Karthika Puranam · Day 12 of 30
Karthika Puranam Day 12
Chapter 12 — Dwadashi and the gift of a Shaligrama
Read on (2026)
Saturday, November 21, 2026
Shukla Paksha Dwadashi · శుద్ధ ద్వాదశి
Also on this day: Ksheerabdi Dwadashi
Chapter 12 — the story
Vasishtha praises the Ekadashi fast and Dwadashi parana, and above all the gift of a Shaligrama on Karthika Shuddha Dwadashi — the day Vishnu rises from his sleep, kept by Telugu families as Ksheerabdi Dwadashi. Such a gift, he says, equals giving away the whole earth.
He tells of Dharmaveera, the generous son of a cruel, miserly merchant who had gone to hell. When Narada told him to give a Shaligrama to free his father, Dharmaveera scoffed that it was only a stone. After many lowly births he was born a Brahmin's daughter and widowed young; her father had her give a Shaligrama on a Karthika Monday, and her husband came back to life.
What this chapter teaches
Karthika Dwadashi is especially sacred, and a sacred gift scorned out of doubt brings long suffering.
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.