The month of Marghazi(a word in Tamil) or Margasheersha is an important month which generally lasts from mid December to mid January. It's the month of Shiva, since it is a time when all things slow down at a planetary level and impacts our general lives. A lot of festivals also happen in this time, for example, Kaalabhairava Ashtami is celebrated as the Day when Shiva displayed his form of Kaalabhairava, the One who destroys time.
The word Margasheersha is derived from the name of Mrigshira Nakshatra or the Orion constellation,which obviously is associated with Lord Shiva. Since during this time the full moon appears closest to the Orion constellation. It is the most auspicious of the months since in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says that among the months, Margasheersha represents Him. It complements the Christian Christmas celebration of twelve days in India celebrated by Christians. The month also symbolises the reaping of fruits that our effort have borne. During this month in the Northern Hemisphere, as per Ayurveda, the body is in the best condition for the commencement of spiritual practices or sadhanas.
The month marks the end of Dakshinyana or the Sun's southward movement. This second part of the year is called Sadhanpada. As the name suggests, this time is the time of work. And when the Sun moves northward (after the end of Margasheersha) which motion is called Uttarayana, this part of the year is called Kaivalyapada. This time, the first part of the next year, is generally the time of reaping the fruits of our efforts. So Sadhanpada is for efforts and Kaivalyapada is for celebrations. So Margasheersha, marking the end of Sadhanpada, shows the time of primarily spiritual effort and development as the last important effort. Hence this time is used for Sadhana or spiritual practices. While Kaivalya also is a word denoting the realized state of Enlightenment, the second part of the year suggests the realization and it's implications for the spiritual person.
The Brahma Muhurta is the most spiritually significant time of the day to perform spiritual practices, usually at about the time of 3:40 or so in the morning. The Devatas(gods or Demigods) count one year of the earth as one day. So the Margasheersha is the Braham Muhurta for the day of devetas or the Brahama Muhurta of the entire year and hence spiritually the most beneficial for the commencement of spiritual practices.
So happy Marghazi or Margasheersha :grin:
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