Karthika Puranam · Day 11 of 30
Karthika Puranam Day 11
Chapter 11 — Manthara and the glory of the Purana
Read on (2026)
Friday, November 20, 2026
Shukla Paksha Ekadashi · శుద్ధ ఏకాదశి
Also on this day: Utthana (Prabodhini) Ekadashi
Chapter 11 — the story
Vasishtha opens by saying that worship with avise (flax) flowers in Karthika equals the Chandrayana vow. He then tells of Manthara, a Brahmin of Kalinga who abandons his duties and turns thief. In time he, a Brahmin traveller, a hunter and a tiger all die and are brought before Yama.
Manthara's faithful wife, on a sage's advice, lights a lamp and listens to the Purana on Karthika Pournami. After her own death, as she is carried to Vaikuntha, she sees the four suffering in Yama's world and gives them the merit of her lamp and her listening — and all four are freed.
What this chapter teaches
A faithful listener's merit can free others — hearing the Purana with devotion is itself a great offering.
How to read the Karthika Puranam
- Read or listen to one chapter each day of Karthika Masam, usually in the evening after lighting the deepam.
- Many families read together after the pre-dawn Karthika snanam or at the Tulasi kota.
- These are short summaries; for the full text, read a printed Karthika Puranam or listen to a pravachanam.