Caitra Māsa Mahimā: The Glory of the Month of Caitra

The tenth chapter of the Manohara Kāṇḍa of the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa describes the mahimā (glory) of the month of Caitra. Caitra is the first month of the lunar pañcāṅga and falls in spring. It is called the greatest of months because Bhagavān Rāma was born in it, on Caitra Śukla Navamī (the ninth day of the bright half of Caitra).

The text gives detailed rules for the Caitra snāna (the holy bath of Caitra) and for the dānas (gifts) suited to the month. It also states a remarkable rule. During Caitra, the devatās of all the tīrthas (holy bathing places) leave their usual divine homes and dwell in the ordinary, visible waters (bāhya-jala) of rivers, lakes and the ocean. By Rāma’s decree, every body of water becomes equally holy.

Caitra, the Greatest Month

Of the twelve lunar months, Caitra holds the highest place in the Rāmāyaṇa tradition. It was in Caitra, on the ninth day (Navamī) of the bright fortnight (Śukla Paksha, when the moon is growing), that Bhagavān Rāma was born to Kauśalyā and Daśaratha in Ayodhyā. His holy birth filled the whole month with the power of his presence.

The Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa is clear that Caitra is not the greatest month only for reasons of the calendar, as the month of the spring equinox and the new year of the pañcāṅga. It is greatest for the sake of liberation. The month in which Bhagavān Vishṇu first walked the earth as the Rāma avatāra is forever filled with that presence.

The Caitra Snāna: The Holy Bath

The main observance of Caitra is the Caitra snāna: a ritual bath in holy rivers, temple tanks or other waters during the month. It reaches its high point on Caitra Śukla Navamī, the day of Rāma Navamī itself. The bath should be joined with:

  • Chanting the Rāma-nāma (the name of Rāma) before, during and after the bath
  • Tarpaṇa (offerings of water) for departed ancestors
  • Dāna (gifts) suited to the season
  • Prārthanā and pūjā to the devatā of the tīrtha

The merit of the Caitra snāna is said to equal the merit of a thousand ordinary baths. The holiness of the season multiplies the fruit of the observance many times over.

The stories in the eleventh chapter show this power at work. A Caitra bath at Pratishṭhāna frees three piśācas (restless spirits). A Caitra bath at Ayodhyā frees a father who had become a piśāca. Even a bhilla (forest-dwelling) robber who received fruit as a gift in Caitra in the end reaches Vishṇu-loka, the realm of Vishṇu.

The Rule of the Tīrtha-Devatās

The most striking teaching of the Caitra Māsa Mahimā is a rule set by Bhagavān Rāma himself. The tīrtha-devatās (the devatās who preside over holy waters) normally live at their own particular holy places in a subtle, divine form. During Caitra, they leave those divine homes and come to live in the ordinary outer water (bāhya-jala) of rivers, lakes, ponds, tanks and the ocean.

This means that during Caitra, every body of water anywhere in the world can become as holy as the greatest tīrtha. The very devatā of the Gaṅgā, of the Yamunā, of the Sarayū and of every holy river is present in all waters at the same time. For this month, Rāma’s decree removes the difference between “holy tīrtha water” and “ordinary water”.

The meaning of this is deep. Rāma’s birth in Caitra was so great an event for the whole universe that it made the divine presence open to everyone. For the month that carries the mark of his coming, the limits that usually hold the holy presence to particular places are taken away.

Gifts to Give in Caitra

The Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa names kinds of dāna that bring special merit when given in Caitra:

  • Fruit (phala-dāna): Giving fruit, especially fruit of the season, brings great merit in Caitra. The story of Karkaśa the bhilla (Chapter 11) shows this. The brāhmaṇa Śambhu gave a robber a simple gift of bananas in Caitra. This woke the robber’s sattva-buddhi (pure understanding) and in the end led to his liberation.
  • Water with sesame (tila-jala-dāna): Offering water with sesame seeds, especially to brāhmaṇas, is a standard Caitra gift.
  • Clothing (vastra-dāna): Giving cloth during Caitra carries extra merit.
  • Cows (go-dāna): Giving cows brings merit in Caitra, as in other holy times.
  • Food and hospitality to pilgrims: Feeding pilgrims on a Caitra tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage to holy places) is among the most meritorious acts of the season.

The Rāmatīrtha at Ayodhyā

The chief place for the Caitra snāna is the Rāmatīrtha at Ayodhyā. This holy bathing place lies in Rāma’s birthplace, on the banks of the Sarayū. Here the merit of a Caitra bath is multiplied by nearness to the place of his holy birth. In the Caitra stories of the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa (Chapter 11), pilgrims travel from as far away as Kāñcī to take the Caitra bath at Ayodhyā. This shows that the tradition sees this tīrtha as the greatest destination for the month.

Sources

  • Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Manohara Kāṇḍa (Book 8), Chapter 10