“Sharad Poornima is known for dance and celebration. It is the time when devotees feel the presence of the Divine in their life” _Sri Sri

Sharad Purnima, an important day in Hinduism, is basically a harvest festival that is celebrated on the full moon day in the lunar month of Ashwin. It usually falls during the months of September or October according to the Gregorian calendar.

It is known by many names like Navanna Purnima, Kaumudi Purnima and Kojagiri Purnima. The people of various parts of the country worship different deities as per their popularity in the region. Kojagari Vrata is observed in honour of Goddess Lakshmi. Lord Indra who is the king of gods and the bringer of rain is also worshipped on this day. Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati are honoured on this day too.

#Significance:

As we know , This month’s full moon is called #SharadPoornima. The brightest and without any blemish, it is supposed to stay longer too, the full moon of Celebration. It is said that Divine dance happened on the day between Lord Krishna and the Gopis – symbolic of grateful devotees. It is said that Lord Krishna danced with all the Gopis under this moon so many thousands of years ago. Sharad Poornima is known for dance and celebration. It is the time when devotees feel the presence of the Divine in their life. This moon is also dedicated to beauty. The sky is clear and the largest moon shines brightly. Our mind and the moon are connected. When the moon is full, the mind is also full. The energy on the day is very high and the celebration will keep it up. But this energy needs to be channelized.

On the day when moon has all 16 Kalas it is believed that its rays has special and healing effects on humans. Since each of the 16 Kalas signify 16 qualities, exposing ourselves after due preparation of our mind and body, makes us a perfect human being. Some also believe that it is the night when Moon emits Amrutha (Elixir). Moon is at closest distance tonight and hence will be the brightest

Gurudev says 

“Kala usually refers to the extent by which the moon waxes (or wanes) in one day. Moon possesses 16 different Kalas (different phases of the Moon). You can observe this from one Amavasya(No-moon day) to the next Purnima (Full moon day). So if you count the number of days from one Amavasya to the next Purnima, it turns out to be 16. And the transition from No-Moon to the Full Moon also symbolizes moving from Zero (nothingness) to Fullness. 

Kala is a unit of measure of one’s power, or by what degree one has blossomed or progressed. So, someone may be like a half-moon, someone else may have reached to three quarters of the moon and so on. This was a means of measurement in the ancient days.

In those days, it was said that the life or Prana in a stone is equal to one Kala, the water element is said to have two Kalas. Fire has three Kalas, Vayu (Air element) has four, and the Space or Akash has five. Plants and trees are said to have six Kalas. Animals have seven Kalas. Human beings have eight Kalas.

If it is an extraordinary human being then he is said to have nine Kalas. It is said that Lord Parashurama (one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu) had nine Kalas. They say Lord Rama has 12 Kalas. Lord Hanuman is greater than Him in this regard and is said to have 14 Kalas. That is why he could help Lord Rama. Only a person who is stronger than us can help us.

The Devi (Mother Divine) is called Shodashakala (The One with all 16 Divine qualities or attributes). It means that she possess all divine and noble qualities, and lacks nothing.

Lord Krishna too is said to have all 16 Kalas, which is why He is called as the Solah Kala sampurna or the Purna Avataar.

To have all 16 Kalas means to possess all the 16 qualities or signs attributed to the total blossoming and manifestation of Divinity.”

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