Guiding Light: A Deeper Reading Of The Rains Through Ancient & Modern Lenses

For the past month, whenever people worried about the El Niño effect and delayed rains, I kept telling them: this year there is an Adhik Māsa — also known as Puruṣottam Māsa. The rains would arrive a week to ten days after it concluded. And indeed, they came bang on time, ten days after Puruṣottam Māsa ended. Some are now celebrating this as a victory of ancient knowledge over modern science.

But whenever rain, planetary movements, or natural phenomena are discussed, we must remember — this is a study of nature, a study of time and its cycles. The ancient masters studied it in their own manner; modern scientists study it in theirs. Scientists today base predictions on the El Nino effect, the Indian Ocean dipole, and similar models  though research on the dipole is still developing.

Rather than framing this as ancient versus modern, let us step back. The prediction of rains is not esoteric spiritual knowledge exclusive to the rishis; it is the study of nature. And in that study, what the ancient masters observed and what modern scientists have measured need not be opposed. They can be understood as complementary — two streams of inquiry contributing to one whole body of knowledge gathered by humanity across time.

There is also a third stream: conventional, localised wisdom which are practical observations passed down about rain, heat, and seasonal patterns which I have drawn upon as well. Some wisdom applies locally; some applies at a broader scale. Together, they give us a richer, more complete picture.

In the realm of worldly knowledge, let us use every resource available — ancient, modern, conventional — to navigate the world with greater ease, less anxiety, and a more holistic understanding. Knowledge, after all, is not meant to make us fearful of the future. It is meant to help us meet it wisely.

So let us not pit the ancient against the modern. Let us celebrate, instead, the ongoing growth of worldly knowledge — and our capacity to draw from all of it.

Published on: Thursday, June 25, 2026, 03:18 PM IST