Skandapurana 2.4.1

Homage to holy Gaṇeśa.

Now begins the Kārttikamāsamāhātmya.

Having bowed to Nārāyaṇa, and to Nara, the best of men,

and also to the goddess Sarasvatī, one should then utter 'Success!' 1

The seers said:

O Sūta, you have told us the holy māhātmya of Āśvina;

we wish to hear further another thing: the grandeur of Kārtika. 2

In the Kali [age], for men of defiled minds and sinful deeds,

plunged in the ocean of transmigration, what is the effortless refuge? 3

Which duty of all duties is superior, accomplishing liberation

and bestowing liberation on men even in this world? Tell this, O lord! 4

Sūta said:

That which you have asked me, the sage Nārada,

the son of Brahmā, asked Brahmā, the teacher of the world; 5

and likewise Satyabhāmā [asked] holy Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of the universe.

[So too Satyabhāmā,] eager to hear, questioned [Śrī Kṛṣṇa] about the glory of Kārtika.

And what was spoken by the Vālakhilya seers in the assembly of seers,

in the exceedingly charming form of a dialogue between the venerable Sūrya and Aruṇa;

and the glory of Kārtika [told] on Mount Kailāsa by Śaṃkara,

described before the Six-Faced One [Skanda], accompanied by diverse narratives;

and the greatness told by Nārada to Pṛthu

concerning Kārtika, O leaders of brahmins, after having heard it from the mouth of Brahmā long ago:

Once, Nārada the yogin went to Satyaloka

and asked the Grandfather of all the worlds with utmost humility:

Śrī Nārada said:

Of the terrible firewood of sin, dry and wet in great abundance,

what fire burns it up, O Brahmā? You ought to tell that.

Nothing within the cosmic egg, among the three worlds,

is unknown to you, O Lord of the gods, certainly of three kinds.

Tell [me] the best month among months, the highest among gods,

and especially the sacred fords, O Grandfather.

Brahmā said:

Among months, Kārtika is best; among gods, Madhusūdana;

the sacred ford named Nārāyaṇa—indeed, this triad is rare to attain in the Kali age.

Nārada said:

O Lord, I am your servant, I am your devotee, O beloved of Hari!

Speak to me of the Vaiṣṇava dharmas; you are omniscient, O Grandfather.

First, O Lord, you ought to tell me the māhātmya of Kārtika,

the māhātmya of offering lamps, and the observances of those who undertake vows,

and the māhātmya of gopīcandana, and likewise of Tulasī, O Lord,

and the māhātmya of the Dhātrī tree, and the rite of ritual ablutions and the like;

when the commencement of the vow is to be made, and the rule for concluding the observance;

whatever Vaiṣṇava duty there is, you ought to tell all of that,

by which, through your grace, I may go to the painless state.

Sūta said:

Hearing these words of his son, Brahmā was filled with joy;

remembering Rādhā-Dāmodara, he spoke to his son:

Brahmā said:

Well asked by you, O son, for the sake of uplifting the world!

Without a doubt, I shall speak of the glory of Kārtika.

On one side, all sacred fords and all sacrifices with their sacrificial fees;

yet they do not equal a sixteenth part of the month of Kārtika.

On one side, residence at Puṣkara, Kurukṣetra, and the Himālayas;

on the other, O son, Kārtika is deemed to surpass all merit.

Gold equal [in size] to Mount Meru and all donations on one side;

on the other, O dear one, Kārtika, which is always dear to Keśava.

Whatever merit is performed dedicated to Viṣṇu in Kārtika,

I see no end to it; this has been declared by me to you, O Nārada.

Having obtained the human state, difficult to attain, which is a stairway to heaven,

one should compose oneself in such a way that one does not fall again.

He who, having attained the human state difficult to obtain, does not practice

the duty enjoined in Kārtika, O best among upholders of dharma, is a slayer of mother and father.

The month of Kārtika indeed is the best among all months,

the supreme merit among merits, the purifier of purifiers.

In this month the thirty-three gods are present, O sage;

here ritual ablutions, gifts, feedings, and vows [are performed].

A cow made of sesame seeds, gold, silver, land, clothing,

and gifts of cattle, they perform with wholehearted feeling, O Nārada.

Those gifts given, the gods accept according to rule.

Whatever is given, O leader of brahmins, and austerity likewise performed,

that has been declared imperishable in fruit by the mighty Viṣṇu.

And the release from sins is praised in the month of Kārtika;

therefore, O leader of brahmins, [charity] is diligently given in the month of Kārtika.

Whatever is given in Kārtika dedicated to Viṣṇu by men,

that indeed obtains imperishable [reward], especially the gift of food.

Just as with rivers, O leader of brahmins, and with mountains, O Nārada,

and with oceans, O brahmin-seer, no destruction is ever possible,

whatever gift is given in the month of Kārtika, O sage,

has no diminution, O brahmin; sin departs in a thousand ways.

Seeing Kārtika arrived, whoever avoids food given by others

effortlessly obtains the fruit of an Atikṛcchra penance day by day.

There is no month equal to Kārtika; there is no yuga equal to Kṛta;

there is no scripture like the Veda; there is no sacred ford equal to the Gaṅgā;

there is no gift like [the gift of] food; there is no happiness like [that with] a wife.

Wealth acquired by lawful means is rare for those who give gifts;

and giving it at a sacred ford is rare for mortals by nature.

In Kārtika, O tiger among sages, worship of the Śāligrāma stone

and remembrance of Vāsudeva should be performed by one who fears sin.

Whoever spends such a Kārtika having done nothing at all,

undoubtedly attains the destruction of merit previously acquired. // 2.4.1.40

Nārada said:

How should the supreme Kārtika observance be performed by one who is incapable?

Tell me that, O Grandfather, whereby he may obtain its fruit. // 41

Brahmā said:

When a mortal is incapable, he should then observe the vow in this manner:

giving wealth to another, he should have the Kārtika observance performed [by him]. // 42

He should accept merit from him preceded by the solemn resolve of giving.

If he is incapable even of giving wealth, O best of divine seers, // 43

then the drinking of the water of a sacred ford should be performed by him.

The mortal who is incapable even of that should joyfully and regularly

remember Hari by name according to fixed rule; // 44

then the unbroken fruit arising from the Kārtika observance is [gained] by him. // 45

He should keep the night-vigil of Hari in a temple of Viṣṇu or of Śiva;

in the absence of an abode of Śiva or Viṣṇu, even in temples of all deities. // 46

Or if he is situated in an impenetrable forest or has fallen into distress,

he should perform it at the foot of an Aśvattha tree or in groves of tulasī. // 47

A human who sings compositions of Viṣṇu's names in the presence of Viṣṇu

obtains the fruit of giving a thousand cows. // 48

And a man who plays musical instruments obtains the fruit of a Vājapeya sacrifice;

a dancer obtains the fruit arising from bathing in all sacred fords. // 49

The man who gives wealth to these obtains all this merit;

or from hearing or from seeing, one may obtain a sixth part of the fruit. // 2.4.1.50

Even when fallen into distress, if a man cannot find water anywhere,

or if he is afflicted by illness, he should perform sprinkling [purification] with the name of Viṣṇu. // 51

One established in the vow who is incapable of performing the concluding rite

should feed brahmins afterwards for the sake of the complete fulfillment of the vow. // 52

Incapable of offering a lamp, he should kindle another's lamp,

or carefully protect it from the wind and other [disturbances]. // 53

In the absence of worship of Śrī Viṣṇu, worship of tulasī and the dhātrī tree [should be performed];

in the absence of all [these], the observer of the vow should perform [worship] of brahmins and cows;

in the absence even of that, the chanting of Viṣṇu's name in the mind. // 54

Nārada said:

O Brahmā, tell in detail the religious duties arising in Kārtika. // 55

Thus ends the first chapter, named Description of the Praise of the Kārtika Observance, in the Praise of the Month of Kārtika in the second, Vaiṣṇava Section of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa in the compilation of eighty-one thousand [verses]. // 1