Concept and Significance of Samvatsara - The Time element
Om! Gam! Ganapathaye! Namaha! Om! Sri Raghavendraya Namaha! Om! Namo! Bhagavathe! Vaasudevaaya! Om! Ham! Hanumathe! Sri Rama Doothaaya Namaha! S amvatsara is a commonly used word in Hindu terminology that we come across regularly being used on a daily basis. Starting from nitya karma (sandhya vandana) all Hindu religious rituals will not begin without utterance of the word Samvatsara during sankalpa. Like numerical year in English calendar is denoted by a number, Samvatsara in Hindu calendar denoted by a unique name that keeps changing in a 60 year cycle. Like first day of every year is referred to as New Year day, first day of every Hindu New Year is termed as Noothana Samvatsaraadi that is regarded as Ugaadi that marks the beginning of a Hindu new year. Samvatsara is a Sanskrit word that literally means a year. Samvatsara is also referred to as Varsha, Samvat etc. Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stothram (sloka # 45) describes Him (Lord Vishnu) as Rutuh (seasons), Kaalah...