The samvatsara for this New Year is called Plava. A samvatsara is a Sanskrit term for “year.” In the Vedic system, there are 60 samvatsaras. They are described in Brihat Samhita by Sage Varahamahira in “Chapter VIII: Jupiter’s Course (Jovian years).”

Each samvatsara carries a particular essence that correlates with its Sanskrit name and also is related to its group ruler.

The samvatsara for 2021-2022 is the fourth in a group of five years ruled by the Manes, who are of two kinds: they are the children of Lord Brahma, known as the Prajapatis, who are great rishis, progenitors, and protectors of the earth, the animal kingdom, and the human race.

The Manes are also known as the “Ancestors.” They inhabit their own region between the realms of humans and gods, a place known as Pitriloka. The current five-year cycle ruled by the Manes extends from 2017 to 2022 and is considered to be a challenging period of much calamity.

The last Plava year was in 1961 during the Cold War between Russia and the U.S., when there were also many riots in the U.S. during the Civil Rights movement; JFK was President, and the Vietnam War officially began;

Plava is also considered to be a year when we quickly start to move away from the difficulties of the past Sarvari year which was a year of darkness, but we will also leap into many new kinds of experiences that are perhaps equally challenging.

By the end of this year, we will also be making another leap into a brand new cycle after the very difficult past five-year cycle of the Manes.

The Jyotish shastra says that those born in the Plava year may be wealthy, compassionate, courageous, devoted to their duties, but often very restless. Some sources have described the Plava year as a time of prosperity, and for awakening of wisdom and knowledge,

which makes sense as Plava is defined as “excellent, superior, and leaping or jumping.” It also means floods, swimming, and a boat or raft, and the Plava year is said to bring copious rains to many regions of the world.

The previous Plava year was in 1901 during the Chinese drought and famine that killed 45 million people from 1959-1961. This year saw the worst heat wave on record in the U.S. (east coast), which killed 9500 people.

It was also the year of the first modern medical disaster in which a group of children in St. Louis were tragically contaminated and killed by an antitoxin medicine (Tetanus-Diphtheria/St. Louis Incident).

So Plava years are often years when we will see many “firsts,” as in events that have never happened before.

Brihat Samhita Chapter VII, Shloka 39-40 - Plava Year !