Glories of Karttika Month
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Glories of Karttika Month
Karttika Month
The month of Karttika is a glorious and sacred month as described in several
scriptures - Skanda Puran, Padma Puran, Varaha Puran and
Mahabharat etc. It is the most dearest month to Lord Krsna...
Padma Puran - References
Conversation between Narada Muni and Saunaka Rsi
niyamena vina viprah kartikam yah ksipen narah krsna paran-mukhas tasya yasmad urjo'sya vallabhah [HBV 16/24 - PP]
Oh brahmanas, any person who tries to observe a Karttika month without following rules and regulations properly, Lord Sri Krsna remains against them because this month (Karttika) is very pleasing to Him.
dvadasu api masesu karthikah krsna vallabhah tasmin sampujito visnur alpakair apy upayanaih dadati vaisnavam lokam iti evam niscitam maya [HBV 16/41 - PP]Among all twelve months, the month of Karttika is dear to Lord Sri Krsna. If somebody performs a little worship of Lord Sri Hari in this month, He offers that devotee His own abode. This statement is true.
palasa patra bhoji ca kartike puruso narah nispapah syat tu naivedyam harer bhuktva vimucyate madhyastham isvaram patram varjayed brahmane tarah [HBV 16/87 - PP]Any person in the month of Karttika, who eats on the leaf plate of Palasa the remnants of the Lord, becomes free from all sins and achieves liberation. Besides brahmanas (twice born persons), others are not advised to eat from this leaf because this leaf is said to be the leaf of the Supreme Lord.
snanam jagaranam dipam tulasi vana palanam kartike ye prakurvanti te nara visnu murtayah [HBV 16/90 - PP]Lord Krsna speaks to Satyabhama Any person who performs bathing in the month of Karttika, remaining awake, offering lamps, giving charity or planting and transplanting Tulasi, he achieves the same form as Lord Sri Visnu.
yatha ca mathanad vahnih sarva kasthesu drsyate tatha ca drsyate dharmo dipadane na samsayah [HBV 16/120 - PP]Just as by rubbing of two sticks of wood one can see fire, so by offering a burning ghee wick to the Lord in the month of Karttika, one can see his merits without a doubt. In his Digdarsini-tika Srila Sanatana Gosvami explains, "Even though fire is present in all pieces of wood, still without rubbing fire does not manifest. Similarly, in all kinds of functions, although merit is available, by offering a lamp in this month, certainly one can see the merit. Not otherwise. Of this there is no doubt. Therefore, without offering lamps, all merits are unprofitable. This is the essence here."
vaisnavo na sa mantavyah samprapte kartike mune yo na yacchati mudhatma dipam kesava sadmani [HBV 16/122 - PP]Oh sage, a person who does not offer a ghee lamp in Lord Kesava's temple in Karttika, that foolish person is not addressed as a Vaisnava.
mathurayam narair urje snatva damodaro'rcitah krsna rupa hi te jneya na atra karya vicarana [HBV 16/155 - PP]Any person who worships Lord Damodara in the month of Karttika in the Mathura area, certainly achieves the same form as Lord Sri Krsna Himself. Srila Sanatana Gosvami comments on this in his Digdarsini-tika, "Human beings achieving the same form as Krsna means that they see Lord Sri Krsna. In other words, they become as worshipable as Lord Sri Krsna. This this the understanding here."
kartike mathurayam vai pujanad darsanad dhruvah sighram sampraptavan balo durlabham yoga tatparaih [HBV 16/161 - PP]Although a child, Dhruva Maharaja during the month of Karttika in the area of Mathura worshiped Lord Sri Damodara and immediately became fixed in his devotion, became worshipable by Saunaka and the other sages and saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face.
sulabha mathura bhumau praty abdam kartikas tatha tathapi samsarantiha nara mudha bhava ambudhau
yani sarvani tirthani nada nadyah saransi ca kartike nivasanty atra mathure sarva mandale [HBV 16/162, 164 - PP]Although Mathura (Vraja area) is easily available on the earth and Karttika is easily attainable in the year, but oh, what a great misfortune in the side of human beings who are still suffering in the ocean of material existence. In the month of Karttika, all of the places of pilgrimage, oceans, rivers and lakes come to Mathura area [but they do not take advantage of it.]
asvinasya tu masasya ya sukla ekadasi bhavet kartikasya vrata aniha tasyam kuryad atandritah [HBV 16/168 - PP]Conversation between Lord Krsna and Satyabhama One should take a fasting vow for the month of Karttika without any laziness on the Ekadasi which falls in the light part of the month of Asvina (September-October).
tatah priyatama visno radhika gopikasu ca kartike pujaniya ca sri damodara sannidhau [HBV 16/195 - PP]Among all other gopis, Srimati Radharani is the most dear to Lord Krsna. Therefore in the month of Karttika, one should worship Lord Damodara with Srimati Radharani near Him.
govardhana girau ramye radhakundam priyam hareh kartike bahula astamyam tatra snatva hareh priyah naro bhakto bhaved vipras taddhi tasya pratosanam [HBV 16/207 - PP]Oh brahmanas, in the beautiful Govardhana area there is a Radhakunda (a lake of Radharani) which is very dear to Lord Sri Hari. One who takes bath in it on the eighth day of the dark moon night of Karttika, becomes very dear to Lord Sri Hari. Srila Sanatana Gosvami remarks in his Digdarsini-tika that, "Although by taking bath in Radhakunda one becomes very dear to Lord Sri Hari, still, if he takes bath anywhere in the name of pleasing Lord Hari, he pleases Him as well.
mathurayam tatha saksat kratva caiva pradaksinam vaisnavam dhama samprapya modate hari sannidhau [HBV 16/249 - PP]One who stays in the Mathura area, worships Govardhana, and goes around it, he goes to the abode of Lord Sri Hari and stays there happily.
dugdhabdhih bhogi sayane bhagavan ananto yasmin dine svapiti ca atha vibhudhyate ca tasminn ananya manasam upavasa bhajam kamam dadaty abhimatam garudanka sayi [HBV 16/293 - PP]One who fasts with one pointed intelligence on the day when the Supreme Lord Sri Hari, Who sleeps on a bed of the enemy of Garuda (snake) goes to take rest in the Milk ocean on the bed of Ananta Sesa and also the day He gets up, gets all of his desires fulfilled.
kamalaih kamalakantah pujitah kartike tu yaih kamala anuga tesam janmantara satesu api [HBV 7/102 -PP, Utthara Khanda]Any person who offers lotus flowers to Lord Narayana, the dearest personality of Laksmidevi in the month of Karttika, Laksmidevi resides with him for hundreds of births.
Skanda Puran - Refereces
Sri Digdarshini Tika and Hari Bhakti Vilas on the Month of Karttika, Urja Vrata, Damodar Utsav seva, Akash Dipa:
kartike'smin visesena nityam kurvita vaisnavah damodara arcanam pratah snana dana vrata adikam [HBV 16/3 - SP]Specifically in the month of Damodara, one should daily worship Lord Damodara and take bath early in the morning, give charity and follow a fasting vow. This is the duty of Vaisnavas.
yair na dattam hutam japtam na snanam na harer vratam na krtam kartike putra dvijas te vai naradhamah [HBV 16/25 - SP]Oh son Narada, those brahmanas who do not give charity in the month of Karttika, perform sacrifice, chant japa and fast for Lord Hari are the lowest of mankind.
kartika kalau vai masam sarva masesu ca uttamam punyanam paramam punyam pavananam ca pavanam [HBV 16/36 - SP]The month of Karttika is the topmost of all other months. It is the most meritorious and purified of all other pure months.
na kartika samo maso na krtena samam yugam na veda sadrsam sastram na tirtha gangaya samam
karthikah pravaro maso vaisnavanam priyah sada kartikam sklam yastu bhaktya sevate vaisnavah [HBV 16/39,40 - SP]There is no other month equal to Karttika and there is no other yuga equal to Krta-yuga. There is no other scripture equal to Vedas. There is no other place of pilgrimage equal to Ganges, therefore, the month of Karttika is very dear to the Vaisnavas (people dedicated to Visnu).
pravrttanam ca bhaksanam kartike niyame krte avasyam krsna rupatvam prapyate muktidam subham [HBV 16/49 - SP]Whatever one usually eats, if he gives up some of the ingredients of it in the month of Karttika, then he achieves the same aupicious form as Lord Sri Krsna undoubtedly. Srila Sanatana Gosvami remarks in the Digdarsini-tika, "Those who are engaged in eating daily and following the rules of Karttika, they should try to minimize and give up certain ingredients in eating. Obtaining the same form as Krsna means that it liberates one from the miseries of this material world and gives all auspiciousness and happiness."
sarva dharman parityajya kartike kesava agratah sastra avataranam punyam srotavyan ca mahamune [HBV 16/76 - SP]Lord Brahma speaks to Narada Muni Oh great sage, after giving up all varieties of religious functions, one should follow Karttika fast and listen to the narrations of Lord Sri Hari before His Deity form.
kalpa koti sahasrani patkani bahuny api nimesa ardhena dipasya vilayam yanti kartike [HBV 16/99 -SP]If even for a short time somebody burns a lamp in the temple of Lord Sri Hari, then whatever sins he has acquired for millions of kalpas (one kalpa equals 1000 yugas) are all destroyed.
ekadasyam parer dattam dipam prajvalya musika manusyam durlabham prapya param gatim avapa sa [HBV 16/129 - SP]One rat (female mouse) had once burnt a ghee lamp which was offered by someone else on Ekadasi day. By doing so, she achieved a rarely achievable human form and at last attained the topmost destination. Srila Sanatana Gosvami writes in his Digdarsini-tika, "In this verse it is found that it is possible to attain the results of directly offering a lamp on Ekadasi. This history of the mouse is very famous in the Padma Purana, Kartika Mahatmya. (In a temple of Lord Visnu, there was a mouse living who was eating the ghee from the extinguished ghee lamps which had been offered by others to Him. One day when she felt hungry to eat ghee, she tried to eat the ghee from a lamp which was not yet extinguished. While eating ghee from the lamp, the cotton wick got stuck in her teeth. Since the ghee wick had a flame, the mouse started jumping in front of the Lord's Deity form and thus died due to fire. But Lord Sri Visnu accepted the jumping of that mouse with a lit ghee wick in her mouth as His aratik. In the end He gave her liberation, the topmost destination.)
na grahe kartike kuryad visesena tu kartikam tirthe tu kartikim kuryat sarva yatnena bhavini [HBV 16/186 - SP]Oh beautiful lady, specifically, one should not take a vow of fasting in the Karttika month in the home or house. Always the endeavor should be made to go to a place of pilgrimage to make this vow and observe it there.
damodara astakam nama stotram damodara arcanam nityam damodara akarsi pathet satya vrata uditam [HBV 16/198 - SP]In the month of Karttika, one should daily worship Lord Damodara and sing the Damodarastaka (the eight prayers of Lord Damodara) which pleases Lord Damodara, written by the sage named Satyavrata.
sri krsna dasa varyo'yam sri govardhana bhudharah sukla pratipadi pratah kartike'rcyu 'tra vaisnavaih [HBV 16/232 - SP]On the first day of the light part of the month of Karttika, a Vaisnava should certainly worship the topmost servant of Lord Sri Krsna, Sri Govardhana Hill, early in the morning as it is found in the Srimad Bhagavatam, 10th Canto, 21 chapter, verse 18.
prabodhinim uposya eva na garbhe visate narah sarva dharman parityajya tasmat kurvita narada [HBV 16/289 - SP]Spoken by Lord Brahma Oh Narada Muni, one who fasts on Prabodhini (when the Lord gets up) Ekadasi, does not enter again into the womb of another mother. Therefore, a person should give up all varieties of occupation and fast on this particular Ekadasi day.
malati malaya visnuh pujito yena kartike papaksara krtam malam hathat saurih pramarjjati [HBV 7/92 -SP]Conversation between Lord Brahama and Narada Muni In the month of Karttika (October-November), any person, if he worships Lord Visnu with Malati (white Jasmine) flowers, whatever sinful activities are registered for him by Yamaraja, death personified, are removed.
Other Scriptural References
urje sukla divtiyayam madhyahe yama arcayet snanam krtva bhanujayam yama-lokam na pasyati [HBV 16/267 SP & PP]On the midpart of the second day of the light part of the month of Karttika one should worship Yamaraja and take bath in the Yamuna. If he does so, he will not have to go to the abode of Yamaraja.
bhaktiprada hareh satu namna ksata pravodhini yasa visnoh para murtir avyakta aneka rupini sa ksipta manuse loke dvadadi muni pungava [HBV 16/301 from VP]The above is a conversation between Yamaraja and Narada Muni. This Prabodhini Ekadasi is famous for rewarding devotion to Lord Sri Hari. Oh best of the sages (Narada Muni), the personality of Ekadasi is present on this earthly planet in an unmanifested form of Lord Hari. Srila Sanatana Gosvami remarks in his Digdarsini-tika that one who exactly observes the Ekadasi fast by observing this, he directly worships Lord Sri Hari. This is the meaning of this verse. Therefore, Ekadasi is said to be equal to Lord Sri Hari Himself.
catur dha grahya vai cirnam catur masya vratam narah kartike suklapakse tu dvadasyam tat samacaret [HBV 16/412 - Mahabharata]A person who observed Caturmasya fast stated in four different ways should end his fast on the Dvadasi day on the light fortnight of the month of Karttika.
evam ya acaret partha sobhanam dharmam apnuyat avasane tu rajendra vasudeva puram vrajet [HBV 16/433 - BP]Oh son of Prtha, Oh best of the kings, one who follows his vows properly as it is stated here achieves the highest merit and at last goes to the abode of Lord Sri Hari, the son of Vasudeva.