing and reaping the rewards got institutionalised and corrupt practices at all levels flourished.

Advent of modren electioneering methods, monitoring by enforcement agencies and compulsive competition had a big effect on the electioneering process. Even after spending huge amounts during elections, there was no guarantee of earning thereafter. In past few years another headache plagued the candidates and parties. With mobile phones in wide usage, someone can record any talk, discussion or even distribution of inducements. Programs like demonitization, closer vigil by income tax authorities using PAN, TAN and TIN, anti money laundering operations and many restrictions on cash transactions choked the channels of unethical money making and circulating a very unwelcome proposition. Political parties had to find alternate avenues for funding elections. More than that, there was a need to offer inducements in a more subtle way and within legal framework.

It is at this stage that a well developed system of promising delivery of cash or cash equivalent to voters if voted to power, was brought in by various political parties. This evolved into the fine art of offering what are now popularly and collectively called "Guarantees". Parties offer guarantees to voters of delivering something if voted to power. It will even be announced that the decision of implementing these guarantee will be taken in the very first cabinet meeting, even if the cabinet has only two ministers!

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Elections have been fought in some states in the last one year with focus on such "Guarantees". At the time of promising the guarantees, even the parties offering them do not know whether they will really be in a position to implement them. Neither they worry about the costs and implications on the finances of the state. No cost working or implementing mechanism are under scrutiny. Even the target group is kept ambiguous so that maximum votes can be got and power can be captured. 

Now, one can clearly see the various elements discussed in the earlier paragraphs above, in this buying out the voters by political parties play out in our presence:

• The real stakeholders in any state or country are the voters and more particularly all the citizen ruled by the incoming governments. It is to be noted that those below 18 years are also subject to the rule, but do not vote in elections.
• Political parties have little stake in these elections except the goal of capturing power. If they lose the elections, they have no commitment. If they win, they will cross the bridge when they reach there!
• In the case of all guarantees, there is no immediate payment. It is only promise to pay in the future. It is a Deferred Payment Arrangement.
• The bought out voters are not in a position to have any safeguards for ensuring that the promised payments will be made.
• The promise is made to some sections of voters that is sufficient to swing elections in favour of the political party. Even if the party wins, all voters do not get something. Most of the voters do not get anything.
• Of course, it is wrong to say that most of the voters do not get anything. They get the entire burden of additional taxes and increase in tariffs. They also have to deal with the mess created in the administration due to these guarantees.
• The parties talk of having some criteria for delivery of guarantees after being voted to power. For example, there was a promise of free power of 200 units per household. In reality, no household got 200 units free power!
• Finances of most state governments are already in precarious conditions. Delivery machinery is non-existent in many areas. 
• In order to raise resources, tariffs are increased on many commodities, additional taxes are levied and so on. In effect all the funds required for implementing the guarantees is coming from the voter, the one who was bought out!
• All other development work, more particularly in the infrastructure creation area, have come to a standstill. There are even complaints of inability to meet salary payments and minimum running expenditure of the departments.
• Promise of tree travel has encouraged purposeless travel by some. it is harming the section of students and workers very dearly.

One can go on analysing at length. This is what is happening now, election after election.

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Is this not the story of "Buying out a party with substantial stake with promise of deferred payments and raising that promised funds from the bought out party?" 

I Too Have Many Cards!

Change is eternal; things keep changing. When we were young, most people around us were illiterate. Almost all of them were poor. Many had not gone beyond a few miles from their place of birth, during their entire lifetime. There was a tendency to accept anything that comes their way as inevitable. Assertiveness and protesting were rarely seen. Submissiveness and falling in line as ordered were the more common qualities. 

Things changed, but changed very slowly in the 50s and 60s. As the number of school going children increased and more avenues for earning other than agriculture and human labour opened up, literacy levels as well as economic conditions improved. Small family norms reduced the number of persons in a household and this also contributed to the improvement of living conditions. Better transportation and communication made people move to newer pastures in search of employment and economic prosperity. 

The wheels of change moved faster in the 70s and 80s. Development in industrialisation, growth in trade and commerce opened more and more avenues for earning and striving for better economic conditions. But even then very few people had surplus money and think of savings. The general philosophy of life was not be a debtor and get into borrowings. Make both ends meet and that was it. Borrowing even for productive assets was not considered wise. Moreover, a common man did not have anyone to lend him. The friendly neighbourhood moneylender was never friendly, actually a loan shark and the exorbitant interest rates were always a threat. 

Governments tried to solve some of the issues, more particularly poverty, shortage of food, and give a helping hand to the needy. The generation of devoted patriots running the governments and serving institutions vanished in the two decades after independence. The ruling groups now believed in making hay while the sun shines. Government resources were meagre, allocations for welfarism was very little, and even this did not reach the real targeted people. There is an oft repeated saying that only 15 percent of all funds for such efforts reached the real beneficiaries. 

When there was no earning and saving, and no one to lend them, there was no need for a bank account for the common man. A ten rupee note was almost as big as a A4 size paper. If at all some little money was kept at home it used to be in the coat (or shirt) pocket of the head of the family. Housewives loved the sesame dabba (container) in the kitchen because it was the place they kept their small coins. Bank branches were there, but were only for the affluent. A savings bank account could be opened with five rupees, but very few had five rupee to spare.

Salaries were disbursed in cash and the lucky ones who had government jobs went to the treasury to get their salaries on the first or second of the months. Most of the households had a very important note book in their houses, the one given by the kirana shop owner to record goods given on credit. Most of the money from treasury went to the shop owner and the entries for the next month would start. Those without such jobs were even more troubled. Banks had no meaning for them.

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Government intervened with "Social Control" over banks. It did not work and in the year 1969, fourteen big banks were nationalised. Some more were done so in 1980. Attempts were made to lend small amounts known as "Small Loans" to those who could not give securities for the funds borrowed. More and more people opened bank accounts now and expansion of branch network to unprecedented levels made a bank branch and bank account available to each and every person. "Loan Melas" made their debut, followed by "Loan Waivers". Some indeed took real benefit from all of these but larger sections were left disillusioned.

Nationalisation of banks and the concept of lending to "Priority Sector" did wonders for the many needy sectors, despite mismanagement and complaints from various quarters. "Green Revolution" and "White Revolution" changed the face of rural economy. Small Scale Industries and private sector industries grew adding more dimentions to the growth story. 

Introduction of "Prudential Norms" in the 90s, brought in the concept of loss-making branches and many bank branches were shut down. Closing down of branches was given a wonderful name as "Branch Rationalisation". Innumerable scams hit the banking sector. From nationalisation of banks it moved to opening of new private sector banks. Bank mergers and consolidation became order of the day. The one good thing amidst all these turbulence was banks providing Housing and Education Loans. Tax incentives added to the benefits of common people availing these loans and improve their economic conditions. Penetration of credit cards added to more freedom in using money. Computerisation and advent of debit cards made everyone have their own "Cards".

Now one could say that bank accounts were easily accessible and having bank accounts was indeed wide spread.

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Now one could say that bank accounts were easily accessible and having bank accounts was indeed wide spread.

Was it really so?

When the Government of India introduced "Jan Dhan Account" 9 years ago, this was the question in the mind of most of the people. There was also a renewed emphasis on the issue and purposes for which AADHAR cards were used. Aadhar cards are more valuable than passports for a vast majority of the population today. Then there was a stress on use of digital payments and use of digital payment apps. BHIM was one of them. Then there were others as well. JAM (Jan-Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile) formed the core of activities to prevent corruption and seepage of funds. DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) became the tool for this.

A former Finance Minister of the country is on record while speaking in the parliament, ridiculing the stress on digital payments. Where does a vegetable vendor have a mobile, an internet connection and the knowledge of using these gadgets, he questioned. Today, we have videos of dignitaries of other countries buying vegetables on the street using the same methods! The vegetable vendor has a smart phone and very comfortable in receiving payment in Google Pay, PayTM or BHIM app. The system of digital payments is being used by some advanced countries as well. The problem of small change, carrying currencies and allied problems have all vanished. People are making payments using smart watches! 

The statistics that came out after 9 years of Jan Dhan Accounts is indeed astounding:

• More than 50 crore (500 million) Jan Dhan Accounts have been opened in banks. This means more than 35% of the population did not have bank accounts when the scheme was started.
• More than half of these accounts (56%) are of women beneficiaries.
• Two-thirds of the account holders (67%) are from rural and semi-urban areas.
• The critics of the scheme had a field day making fun of the scheme when introduced. All these will remain Zero Balance accounts for ever they said, Today these accounts have more than 2 lakh crore rupees in them (2,03,505 crore rupees. More than 24.5 billion USD)
• 33.98 crore (339.8 million) RuPay cards have been issued in these accounts. (It is more than one card for each USA citizen whose population is 334 million). This saves foreign exchange for the country. Established card managing companies like MasterCard and VISA complained to the USA government against promotion of RuPay cards.

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The achievements under digital payments using UPI is no less spectacular. Today India accounts for over 40% of all real-time digital payments in the world. Volume of transactions have crossed 114 billion per year amounting to over 2,000 trillion Rupees or over 24 trillion USD. IMF lauds this as a "Logistic marvel". G-20 report states that this achievement has come about in 6 years which would have normally taken over 40 years! 

The success of Small Bank Finance in Bangladesh motivated by Shri Mohammad Yunus is well known and even got a Nobel Prize to him. (There are many litigations about him presently which is a different matter). The success of Jan Dhan Accounts and digital payments story in India during the last decade is no less spectacular. 

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Today the street corner vegetable vendor near my house often smiles at me and shows her QR CODE for payment of vegetables dues to her. 

Every time I cross the street and see her, I feel she is telling me "I too have many cards!". Yes. She has an Aadhar Card. a  RuPay card, a PAN card, a Jeevan Jyoti Bima card and may be others as well!

To Be Or Not To Be (in ICU)

When we were in school and in college, some sixty years ago, we were required to read at least one "Classic English Literature Work" as a part of the detailed study portions. Of course, there used to be another well-known work for non-detail study as well. These were part of the study material for English paper taught as a language subject. The non-detailed study book used to be one of the more famous novels at that time. David Copperfield, The Pickwick Papers, Robinson Crusoe, Gullivers Travels, Tom Sawyer or some other similar book. But the prescribed text for detailed study used to be usually one of the plays by William Shakespeare. There used to be Julius Caesar or Romeo and Juliet sometimes, but the usual ones were one of the four more famous tragedies - King Lear, Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet. The professors would often say that they represented the tragedy of Arrogance, Ambition, Jealousy, and Indecision, respectively. 

Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark is caught in a situation where he is unable to decide one way or the other. His famous lines (known as soliloque) go like this:

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether "tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die - to sleep,
No more, and by a sleep to say we end......

His life ends in a tragedy before he can make a decision either way.

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We all have had, and continue to have, such moments of "To be or not to be...." many times in our lives. Some such moments are insignificant, especially when you look back at those issues years later. Some such moments were indeed very significant and we congratulate ourselves for having decided the way we actually did. There are also moments which called for decisions, but we made the wrong ones and rue them much later in life. Then of course, there were indeed moments when we could not decide one way or the other and ended up as our own prince of Denmark. 

All these were important moments in our own lives. What about our taking a decision that greatly influences someone else's life? Especially when it is a real matter of life and death? We are often called upon to decide admitting someone to a hospital for treatment. The issue may not be serious at that time and in our judgement only a matter of routine hospitalisation and being back home in a few days. Again, the decision to be made may be about a person to whom we are accountable or responsible for reason of being a blood relative or a close friend. It may also be a potentially serious and life threatening situation. 

There are times when such decisions are to made when the patient in question is conscious and capable of taking decisions. It may also be cases where the patient is incapable of or unable to decide or understand the implication of the decision. Then there can be instances where the patient does not want to be hospitalised but there are good chances of recovery if done so. Various permutations and combinations throw their own possibilities, problems and "to be or not to be..." situations. "Who will foot the bill for expenses?" is another very important consideration, especially in cases where ours is more of a helping hand.

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The problems become even more acute after patient is admitted to the hospital. Complications may develop and now the issue is whether the patient should be moved to a ICU or not? Like the many avatars of Lord Vishnu, ICU also has many avatars. Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care Unit (CCU), Intensive and Critical Care Unit (ICCU), Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) are some of the well known names, but there could be others as well. The ICU in a small hospital may not give the intensive care except for the fat bills, but in super speciality hospitals almost everything is available, except guarantee of retaining the life of the patient. 

The climax of the "to be or not to be...." moments is reached when decision about placing the patient on ventilator is to be taken. The average cost of keeping a patient in ICU and ventilator support is upwards of USD 10,000 or equivalent per day in many hospitals abroad. Costs are very high in India as well. The costs are arrived by the hospitals after taking into account the cost of land and building for the room,  capital cost of the equipments, clinical and non-clinical support costs, medicine and manpower costs etc. The fee for the team of experts is naturally expected to be high. The ICU professional team has many specialists like Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, Neurologist, Nephrologist and others depending on the type of care required. The last scene in this episode will be when a decision about taking the patient off from the ventilator is to be taken. Many families prefer Caesarean (C-section) deliveries so that they can fix an auspicious time for the birth of the child. in the case of taking off from the ventilator, it is often to decide when one should say goodbye to the patient. 

There are complaints galore about hospitals moving patients to ICU and putting on ventilator support more for their reasons rather than patient's requirements. There are also complaints about patients being put on ventilator for extended periods when chances of recovery are non-existent. Most of the health care institutions follow ethical standards, but there are black sheep here too. 

Overall, there are many serious issues about "To Be Or Not To Be in ICU".

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The wish of the patient is considered as paramount in some countries. There are legal provisions to appoint a person or persons to decide on such issues when the patient is unconscious or incapable of deciding for specific reasons. Many patients desire that they may be allowed to exit the world without the sufferings of the systems for higher health care. 

It is in this background that Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has now come out with "Guidelines for Intensive Care Unit Admission and Discharge Criteria" last week. It is a seven page document (actual content is only three pages) compiled in consultation with 24 experts in the field. 

It lays down guidelines on the following aspects:

• What is an ICU and who is an Intensivist.
• Expert consesus statement giving
• ICU admission criteria
• Who should not be admitted to an ICU
• ICU discharge criteria
• Minimum patient monitoring while awaiting a bed in an ICU
• Minimum stabilisation required before admitting to an ICU
• Minimum monitoring required for Inter-facility transfer

The document is available at the following link:

https://dghs.gov.in/Uploaddata/Final%20Guidelines%20for%20ICU%20Admission%20and%20Discharge%20Criteria%2023.12.2023.pdf

It is advisable for all concerned to spend a few minutes and read the document to understand the issues involved. This will come in handy while taking a decision in "To be or not to be..." situations.

ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ

ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಬಹಳ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಹಬ್ಬ. ಅಂದು ಇಡೀ ಸಮಾಜ ಸಂತೋಷದಿಂದ ಸಂಭ್ರಮಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಎಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಹರ್ಷದ ಮತ್ತು ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ. ಈ ಹಬ್ಬ ಕೆಲವು ಸಲ ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೆಲವು ಸಲ ನವೆಂಬರವರೆಗೆ ಜಾರುವುದೂ ಉಂಟು. 

ಆದರೆ ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ ಅಥವಾ ಪೊಂಗಲ್ ಹಾಗಲ್ಲ. ಅದು ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ ಜನವರಿ 14 ಹಾಜರಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಅಪರೂಪಕ್ಕೆ,  ಐದಾರು ವರುಷಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಮ್ಮೆ, ಜನವರಿ 15 ಬರುವುದೂ ಉಂಟು. ಆದರೆ ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ ಫೆಬ್ರುವರಿಗೆ ಹೋದ ಸಮಾಚಾರವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ ಅಂತೂ ಸಂಭವವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. 

ಹೀಗೇಕೆ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ? ಈ ಎರಡು ಹಬ್ಬಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸವೇನು?

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ಅಶ್ವಯುಜ ಬಹುಳ (ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಪಕ್ಷ) ಚತುರ್ದಶಿ ನರಕ ಚತುರ್ದಶಿ ಆಚರಣೆ. ಮಾರನೆಯ ದಿನ ಅಶ್ವಯುಜ ಬಹುಳ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯ ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆ. ಅದರ ಮುಂದಿನ ದಿನ ಕಾರ್ತೀಕ ಶುದ್ಧ ಪ್ರತಿಪದ ಬಲಿಪಾಡ್ಯಮಿ. ಮೂರು ದಿನಗಳ ಭರ್ಜರಿ ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ಆಚರಣೆ. ಈ ಎಲ್ಲ ಹಬ್ಬ ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ಲೆಕ್ಕದ ಮೇಲೆ ಆಚರಣೆ. ಒಂದು ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ತಿಂಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ೨೯.೫೩ ದಿನ. ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ವರುಷದಲ್ಲಿ ೩೫೪ ದಿನಗಳು. ಸೌರಮಾನ ವರ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿ ೩೬೫ ದಿನಗಳು. ಇವೆರಡನ್ನೂ ಸರಿ ತೂಗಿಸಿ ಕಾಲಕ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗಾಗ ಒಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಕೂಡಿಸಲು "ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ" ಅನ್ನುವ ಉಪಾಯ. 

ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ಚಂದ್ರಮಾನದಿಂದ ಅಳೆಯುವುದರಿಂದ ಕ್ಯಾಲಂಡರ್ ಲೆಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂದೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸದಿಂದ ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳಷ್ಟು ಮುಂದೆ ಹೋಗಬಹುದು. ಮತ್ತೆ ಹಿಂದೆ ಹಿಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುತ್ತಾ ಮೂರು ನಾಕು ವರುಷವಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಹೋಗಬಹುದು. 

ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಚೈತ್ರ, ವೈಶಾಖ ಮುಂತಾದ ೧೨ ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳು. ಸೌರಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೇಷ ಮಾಸ, ವೃಷಭ ಮಾಸ ಮುಂತಾಗಿ ಹನ್ನೆರಡು ತಿಂಗಳು. ಚಿತ್ತಿರೈ, ವೈಕಾಶಿ, ಆಣಿ ಮುಂತಾಗಿ ತಮಿಳಿನಲ್ಲಿ. ಚಂದ್ರನಿಲ್ಲದ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯ. ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆಯ ಮುಂದಿನ ದಿನದಿಂದ ಒಂದು ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ಮಾಸ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭ. ಸೌರಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೂರ್ಯ ರಾಶಿ ಚಕ್ರದ ಹನ್ನೆರಡು ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದಾನೋ ಆ ತಿಂಗಳಿಗೆ ಆ ಹೆಸರು. ಸೂರ್ಯ ಒಂದು ಮನೆಯಿಂದ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೊರಟ ದಿನ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ ಅನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ ಅಂದರೆ ಸಂಧಿ ಕಾಲ. ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಟ್ರಾನ್ಸಿಷನ್ ಎನ್ನಬಹುದು. 

ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ ಹಬ್ಬ ಎಂದು? ಸೂರ್ಯನು ಧನುರಾಶಿಯಿಂದ ಮಕರ ರಾಶಿಗೆ ಬರುವ ದಿನ. ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಧನುರ್ಮಾಸ ಮುಗಿದು ಮಕರ ಮಾಸ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾಗುವ ದಿನವೂ ಹೌದು. ಭೂಮಿಯಿಂದ ನೋಡಿದಾಗ ಸೂರ್ಯನು ದಕ್ಷಿಣದಿಂದ ಉತ್ತರಕ್ಕೆ ಚಲಿಸುವ ಕಾಲ. ಅದಕ್ಕೇ ಈ ದಿನವನ್ನು "ಉತ್ತರಾಯಣ ಪುಣ್ಯಕಾಲ" ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಚಳಿಗಾಲ ಮುಗಿದು ತಾಪಮಾನ ಏರುವ ಸೂಚನೆ. ಇದು ಸೂರ್ಯನ ಚಲನೆಯ ಲೆಕ್ಕದಿಂದ ಬರುವ ಹಬ್ಬವಾದುದರಿಂದ ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ ಜನವರಿ ೧೪ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಹಿಂದೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಆಗಬಹುದು. ಅಷ್ಟೇ.   

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ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನದ ಮತ್ತು ಸೌರಮಾನದ ಲೆಕ್ಕಗಳ ಸರಿಮಾಡುವಿಕೆಗೆ ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನದ ಲೆಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ಮೇಲೆ ನೋಡಿದೆವು. ಈ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸದ ಲೆಕ್ಕ ಹೇಗೆ? ಯಾವುದೋ ಒಂದು ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಬಂದ ತಿಂಗಳನ್ನು ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಬಹುದೇ? ಅಥವಾ ಈ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ಗುರುತಿಸುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಏನಾದರೂ ಖಚಿತವಾದ ಆಧಾರ ಅಥವಾ ಸೂತ್ರ ಇದೆಯೇ? ಇದು ಸಹಜವಾದ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ. 

ಚಂದ್ರನ ಒಂದು ಸುತ್ತು ಬರುವಿಕೆಗೆ (ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆಯಿಂದ ಮುಂದಿನ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆವರೆಗೆ) ಚಂದ್ರಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳು. ಚೈತ್ರ, ವೈಶಾಖ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ. ಸೌರಮಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ರವಿಯು ಒಂದು ರಾಶಿಯಿಂದ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ರಾಶಿಗೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳು. ರವಿಯ ಈ ರಾಶಿ ಪ್ರವೇಶವನ್ನು "ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ" ಎನ್ನುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ, ತುಲಾ ರಾಶಿ ಪ್ರವೇಶ ಮಾಡುವ ದಿನ "ತುಲಾ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ". (ಈ ದಿನ ತಲಕಾವೇರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾವೇರಿ ತೀರ್ಥೋದ್ಭವ ಉತ್ಸವ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ). ಅಂದರೆ, ಯಾವುದೇ ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಅದು ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ಲೆಕ್ಕವೇ ಆಗಲಿ ಅಥವಾ ಸೂರ್ಯಮಾನ ಲೆಕ್ಕವೇ ಆಗಲಿ,  ಒಂದು ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆ ಮತ್ತು ಒಂದು ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ ಬರುವುದು ಸಹಜ. ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನದ ಸುಮಾರು ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಪ್ರತಿ ತಿಂಗಳೂ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಆಗುತ್ತಾ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ 33 ತಿಂಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಒಂದು ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣವೇ ಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ! ಇಂತಹ ತಿಂಗಳನ್ನೇ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಯಲಾಗುವುದು. ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಬೇಕಾದರೆ, ಎರಡು ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಬರುವ ಒಂದು ಪೂರ್ತಿ ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ತಿಂಗಳೀ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ.  

ಇದನ್ನು ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಯಲು ಒಂದು ಉದಾಹರಣೆಯನ್ನು ನೋಡೋಣ. ಇದೇ ಶೋಭನ ಸಂವತ್ಸರ 17.07.2023 ಸೋಮವಾರ ಆಷಾಡದ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯ ಬಂದಿತು. ಅಂದೇ ಕರ್ಕಾಟಕ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣವೂ ಬಂತು. ಅಂದು ದಕ್ಷಿಣಾಯಣ ಪುಣ್ಯ ಕಾಲ ಸಹ. ಮುಂದಿನ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ, ಸಿಂಹ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ, 18.08.2023 ಗುರುವಾರ. ಆದರೆ ಮುಂದಿನ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯ 16.08.2023 ಬುಧವಾರವೇ ಬಂದಿತು. ಇದರಿಂದ 18.07.2023 ರಿಂದ 16.08.2023 ವರೆಗಿನ ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಆದ ಕಾರಣ ಇದು ಆಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ಆಯಿತು! ಈ ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸೂರ್ಯ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಕಾಲ ಕರ್ಕಾಟಕ ರಾಶಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಇದ್ದನು. 

ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ಹೇಗೆ ಪತ್ತೆ ಹಚ್ಚುವುದು ಎನ್ನುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಈಗ ಒಂದು ಸೂತ್ರ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿತು. ಈ ತಿಂಗಳಿಗೆ ಏನು ಹೆಸರು ಇಡುವುದು ಎನ್ನುವ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಬಂತು. ಅದಕ್ಕೊ ಒಂದು ಸೂತ್ರ ಕೊಟ್ಟರು. 17.07.2023 ರಂದು ಸೋಮವಾರ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆ ಬಂದು ಆಷಾಡ ಮಾಸ ಮುಗಿಯಿತು. ಮುಂದಿನ ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ತಿಂಗಳು ಶ್ರಾವಣ ಆಗಬೇಕು. ಆದರೆ ಮುಂದಿನ ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಶ್ರಾವಣ ಮಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಮುಂಚೆ ಬಂದ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ಆದರಿಂದ ಇದು "ಅಧಿಕ ಶ್ರಾವಣ ಮಾಸ" ಆಯಿತು. ನಮ್ಮ ಮಾಮೂಲಿನ ಶ್ರಾವಣ ಮಾಸ ಅದರ ಮುಂದೆ, ಅಂದರೆ 17.08.2023 ರಿಂದ ಪ್ರಾಂಭವಾಯಿತು. ಅದು "ನಿಜ ಶ್ರಾವಣ ಮಾಸ" ಎಂದು ಕರೆಸಿಕೊಂಡಿತು. 

ಈಗ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ಗುರುತಿಸುವ ಮತ್ತು ಅದರ ಹೆಸರಿಡುವ ಎರಡೂ ಸೂತ್ರಗಳೂ ಸಿಕ್ಕವು! 

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"ದುರ್ಭಿಕ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ" ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಒಂದು ಪ್ರಚಲಿತ ಗಾದೆ. "ಏಕಾದಶಿಯ ಮನೆಗೆ ಶಿವರಾತ್ರಿ ಬಂದಂತೆ", "ಕುರುವಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ಬೊಕ್ಕೆ ಎದ್ದಂತೆ", "ಅಳುವವನ ಮೇಲೆ ಗಳು ಬಿದ್ದಂತೆ", "ನ್ಯುಮೋನಿಯಾ ಇರುವವನಿಗೆ ಕರೋನಾ ಬಂದಂತೆ" ಎನ್ನುವ ಗಾದೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಸುಮಾರಾಗಿ ಸಮನಾದುದು. "ಕುಡಿದವನಿಗೆ ಚೇಳು ಕಚ್ಚಿದಂತೆ" ಅನ್ನುವುದನ್ನೂ ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಸೇರಿಸಬಹುದು. ಮೊದಲೇ ತಿಕ್ಕಲಾಗಿ ಆಡುವವನಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಕಾರಣ ಸಿಕ್ಕಂತೆ ಎಂದು ಸರಿಯಾದ ಅರ್ಥ ಆದರೂ, ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಇವುಗಳ ಸಾಲಿಗೆ ಸೇರುವುದು ಅದು.  ಕಷ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವಾಗ ಅದರ ಮೇಲೆ ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಕಷ್ಟ ಬಂತು ಅನ್ನುವುದು ಅದರ ತಾತ್ಪರ್ಯ. ಈ ರೀತಿಯ ಗಾದೆ ಏಕೆ ಬಂತು?

"ಆಹಾ! ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟರು" ಎಂದು ಅನೇಕ ವೇಳೆ ಸಂತೋಷ ಪಡುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಅದೇ ರೀತಿ "ಒಹೋ! ಸರಿಯಾದ ಸಮಯಕ್ಕೇ ಕೈ ಕೊಟ್ಟರು" ಎಂದೂ ಪರಿತಾಪ ಪಡುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಕೊಟ್ಟದ್ದು ಅಷ್ಟೇ. ಆದರೆ ನಮಗೆ ಬೇಕಿದ್ದಾಗ, ಬೇಕಾದ ಪದಾರ್ಥ  ಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಅದರ ಬೆಲೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. ಯಾವಾಗಲೋ ಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಬೆಲೆ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಅಥವಾ ಬೆಲೆ ಕಮ್ಮಿ. ಬೇಸಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉಣ್ಣೆಯ ಕೋಟು ಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಏನು ಮಾಡಬೇಕು? ಕೋಟೇನೋ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದೇ. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ಉಪಯೋಗವಿಲ್ಲ. ಚಳಿಗಾಲದವರೆಗೂ ಎತ್ತಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು ರಕ್ಷಣೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಆಮೇಲೆ ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸಬೇಕು. ವೈಶಾಖ ಮಾಸದ ಸುಡು ಬಿಸಿಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆವರಿಳಿಯುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗ ಸೊಗಸಾದ ಬಿಸಿ ಬಿಸಿ ಕಾಫಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟಂತೆ. ಕಾಫಿಯೇನೋ ಬಹಳ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ಬೇಕಾದುದು ತಣ್ಣನೆಯ ಪಾನಕ. ಮಾಘ ಮಾಸದ ಚಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅದೇ ಕಾಫಿ ಬಹಳ ಹಿತ. ಏನು ಕೊಟ್ಟರೂ ಸರಿಯಾದ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡವನಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಯೋಜನ ಆಗುವಂತೆ ಕೊಡಬೇಕು. ದಾನದ ವಿಷಯದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಇದು ಸೂಕ್ತವೇ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಯಾವ ಯಾವ ಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಯಾವ ಯಾವ ದಾನ ಸೂಕ್ತ ಎಂದು ನಮ್ಮ ಹಿರಿಯರು ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ. "ದೇಶೇ ಕಾಲೇಚ ಪಾತ್ರೇಚ ತದ್ದಾನಂ ಸಾತ್ವಿಕಮ್ ಸ್ಮೃತಂ" ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಅದಕ್ಕೇ. 

ಇಂದು ಹಬ್ಬ ಎನ್ನುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಏಕೆ? ಅದೂ ಎಲ್ಲ ದಿನದಂತೆ ಅಲ್ಲವೇ? ಎಲ್ಲ ದಿನದಂತೆ ಆದರೂ, ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ದಿನ ವಿಶೇಷ ಇದೆ. ವಿಶಾಲ ವಿಶ್ವದ ನಿಯಮನದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂದು ಏನೋ ವಿಶೇಷ. ಗ್ರಹಗಳು, ಉಪಗ್ರಹಗಳು ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಇದ್ದೆ ಇವೆ. ಚಲಿಸುತ್ತಲೂ ಇವೆ. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಸೂಚಿತ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೋ ಒಂದು ವಿಶೇಷ ಇದೆ! ಗ್ರಹಗಳ ಪರಸ್ಪರ ಸಂಬಂಧದಲ್ಲಿ, ಅವುಗಳ ಸ್ಥಾನಗಳ ಕ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ದಿನ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಒಂದು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ. ಇಂತಹ ಕಾಲಗಳನ್ನು "ಪರ್ವ ಕಾಲ" ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆ. ಹುಣ್ಣಿಮೆ, ಸಂಕ್ರಮಣ, ಗ್ರಹಣ, ಮುಂತಾದವುವು ಈ ರೀತಿ ಪರ್ವ ಕಾಲಗಳು. "365 ದಿನ ಕಚ್ಚಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು ಜೊತೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಇದ್ದರೂ ದಂಪತಿಗಳು "ವಿವಾಹದ ವಾರ್ಷಿಕೋತ್ಸವ" ಆಚರಿಸಿದಂತೆ" ಎಂದು ತಮಾಷೆಯಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಬಹುದು. 

ಇಂತಹ ಪರ್ವ ಕಾಲಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೊ ವಿಶೇಷವಾದ ಫಲ ಉಂಟು ಎಂದು ಧರ್ಮಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕಾರರು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಾದ ದಾನ, ಉಪವಾಸಾದಿ ವ್ರತಗಳು, ಸತ್ಕಥಾ ಶ್ರವಣ, ಜಪ, ತಪಾದಿಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರತಿದಿನವೂ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ಪರ್ವ ಕಾಲಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ಅದೂ ಮಹಾನದಿಗಳ ದಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಥವಾ ತೀರ್ಥ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ಹೀಗೆ ನಿಯಮಗಳು. ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸವಾದರೋ ಇಂತಹ ಪರ್ವ ಕಾಲಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ವಿಶೇಷವಾದದು. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಡುವ ದಾನಾದಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಅತಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಮಹತ್ವ. "ಮೊದಲೇ ನಮಗೇ ಇಲ್ಲ; ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ದಾನ ಬೇರೆ" ಎಂದು ಗೊಣಗಾಡದೆ ಇರುವದರಲ್ಲೇ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ದಾನ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಎಂದು ಕಿವಿಮಾತು. ಎಷ್ಟು ಕೊಡುತ್ತೀರಿ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಲ್ಲ. ಹೇಗೆ (ಯಾವ ಮನಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ) ಕೊಡುತ್ತೀರಿ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ ದಾನಾದಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಬಹಳ ಪ್ರಾಶಸ್ತ್ಯ. "ವರ್ಷಾವಧಿ ಹಬ್ಬ. ಬಿಟ್ಟರುಂಟೇ ?" ಎಂದು ಆಚರಿಸುವಾಗ, "ಇದು ಮೂರು ವರುಷಕ್ಕೊಮ್ಮೆ ಬರುವ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸ" ಎನ್ನುವುದನ್ನು ನೆನಪಿಡಬೇಕು. 

"ಅಧಿಕಸ್ಯ ಅಧಿಕಂ ಫಲಂ" ಅನ್ನುವುದು ಅಪರೂಪಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಶುಭ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಬೇರೆ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಅದೇ ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಫಲ ಎನ್ನುವುದನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸುವುದಕ್ಕಾಗಿಯೇ. ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸಕ್ಕೆ "ಮಲ ಮಾಸ" ಎಂದೂ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಮಲ ಎಂದರೆ "ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ" ಎಂದು ಅರ್ಥ. (ಮಲತಾಯಿ ಅಂದರೆ ವಾಸ್ತವಾಗಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ತಾಯಿ ಎಂದೇ ಅರ್ಥ. ಲೋಕಾರೂಢಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವಳೋ ಕೆಟ್ಟ ಮಲತಾಯಿಯ ದೆಸೆಯಿಂದ ಮಲ ಎನ್ನುವ ಪದಕ್ಕೆ ಕೆಟ್ಟ ಅರ್ಥ ಬಂದು ಕೂತಿದೆ. ಅದು ತಪ್ಪು ಭಾವನೆ.) ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಫಲ ಉಂಟಾದರೂ ಚೌಲ, ಉಪನಯನ, ವಿವಾಹ ಮುಂತಾದ ಶುಭ ಕರ್ಮಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. 

ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲ ದಾನಗಳಿಗಿಂತ "ಅಪೂಪ ದಾನ" ಬಹಳ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಏನೀ ಅಪೂಪ? ಅಚ್ಚ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ "ಕಜ್ಜಾಯ" ಅನ್ನಬಹುದು. ಉತ್ತರ ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ "ಅನರಸ" ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಕ್ಕಿ, ಬೆಲ್ಲ, ಗಸಗಸೆ, ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನು ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಮಿತ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ತಿಂದರೆ ಆರೋಗ್ಯಕ್ಕೂ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು. ಈ ಅಪೂಪ ದಾನವನ್ನು 33 ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. 33 ತಿಂಗಳಿಗೊಮ್ಮೆ ಬರುವ ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯ ಅಪೂಪ ದಾನ ಮಾಡಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ. 

ಹಿಂದಿನ ಕಾಲದಂತೆ ಈಗಿನ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಜನಗಳಿಗೆ ಅಂತಹ ದಾರಿದ್ರ್ಯವೇನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಒಟ್ಟಾರೆ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಪ್ರತಿ ಕುಟುಂಬದ್ದೂ ಐವತ್ತು, ಅರವತ್ತು , ಅಥವಾ ಮೂವತ್ತು ವರುಷಗಳ ಹಿಂದಿಗಿಂತ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿದೆ. ನಂಬಿಕೆಯಿದ್ದವರು, ಇಷ್ಟವಿದ್ದವರು, ಶಕ್ತಿ ಇರುವಷ್ಟು ದಾನಾದಿ ಕರ್ಮಗಳನ್ನು ಅಧಿಕ ಮಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವಶ್ಯ ಮಾಡಬಹುದು; ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. 

ತಿಥಿದ್ವಯ ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ರಾದ್ದಾಭಾವ

ಗೌರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಗಣೇಶ ತಾಯಿ-ಮಗ. ಭಾದ್ರಪದ ಶುಕ್ಲಪಕ್ಷ ತದಿಗೆ ತಾಯಿ ಗೌರಿ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಮನೆಗೆ ಬರುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ನಾವು ವೈಭವದಿಂದ ಅವಳನ್ನು ಸ್ವಾಗತಿಸಿ ಪೂಜಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಬರುವಾಗ ಒಬ್ಬಳೇ ಬಂದಳು. ಮಗನನ್ನು ಹಿಂದೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟಳು. ಮುದ್ದಿನ ಮಗ ತಾಯಿಯನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಉಳಿಯಲಾರ. ಮಾರನೆಯ ದಿನವೇ, ಅಂದರೆ ಭಾದ್ರಪದ ಶುದ್ಧ ಚೌತಿ ತಾಯಿಯನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದೇಬಿಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ನಾವೂ ಸಂಭ್ರಮದಿಂದ ಗಣಪನನ್ನು ಬರಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು ಭಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಪೂಜಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಕೆಲವುದಿನ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದು ಆಥಿತ್ಯ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸಿ ತಾಯಿ-ಮಗ ಒಂದೇ ದಿನ ಹೊರಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ಪದ್ದತಿಯಂತೆ ಮನೆಗೆ ಬಂದ ಮಗಳು ಗೌರಿಯನ್ನು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ದಿನ ನೋಡಿ ಕಳಿಸಿಕೊಡುತ್ತೇವೆ. ತಾಯಿಯ ಜೊತೆ ಮಗನೂ ಹೊರಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಇದು ಪ್ರತಿ ವರುಷ ನಡೆದು ಬರುವ ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯ. 

ಆದರೆ ಕೆಲವು ವರುಷ ಮಾತ್ರ ಗೌರಿ ಬರುವಾಗ ಮಗ ಗಣಪನನ್ನೂ ಜೊತೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಕರೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಬರುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಆಗ ಮಾತ್ರ ಇಬ್ಬರಿಗೂ ಒಂದೇ ದಿನ ಪೂಜೆ. ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಹೋಳಿಗೆ, ಮಾರನೆಯ ದಿನ ಕಡುಬು ತಿನ್ನುವ ಅವಕಾಶ ನಮಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಎರಡು ವ್ರತಗಳು ಒಂದೇ ದಿನ ನಡೆಸುವ ಗಡಿಬಿಡಿ. ಗೃಹಿಣಿಯರಿಗಂತೂ ಅಂದು ಇಮ್ಮಡಿ ಕೆಲಸ. ಪೂಜೆ ಮಾಡಿಸುವುದೇ ವೃತ್ತಿಯಾಗಿರುವ ಪುರೋಹಿತರಿಗೆ ಎರಡು ಪಾಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಬೇಕಾದ ಅವಾಂತರ. 

ಏಕೆ ಹೀಗೆ? 

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ಜೀವನದ ಕ್ರಮ ಬದಲಾವಣೆ ಆಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಕರ್ಮಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವ ರೀತಿಯೂ ಬದಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಅಲ್ಲೊಬ್ಬರು ಇಲ್ಲೊಬ್ಬರು ಮಾತ್ರ ಈಗಲೂ ತಮ್ಮ ತಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ವಾರ್ಷಿಕ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅನೇಕರು ಮಾಡುವುದನ್ನೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಈ ಎರಡೂ ಪಂಗಡಗಳಿಗೆ ಸೇರದ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗುಂಪಿನ ಜನ ಮಠಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೋ ಅಥವಾ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಭವನಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೋ ಆಚರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಪಿಂಡಪ್ರದಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ನಂಬಿಕೆ ಇರುವ ಶ್ರದ್ಧಾಳುಗಳು ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ಹಾಕಿ ಊಟಮಾಡಿ ಬರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಮಾಡುವವರಿಗೂ ಸುಲಭ. ಹೆಸರು ಬರೆಸಿ ದುಡ್ಡು ಕಟ್ಟಿದರೆ ಆಯಿತು. ಕೈ ಬೀಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗಿ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಬರಬಹುದು. ಬಂಧುಗಳಿಗೂ ಸರಳ. ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಹೋದರೆ ಆಯಿತು. ಕೈ ಜೋಡಿಸಿ, ಕೈ-ಬಾಯಿ ಸೇರಿಸಿ, ಕೈ ಬೀಸಿ ಬಂದುಬಿಡಬಹುದು. 

ಈ ಕಾರಣಗಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಮಠಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಭವನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗುಂಪು ಗುಂಪು. ಕೆಲವು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕಡೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕ ಕೊಠಡಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕಾನೇಕ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಗಳು ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತವೆ. ಒಂದೇ ಕೊಠಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸರದಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಎರಡು ಅಥವಾ ಮೂರು ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಒಂದೇ ದಿನ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲದೇ, ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿದೇ ಹೋದವರು ಯಾರ ಪಿಂಡಕ್ಕೋ ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸಿ ಊಟ ಮಾಡಿ ಬರಬಹುದು. ಊಟ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಒಂದೇ! ಒಂದೇ ಅಡುಗೆ ಮನೆ. ಒಂದೇ ಅಡಿಗೆಯವರ ತಂಡ. ಒಂದೇ ಅಡಿಗೆ. ಒಂದು ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ ಬರಬಹುದು. ಕೆಲವು ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ (ವೈಕುಂಠ ಸಮಾರಾಧನೆ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ) ಲಾಡು ಅಥವಾ ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು ಸಿಗಬಹುದು. ಕೆಲವದರಲ್ಲಿ ವಡೆ, ರವೇ ಉಂಡೆ ಇರಬಹುದು. ಇದು ಮಾತ್ರ ಅದಲುಬದಲಾಗಬಹುದು. ಅದೇನೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಚಿಂತಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ವಿಷಯವಲ್ಲವಲ್ಲ! 

ಈ ದಿನ ಮಠದಲ್ಲಿ ಜನ ಕಡಿಮೆ. ಶ್ರಾದ್ದ ಭವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಕೋ ಎನ್ನುವ ವಾತಾವರಣ. ಪಿಂಡಪ್ರದಾನವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಭವನದ ಅಕ್ಕ ಪಕ್ಕದ ಮನೆಯವರಿಗೆ ಬಹಳ ಖುಷಿ. ಯಾರೋ ಬಂದು ನಮ್ಮ ಬಾಗಿಲ ಮುಂದೆ ವಾಹನ ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಿ ಹೋಗಿ ಕಿರಿಕಿರಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಯಿಲ್ಲ. 

ಹುಟ್ಟು ಮತ್ತು ಸಾವುಗಳಿಗೆ ಬಿಡುವಿಲ್ಲ. ರಜೆಯೇ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳು ಅವು. ಆದರೆ ಇಂದೇಕೆ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಗಳಿಲ್ಲ?

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ಕಾಲದ ಗಣನೆ ಮತ್ತು ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಸಂಚಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ವಿಚಾರ ಮಾಡಿದೆವು. ಉಪರಿ ಎನ್ನುವ ದಿನಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನೋಡಿದೆವು. ಸೂರ್ಯ, ಚಂದ್ರ, ಮತ್ತು ಭೂಮಿ, ಇವುಗಳ ಪರಸ್ಪರ ಸ್ಥಾನಗಳ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಕಾಲವಿಲ್ಲದ ಕಾಲವನ್ನೂ ಅಳೆಯುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಭೂಮಿ ತನ್ನ ಅಕ್ಷದ ಮೇಲೇ ತಿರುಗುತ್ತಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ಹಗಲು-ರಾತ್ರಿಗಳು ಆಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಇದರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಸೂರ್ಯನ ಸುತ್ತ ಸುತ್ತುವುದರಿಂದ ಋತುಗಳು, ಸಂವತ್ಸರ ಬರುತ್ತವೆ. ಚಂದ್ರನೂ ಭೂಮಿಯ ಸುತ್ತ ಸುತ್ತುತ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ. ಈ ಚಲನೆಗಳೆಲ್ಲಾ ನಿಲ್ಲದೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಲೇ ಇರುತ್ತವೆ. ಇವೆಲ್ಲದರ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಕೆಲವು ವಿಶೇಷ ಘಟನೆಗಳು ಸಂಭವಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. 

360 ಡಿಗ್ರಿ ಚಂದ್ರನ ಸುತ್ತಿಗೆ 30 ದಿನ. ಅಂದರೆ 12 ಡಿಗ್ರಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ದಿನ. 360 ಡಿಗ್ರಿ ಬಂದರೆ ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳು. ಆದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಎಲ್ಲ ಗೂಟಗಳೂ ಚಲಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇವೆ! ಚಲಿಸುತ್ತಿವೆ ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಚಲನೆಯ ಗತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ ಆಗುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಚಂದ್ರನ 12 ಡಿಗ್ರಿ ಚಾಲನೆ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ ಉಂಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ 24 ಘಂಟೆಗಳಿಗೆ 12 ಡಿಗ್ರಿ ಆಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. 24 ಘಂಟೆಗಳು ಒಂದು ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ ಎಂದು ನಾವು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಸೂರ್ಯ, ಚಂದ್ರ, ಭೂಮಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಈ ಕಟ್ಟುಪಾಡಿಲ್ಲ. 12 ಡಿಗ್ರಿ ಚಂದ್ರನ ಚಲನೆಗೆ 18 ರಿಂದ 26 ತಾಸು ಹಿಡಿಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಸುಮಾರು 28 ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು ಚಾಂದ್ರಮಾನ ತಿಂಗಳು. ನಾವು ಸೌರಮಾನವನ್ನೂ ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರು 30 ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳು. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಆಗೊಮ್ಮೆ ಈಗೊಮ್ಮೆ ಇವೆರಡರ ನಡುವೆ ಬರುವ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸವನ್ನು ಸರಿಪಡಿಸಲು ವಿಶೇಷ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ಅಥವಾ ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರ ಇದೆ. 

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ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯದ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ತಿಥಿಯನ್ನು ಶುಭ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ, ಹಬ್ಬ-ಹರಿದಿನಗಳಿಗೆ ಎಂದು ಗೊತ್ತುಮಾಡುವುದು ಪದ್ದತಿ. ಮಧ್ಯಾನ್ಹ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ತಿಥಿಯನ್ನು ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಾದಿ ಕರ್ಮಗಳಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತು ಮಾಡುವುದು ಹೀಗೆಯೇ. ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಅಪರಾನ್ಹದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ. (ಮಠ, ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಭವನಗಲ್ಲಿ ಅನುಕೂಲಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇಗ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ) ಚಂದ್ರನ ಗತಿಯ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ದಿನ (12 ಡಿಗ್ರಿ ಚಲನೆ) 24 ಗಂಟೆಗಳಿಗೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾದಾಗ ಅಥವಾ ಹದಿನೆಂಟು ಗಂಟೆಗಳಂತೆ ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾದಾಗ ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯದ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಥವಾ ಮಧ್ಯಾನ್ಹದ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ತಿಥಿಗಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ. 

ಭಾದ್ರಪದ ತಿಂಗಳ ಎರಡನೆಯ ದಿನ ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿದಿಗೆ. ಮೂರನೆಯ ದಿನ ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯದಲ್ಲಿ ತದಿಗೆ. ನಾಲ್ಕನೆಯ ದಿನ ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಚತುರ್ಥಿ ಅಥವಾ ಚೌತಿ. ಇಂತಹ ವರ್ಷಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದೇ ತಕರಾರಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಗೌರಿ ತದಿಗೆ ಬಂದು ಗಣೇಶ ಮಾರನೆಯ ದಿನ ಚೌತಿ ಬರುವುದು. ಎರಡು ದಿನ ಹಬ್ಬಗಳು. 

ಭಾದ್ರಪದ ತಿಂಗಳ ಎರಡನೆಯ ದಿನ (ಸೋಮವಾರ ಎನ್ನೋಣ) ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿದಿಗೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಸೋಮವಾರ ಬಿದಿಗೆ ಆಚರಣೆ. ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸಮಯದ ನಂತರ ತದಿಗೆ ಬಂತು. ಆದರೆ ಮಾರನೆಯ ದಿನ ಮಂಗಳವಾರ ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ತದಿಗೆ ಇದೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅಂದು ಮಂಗಳವಾರ ಗೌರಿ ಹಬ್ಬ. ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಚೌತಿಯೂ ಬಂತು. ಆದರೆ ಅದರ ಮಾರನೆಯ ದಿನ ಬುಧವಾರ ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯದವರೆಗೆ ಚೌತಿ ಕಳೆದುಹೋಯಿತು. ಪಂಚಮಿ ಬಂತು. ಈ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿಯೇ ಚೌತಿಯ ಆಚರಣೆಯೂ ಮಂಗಳವಾರವೇ ಆಗಬೇಕಾಯಿತು.  ಎರಡು ತಿಥಿಗಳ ಆಚರಣೆಯೂ ಒಂದೇ ದಿನ ನಡೆಯಿತು. ತಾಯಿ-ಮಗ ಒಂದೇ ದಿನ ಬಂದರು! 

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ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧದ ವಿಷಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬರೋಣ. ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಖಚಿತ ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡರೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದು. ಇದೇ ವರ್ಷ, ಶೋಭನಾ ನಾಮ ಸಂವತ್ಸರ, ವೈಶಾಖ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಪಕ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡೋಣ:

ತಿಥಿದ್ವಯ: 

09.05.2023  ಮಂಗಳವಾರ  ವೈಶಾಖ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಚತುರ್ಥಿ (ಚೌತಿ) - ಸಂಜೆ 5.25 (17.25) ವರೆಗೆ. 

ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಶುಭಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ  ಚತುರ್ಥಿ ಆಚರಣೆ. ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ತಿಥಿಯೂ ಚತುರ್ಥಿ. 

10.05.2023 ಬುಧವಾರ - ವೈಶಾಖ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಪಂಚಮಿ - ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ 3-16 (15.16) ವರೆಗೆ 

ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಶುಭಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಪಂಚಮಿ ಆಚರಣೆ. ಪಂಚಮಿ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧವೂ ಇಂದೇ. 

ಮಾರನೆಯದಿನ ಗುರುವಾರ ಷಷ್ಠಿ ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ 12.58 ವರೆಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಷಷ್ಠಿ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧವೂ ಇಂದೇ. 

ಪಂಚಮಿ ಮತ್ತು ಷಷ್ಠಿ ಎರಡೂ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಗಳು ಒಂದೇ ದಿನ ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಇದು "ತಿಥಿದ್ವಯ"

11.05. 2023 ಗುರುವಾರ - ವೈಶಾಖ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಷಷ್ಠಿ  - ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ 12.58 ವರೆಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ. 

ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಶುಭಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಷಷ್ಠಿ ಆಚರಣೆ. 12.58 ನಂತರ ಸಪ್ತಮಿ ಇರುವುದರಿಂದ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಕ್ಕೆ ಸಪ್ತಮಿ ಆಚರಣೆ. 

ತಿಥಿದ್ವಯದ ಒಂದು ಉದಾಹರಣೆ ನೋಡಿದೆವು. 

ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಾಭಾವ:

ಇದೇ ವರ್ಷ, ಶೋಭನಾ ನಾಮ ಸಂವತ್ಸರ ವೈಶಾಖ ಶುಕ್ಲಪಕ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡೋಣ:

27.04. 2023 ಗುರುವಾರ - ಸಪ್ತಮಿ 12.44 ವರೆಗೆ. 

ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ತಿಥಿ ಅಷ್ಟಮಿ ಆಚರಣೆ. (ಸಪ್ತಮಿ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ 26.04.2023 ಆಗಿ ಹೋಗಿದೆ)

28.04.2023 ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ - ಅಷ್ಟಮಿ 14.44 ವರೆಗೆ. 

ಅಷ್ಟಮಿ ತಿಥಿ ಆಚರಣೆ ಹಿಂದಿನ ದಿನವೇ ಆಗಿ ಹೋಗಿದೆ. 

ಮಾರನೆಯ ದಿನ 29.04.2023 ನವಮಿ 16.48 ವರೆಗೂ ಇದೆ. ನವಮಿ ತಿಥಿ ಆಚರಣೆ ಮುಂದಿನ ದಿನ.

ಒಂದು ನಿನ್ನೆ ಆಗಿಹೋಯಿತು. ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ನಾಳೆ! ಇಂದು (28.04.2023) ಏನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಇದೇ  "ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಾಭಾವ"  

29. 04. 2023 ಶನಿವಾರ - ನವಮಿ 16-48 ವರೆಗೆ 

ನವಮಿ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಆಚರಣೆ ಇಂದು. 

28.04.2023 ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಹಾಭಾವದ ಕಾರಣ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧ ಭವನ ಬಿಕೋ ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಿದೆ. 

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ಮೇಲೆ ಹೇಳಿದ ರೀತಿ ನಿರ್ಣಯ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ನಿಯಮ. ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷಿನಲ್ಲಿ "Thumb Rule" ಎಂದಂತೆ. ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಇದಕ್ಕೂ ಮೀರಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ವ್ಯತ್ಯಾಸ ಆಗಬಹುದು. "ಧರ್ಮ ಸಿಂಧು" ಮತ್ತು "ನಿರ್ಣಯ ಸಿಂಧು" ಎನ್ನುವ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳಲ್ಲಿನ  ವಿಸ್ತಾರವಾದ ವಿವರಣೆಯನ್ನು ಆಧರಿಸಿ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿ ಪಂಚಾಂಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಕುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಕೆಲವು ವೇಳೆ ಒಮ್ಮತ ಬರದೇ ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಪಂಗಡಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಆಚರಣೆಗಳೂ ಇರುವ ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗಳೂ ಉಂಟು. 

ಈಚಿನ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂತಹ ವಿಚಾರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರದ್ದೆ ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಗಿದೆ ಏನು, ಮಾಯವಾಗಿದೆ ಎಂದರೂ ತಪ್ಪಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವರವ ಇಷ್ಟದಂತೆ ನಡೆಸುವ ಕಾಲ ಇದು. ಅದು ತಪ್ಪು ಎಂದೇನೂ ಹೇಳುವಹಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೂ ಕೆಲವರಿಗೆ ಈ ವಿಚಾರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಉಂಟು. ಅಂತಹ ಯುವಕರು ಇಂದೂ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹಾಕುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹಬ್ಬ ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಾದಿಗಳನ್ನು ನಡೆಸಿಕೊಡುವ ಮಂದಿ ಹಿಂದೆ ಇವುಗಳಿಗೆ ಸರಿಯಾದ ಸಮಾಧಾನ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ಅನೇಕರಿಂದ ಸರಿಯಾದ ಸಮಾಧಾನಕರ ಉತ್ತರ ಸಿಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. 

ಮೇಲೆ ಹೇಳಿರುವುದೇ ಕೊನೆಯ ಮಾತು ಎಂದೇನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ನಮ್ಮ ಹಿರಿಯರು ಸುಮಾರು ಅರವತ್ತು ವರುಷಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಚರ್ಚೆ ಮಾಡಿದಾಗ ಕೇಳಿದುದನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿದೆ. ಇನ್ನೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕಾದರೆ ತಿಳಿದವರಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಚಾರಿಸಬೇಕು. ಇಲ್ಲವೇ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೇಳಿದ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳನ್ನು ಅಭ್ಯಸಿಸಬೇಕು.   

New Year's Universal Language

Though time is endless and no one knows when it started, man has attempted to measure it like any other item or commodity known to him. The nearest and best method available to him for measuring time was movement of the planets or their satellites. The time taken by the earth to make a full round of the Sun was accepted as the measure for time and called a year. Then the measure of day was already there as the time between two sunrises. Things fell in place with these two measuring units; it gave meaning to seasons and many happenings on the earth that had close connections with the happenings in human life span. 

Once the revolution of Earth around the Sun was accepted as a year, naturally each completion of revolutions started a new one. Man always wants to find some reason to celebrate. What can be a bigger reason for celebrating than the beginning of a new year? So each new revolution heralded a new year. 

The funniest thing is that what can be starting point for a new revolution of the earth around the Sun when the process continues day after day without any interruption? This resulted in the rise of many interpretations for the beginning of the new year. Accordingly we have new year calculations around the year! Hence new year day is celebrated on different days throughout the year around the world. However, modren man has accepted the concept of the twelve months cycle from January to December more widely than others. This gives rise to celebration of January 1st as the "New Year Day" throughout the world, though there is no bar in different parts of the world having their own new year day as well. 

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Though January 1st is now widely accepted as the new year day, it is ushered in at different times of the day around the world, since there are different time zones around the globe. Thus the new year arrives in East Asia and Australia earlier than Europe or Americas. There are many types of celebrations heralding the new year in the middle of the night as the clock ticks. The celebrations continue throughout the day in different parts of the world. 

In the United States of America, the major celebrations of ushering the new year happen in the east coast as well as the west coast. The huge gatherings waiting in biting cold at the Times Square in New York in the midnight as per EST time and look for the famous ball to fall. It is a stupendous task for the law enforcement agencies to manage the show peacefully. It is even a bigger task for the cleaning agencies to clear the debris after the crowds celebrate and melt away.

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On the west coast of USA, new year arrives three hours later. But the biggest celebration here happens in the form of a parade in Los Angeles. It actually takes place in the City of Pasadena, about 11 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It takes place at 8 AM PST (Pacific Time) which is 11 AM in the east coast cities like New York, Washington DC etc. This time is convenient for viewers allover the USA and countries in the American continents, to watch the parade live on TV. 

The parade is held on the 1st of January at 8 AM PST, and moves along the 5 1/2 mile long Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard. If 1st January happens to be a Sunday, it is moved to the next day. Marching Bands, Vintage Cars, boat and airplane formations, horse riders, and various other Tableaux form the core of the parade. The parade goes on for 3 hours and ends at about 11 AM, local time. Seats for sitting and viewing the parade are available for purchase at a cost of 25 USD to 250 USD but are sold out  much in advance. Most of the locals stand along the two sides of the road to watch the parade and cheer the participants. 

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The event is officially named as the "Tournament of Roses Parade" as one of the main items used for preparing and decorating the participating objects and tableaux is rose flowers. However, many other flowers and vegetables are also used. The event is managed by Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. This years event was sponsored by Honda Motors. 

Leading the Rose parade is considered a great honour. The leader is called Grand Marshal of the parade. This year's parade marshal was six times Tony Award winner singer and actress Audra McDonald.  The participating floats come from various organisations like NGOs, corporates, voluntary groups as well as from other countries as well. The floats participating are judged by a team of distinguished judges and awards given away after conclusion of the event. This year's award was won by the San Diego Zoo float, photo of which is given above. Today was the 135th parade and an estimated 800,000 people watched it live at the venue.

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The parade lasts for three hours, but the actual work takes weeks starting from conceptualisation, working out the details, preparing the structure and final decoration with flowers on the previous day. Volunteers enthusiastically take part in preparing the floats and spend several hours in the process. Watching the parade is indeed a sight to behold. It is a cultural extravaganza as well as a time for celebrations and looking at the new year with fond hopes.

This year's theme was "Celebrating a World of Music - The universal Language". Let us hope that the universal appeal of music will bring joy and relief to a world torn between multiple strifes. 

Happy New Year 2024.