Margashirsha Purnima is the full moon day in Margashirsha Month as per Hindu calendar. In 2025, Margashirsha Purnima date is December 4. In 2025, Margashirsha Purnima will be observed on Thursday, December 4th, beginning at around 8:37 AM and lasting till the early hours of December 5th.
Margashira Pournami marks the end of Margashirsha Month in North Indian Hindi calendars and marks the ending of Shukla Paksha in Margashirsha Month in Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu & Kannada calendars.
Full Moon in Margashirsha Month is also observed as Dattatreya Jayanti. It celebrates the first appearance day of Lord Dattatreya Swamy, who is an incarnation of Trimurthi (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma).
It is also celebrated as Annapurna Jayanti Puja. Annapurna Mata is considered as the Goddess of food and nutrition.
Significance and Observances
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Margashirsha is considered a highly sacred month in Hinduism, referred to by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as the most auspicious among months.
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The full moon day of this month is auspicious for spiritual cleansing, charity, and religious activities.
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Devotees traditionally take a holy bath early in the morning, preferably in sacred rivers or with sanctified water at home to purify body and soul.
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Offering charity, especially items like black sesame, jaggery, rice, woolens, and feeding cows and the poor, is considered highly meritorious.
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Special pujas such as Satyanarayan Puja are performed, with offerings including banana, tulsi leaves, jaggery, and dry fruits.
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Worship of the Tulsi plant and lighting of lamps (deep daan) around homes, especially near Tulsi and family altars, is performed to invoke divine blessings.
Additional Observances
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In some traditions, Dattatreya Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Sage Dattatreya, coincides with Margashirsha Purnima, adding to the day’s spiritual significance.
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The rituals performed on this day are believed to cleanse karmic sins, promote mental clarity, bring inner peace, and attract prosperity.
Margashirsha Purnima is thus a spiritually potent day dedicated to cleansing, charity, devotion, and connecting with divine energies for wellbeing and prosperity.