Tue Jan 28 15:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Mauni Amavasya 2025: Auspicious Day for Rituals and Charity
**Prayagraj, India** – Mauni Amavasya, a significant Hindu festival, falls on January 29th, 2025, coinciding with the second “Amrit Snan” (holy bath) of the Maha Kumbh Mela. This year’s Mauni Amavasya is considered particularly auspicious due to a rare celestial alignment, promising devotees the equivalent of performing one hundred Ashwamedha Yajnas (horse sacrifices) through ritual bathing and charity.
The auspicious timings for Mauni Amavasya are:
* **Amavasya begins:** January 28th, 2025, at 7:35 AM
* **Amavasya ends:** January 29th, 2025, at 6:05 PM
Devotees are encouraged to bathe in a sacred river during Brahma Muhurta (before sunrise), maintaining silence throughout the day (Mauna Vrata). If a river bath isn’t possible, adding Ganga water to bathwater at home is considered acceptable. The day is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, with offerings of flowers, fruits, incense, lamps, and sweets. Lighting a ghee lamp near a Tulsi plant in the evening is also recommended.
Charity plays a crucial role, with donations of food, blankets, clothes, and money to the needy considered highly meritorious. Specific mantras dedicated to Lord Vishnu are also chanted on this day.
Mauni Amavasya is believed to cleanse sins, offer salvation (moksha), and appease ancestors. Performing Shraddha (ancestor rites), Tarpan (water offerings), and Pind Daan (food offerings) is believed to liberate ancestors and alleviate Pitru Dosha (ancestral curses). The day’s emphasis on silence promotes spiritual growth and divine blessings.
First Piper 