Kartik Mahatmya Adhyay 6: The Method and Merit of the Kartik Bath

This is chapter 6 of the Kartik Mahatmya. Devarshi Narada gives King Prithu the complete method of the Kartik bath: where to bathe, how to bathe, and what to do afterwards.

Listen in the video: hear this chapter in Hindi on our YouTube channel. The full list is on the Kartik Mahatmya Katha page.

संक्षेप में: नारद जी बताते हैं कार्तिक स्नान की पूरी विधि: कहाँ स्नान करें, कैसे करें, तर्पण, पूजा और तुलसी परिक्रमा। पूरा लेख हिंदी में पढ़ें →

The story

Narada said that the vrati should rise about two ghadis before sunrise and walk to the water carrying soil from the root of the tulsi, a clean cloth and a kalash of water. Then he explained how the merit of the bath differs from place to place, rising step by step from warm water at home to the meeting of three rivers.

Before entering the water, Narada said, meditate on the Lord and take the sankalp of the bath. Offer arghya to the deities of the tirtha and pray: O Damodar, O Janardan, for your pleasure I bathe at brahma muhurta in Kartik. Destroy my sins and grant me the merit of the Kartik vow. Then, keeping Lord Vishnu, Shiva and the Sun in mind, stand in water up to the navel and bathe.

A householder bathes with a paste of sesame and amla. A widow or a sannyasi bathes with soil from the root of the tulsi. While bathing, the bather prays to be purified by Lord Vishnu, who measured the three worlds in three steps for the sake of the gods, and by the Vedas, rishis, gods, rivers, mountains and herbs.

After the bath, wearing a ring of kusha on the hand, one offers tarpan to the gods, the rishis and the ancestors. Narada says that for as many sesame seeds as are offered in tarpan, for that many years the ancestors dwell in heaven.

Next, come out of the water, put on clean clothes and worship Lord Vishnu again with sandalwood, flowers and fruit. Offer arghya with the words: Lord, together with Radha ji, accept this arghya of mine. Then bow to the learned Brahmins who study the Vedas, offering them sandalwood, flowers and paan. Narada says that tirthas rest at their feet, the Vedas in their mouths and the gods in their limbs, and that they should never be insulted.

Last comes Tulsi Mata. Worship her, walk around her and bow, saying: O beloved of Vishnu, the gods created you and the rishis worshipped you. Destroy my sins. Narada says that one who bathes this way in Kartik with devotion enjoys happiness in this world, that his ancestors too are satisfied, and that at the end he attains moksha.

The teaching of this chapter

Not everyone can reach a river, and the lesson of this chapter allows for that. If you bathe at home, add a little Gangajal to the water. Meditate on the Lord and take the sankalp before the bath, and be sure to walk around the tulsi after it.

The bathing rules in this chapter

This is the order of merit Narada gives, each place greater than the one before.

• Cold water, ten times warm water
• A well outside the village
• A baoli
• A pond
• A waterfall, ten times the pond
• A river in Kartik
• The meeting of two rivers, ten times more
• The meeting of three rivers, where the merit is called endless

On Saptami, Amavasya, Navami, Trayodashi, Dwitiya and Dashami, the chapter says not to bathe with sesame and amla.

Frequently asked questions

What should a vrati carry to the bath?
Soil from the root of the tulsi, a clean cloth and a kalash of water.

Which bathing place does Narada rank highest?
The place where three rivers meet. He calls the merit of bathing there endless.

Who bathes with sesame and amla, and who with tulsi soil?
A householder uses a paste of sesame and amla. A widow or a sannyasi uses soil from the root of the tulsi.

What does Narada say about tarpan?
He says that for as many sesame seeds as are offered, for that many years the ancestors dwell in heaven.

What should one do if bathing at home?
The chapter's lesson is to add a little Gangajal to the water, meditate and take the sankalp first, and walk around the tulsi afterwards.

Previous chapter: Adhyay 5: The Vrati's Day and Where God Lives
Next chapter: Adhyay 7: The Rules of the Kartik Vow