Micro Astrology

As we know, one solar year is of 365.2564 days while one Luni year is of 354.3672 days.   The difference of these two comes to be 11 days approx which are adjusted by having an additional lunar month in every third solar year. This additional Lunar Month is known as ADHIK MAAS or MAL MAAS. 

Adhik Maas occurs when a complete lunar month happens to be within the period of a solar month i.e between two successive solar sankranti.  The Adhik Maas has no solar samkranti at all. Consequently, that year comes to have 13 lunar months.  In a solar year, in which there is Adhik Maas,  the number of Amavsya becomes greater than the number of Samkrantis (Amavasyas > Samkrantis).

If two consecutive Amavasyas end in one solar month, the month which follows the 1st Amavasya is repeated again after 2nd amavasya.  Thus, there will be two lunar months of the same name in that solar year.   The two months are named as FIRST and the other as SECOND. Shukla Paksha of the FIRST and Krishna Paksha of the SECOND will form the Adhik Maas.  For example, in a certain year a lunar month comes two times say it is Shravan.  Then, Krishna Paksha (KP) of 1st Shravan and Shukla Paksha (SP) of 2nd Shravan will be taken as pure Shravan month. And, Shukla Paksha of 1st Shravan and Krishna Paksha of 2nd Shravan will be as Adhik Masa [1st Shravan KP ||1st Shravan SP + 2nd Shravan KP ||2nd Shravan SP].

If a lunar month comes to have two Solar Samkrantis, which is a very rare phenomenon, it is called Kshay Maas. In case of Kshay Maas, one month is divided into two Pakshas and each month is assigned one Paksha.  The first month having Krishna Paksha is called Kshay Mass and the other is normal month.  In such Solar year, the number of Amavasyas becomes fewer than the number of Samkrantis (Amavasyas < Samkrantis), the one month which is fewer is called the Kshay Maas.  Kshay Maas occurs rarely.  Invariably, after or before Kshay Maas, Adhikmaas occurs.