Margazhi and the benefits of early rising

Last week, I got an opportunity to again meet the students of  Cascade Family Learning Society, Besant Nagar. This time, I spoke about the significance of the month of Margazhi and also on the benefits of rising early everyday.

Here are some excerpts from the speech:

• There are 12 months in the Tamil calendar with equivalent names in Sanskrit as well. The 12 months are (Chithirai – Chaitra, Vaikasi – Vaisakha, Aani – Jyeshtha, Aadi – Aashada, Aavani – Sraavana, Purattasi – Bhaadrapada, Aippasi -Aashvina, Kaarthikai – Kaartika, Margazhi – Maargasirsha, Thai – Paushya, Maasi – Maagha and Panguni – Phalguna.
• Of these months, the month of Margazhi (Maargashirsha) enjoys special significance. In fact Lord Krishna mentions in Bhagavad Gita that among all the months, he belongs to Margazhi (“maasaanam maargashirshoham“).
• Another aspects of Margazhi is that, it is the start of Uttaraayana punyakaalam. According to scriptures, one full year in this world is just one day in Devaloka. (In today’s scientific world, this is not tough to believe. There are several planets whose orbital periods are huge. For eg., Neptune’s 1 year is 165 earth years.) Thus 6 months of the year is daytime and the other six months is night time. The Night time (6 months) is called Dhakshinayana and the Day time is called Uttarayana. The time that is just about the crack of dawn is called ‘Brahma muhurtham’ or ‘Arunodayam’ and is considered the most sacred time of the day. In fact, Pithamaha Bhishma chose to conclude his life in Uttarayana though he was slain in Dakshinayana by Arjuna during the Mahabharata war. This time falls as the same time as the month of Margazhi, making it a very sacred month.
• Margazhi enjoys another unique specialty. There are two hymns which are sung exclusively in this month. They are Thiruppaavai and Thiruvempaavai. Thiruppaavai is one of the 4000 hymns of Divyaprabandham written by Sri Andaal. Andaal observed Paavai nonbu (ritual for women) to marry the Lord and obtain His everlasting company and inviting all her friends to join her. Thiruppaavai contains thirty songs and sung to bring peace, prosperity and Divine Grace. Thiruvempaavai is a collection of songs composed by the Saiva saint Manikkavasagar. It consists of 20 stanzas devoted to the God Shiva. The songs are also part of the Paavai ritual and sung during the month of Margazhi.
• Usually events such as marriages and other auspicious functions are not done in Margazhi. It is not because the month is unholy but because the month is so holy that only worshiping the Lord is of utmost importance in this month.

Note:  Every month is significant and plays a role in the yearly cycle. There are some months that are cold and certain festivals are held (like lighting of lamps) in those months, while certain are meant for hard work such as agriculture, harvesting etc. Some are kept aside for worship and some are for conducting auspicious events.  Each one has a role to play and hence no month is to be ‘condemned’ as a bad month.  

• Moving from Deva’s brahma muhurtha (Margazhi) to ours, it is now obvious that we should also wake up early everyday to enjoy the benefits of the same. The best time to rise is usually an hour to hour and half before Sunrise. Waking up early is good not only because of spiritual reasons, but science also backs this practice. It has been observed that waking early can give us the following benefits:

Decrease risk for adverse health conditions
Manage hunger levels
Maintain the immune system
Retain memory

• In fact, a research by Texas University has identified that students who were early risers scored better grades than those who were late to rise.
• Also, when you rise early, it eliminates the need to rush in the morning. You will realize that you have more time in your hands. You will have time for a healthy breakfast which is becoming a rare thing (‘not breakfast, but the time to have one!’) nowadays. You can start your day on an optimistic note and end up with a positive attitude throughout the day. Finally, one of the biggest benefits of waking up early is that you will feel compelled to go to sleep early. This will give enough time for the body to rejuvenate and repair the damaged cells keeping you relaxed for the next day.
• In Ramayana, the demon Kumbhakarna was always harassing the Devas. He was also lazy and slept irregularly. He wanted to eliminate all the Devas from the world. So he participated in the penance alongside his brothers Ravana and Vibhishana. When Lord Brahma appeared in front of him to grant a boon, he wanted to ask for ‘nir-devatvam’ which is ‘non-existence of Devas’. But due to grogginess, he asked for ‘nidre-vatvam‘, which is sleepiness. Thus he was doomed to sleep till eternity. So it is clear how adequate and proper sleep will influence our thoughts.

Let the all the children be taught the motto, ‘Sleep early, wake up early!’.

Once again, I enjoyed the session very much. The children were knowledgeable and very curious. I felt it was a time well-spent. I want to thank the founder Smt. Vidya Shankar and my friend Ramalingam for providing an opportunity once again. Dhanyavadaha!