Dr Sudipta tells us about the spiritual significance of the Kartik month – an exclusive for Different Truths.

Kartik month or Kartik maas is believed to be the first month of Chaguaramas. This year, it started on the 10^th day of October.

It’s considered the most sacred and religious month of the year. According to the Hindu calendar, this month is the eighth month of the year.

Kartik maas is believed to be the holy month in which the devotees pray to Lord Vishnu or Damodar for the well-being of their families.

Even immoral persons try to indulge in the spiritual awakening by leaving all nonreligious activities.

The last five days of this month are even considered as most pious there is a saying that even a non-vegan bird starts to fast with religious fervour.

That’s why it’s called ‘Panchuka’.

People decorate their houses with pristine reflections of diya (earthen lamps) and worship the Tulsi plant. 

It’s a cultural heritage of our Hindu cult that we have been continuing for ages.

There is a tradition in Odisha where an earthen pot with diya is lit. Every evening the worshipers light the pot and hang that at a high place with a pulley. 

There is no science behind every traditional belief of our country. 

It is lightening the earthen lamps and candles to justify the presence of virtue over vice. It intensifies the mystic aura everywhere. Light means consciousness, and darkness means ignorance.

So, in the month of Kartik, we celebrate the festival of Diwali. This month has so much relevance in our lives, like enlightening the unconscious soul with the dawn of wisdom. Hence people pray for the purification of their souls by meditating or fasting.

Some people eat once a day. Most people opt for vegan food instead of meat intake to maintain a balanced lifestyle.   

Hence this month is for reviving the dead ideas with the spirit of liberation. By discarding earthly pleasures, we embrace penance.

People get up exceptionally early in Brahama Murtha and initiate offerings to the Lords, particularly visiting the temple of Radha and Krishna. 

Reciting and listening to the tales of Kartik maas (Katha) accomplish their days.

They also take a holy dip in sacred rivers to eliminate their filthy thoughts and lusty attitudes towards worldly commodities. 

Reading Bhagavad Geeta and Holy Scriptures can cleanse the body and mind of the worshipers this month.   The entire month goes on with the holy chants of divine lords. The devotees adore Lord Shiva, Kartikeya and Goddess Laxmi. Most believers pray near the plant of Tulsi and offer holy water to the Sun in the early morning.

The glorious month of Kartik commences with the advent of Sharad Purnima and the full moon’s glory.

The worshippers devour the entire month by worshipping Goddess Radhika and Lord Krishna.

Amavasya follows the completion of fifteen days of this holy month. 

Deepavali is celebrated as the festival of sparkling lights to commemorate the arrival of Lord Ram from Lanka. This festival also marks the triumph of virtue over vice. People in this festival welcome Ma Laxmi with abundant wealth by observing Dhanteras.

The last five days are traditionally known as Vishnu Panchak.  Devotees rigorously fast these five days beginning from the Ekadasi day to Purnima (full moon). 

Again, the full moon day is abundantly celebrated by the worshippers with a unique culture (particularly in Odisha). They flow small paper boats or boats made from banana stems in the sacred rivers to get rid of the sins and to obtain the fruit of the spiritual gains they procure from the chastity of the entire month. So, with the offerings of flowers and incense sticks, devotees dip in the sacred rivers to get salvation.

With a variety of pious relevance, the month of Kartik sanctifies the vices of the worshippers by reawakening their inner consciousness with spiritual awareness.

Picture design by Anumita Roy, Different Truths

Dr. Sudipta Mishra

Dr Sudipta Mishra is an Indian author and poet. She is an erudite scholar of English language literature in the Puri District of Odisha. She is a source of inspiration for the young generation of this country. Her free verse in romantic and melancholic poems is appreciated around the world. She has penned more than a hundred articles.

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