Deepdan in Kartik Month – Kartik Maas Special – Part 1

Deepdan in Kartik

Kartik month is from 20 October to 19 November.
According to Gujarat and Maharashtra, it is Ashwin month now.

🙏🏻 The most important rule in the main rules of Karthik for great merit and salvation is lamp donation. Deepdan means lighting a lamp with faith. Deepdan should be done every day in Kartik.

🙏🏻 * Description is found in the Puranas.
“हरिजागरणं प्रातःस्नानं तुलसिसेवनम् । उद्यापनं दीपदानं व्रतान्येतानि कार्तिके।।“ (पद्मपुराण, उत्तरखण्ड, अध्याय 115)

“स्नानं च दीपदानं च तुलसीवनपालनम् । भूमिशय्या ब्रह्मचर्य्यं तथा द्विदलवर्जनम् ।।
विष्णुसंकीर्तनं सत्यं पुराणश्रवणं तथा । कार्तिके मासि कुर्वंति जीवन्मुक्तास्त एव हि ।।” (स्कन्दपुराण, वैष्णवखण्ड, कार्तिकमासमाहात्म्यम, अध्याय 03)

🙏🏻 Padmapuran Uttarakhand, Adhyay 121, compares the lamp donation in Kartik with the Ashwamedha Yagya:

घृतेन दीपको यस्य तिलतैलेन वा पुनः। ज्वलते यस्य सेनानीरश्वमेधेन तस्य किम्।

Whose lamp keeps burning with ghee or sesame oil in Kartik, what should he take from Ashwamedha Yagya.

According to the 200th chapter of Agnipuran

दीपदानात्परं नास्ति न भूतं न भविष्यति
There is no more fast than a lamp, neither was nor will it be

According to Skanda Purana, Vaishnavkhand

सूर्यग्रहे कुरुक्षेत्रे नर्मदायां शशिग्रहे ।। तुलादानस्य यत्पुण्यं तदत्र दीपदानतः ।।
At the time of solar eclipse in Kurukshetra and lunar eclipse in Narmada, the merit of donating gold weighing equal to one’s own weight is attained only by donating a lamp.
One of the main purposes of lamp donation in Kartik is to pave the way for the ancestors.

“तुला संस्थे सहस्त्राशौ प्रदोषे भूतदर्शयोः
उल्का हस्ता नराः कुर्युः पितृणाम् मार्ग दर्शनम्।।”
Make sure to donate lamps for the sake of ancestors.
In Padma Purana, Uttarakhand, Chapter 123, Mahadev tells his son Kartikeya while narrating the greatness of lamp donation in Kartik.

शृणु दीपस्य माहात्म्यं कार्तिके शिखिवाहन। पितरश्चैव वांच्छंति सदा पितृगणैर्वृताः।।

“Man’s ancestors, along with other ancestors, always aspire to see whether such a perfect paternal son will be born in our family, who can satisfy Srikeshav by donating a lamp in Kartika. “