Karthika Puranam · Day 2 of 30
Karthika Puranam Day 2
Chapter 2 — The glory of the Monday (Somavara) vow
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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Shukla Paksha Dwitiya · శుద్ధ విదియ
Chapter 2 — the story
Vasishtha first sets out the Karthika Monday vow: fast through the day and eat only after seeing the stars, perform Shiva abhishekam with bilva, keep a night vigil, and give sesame and food — with lighter options, down to a simple gift of sesame, for those who cannot fast.
Then he tells of Nishthuri, a Brahmin's daughter whom her neighbours nicknamed Karkasha for her harshness. She abused and finally killed her husband Mitrasharma. After long punishment in hell, in her fifteenth birth she was a dog in Kalinga. One Karthika Monday the dog ate the food a Brahmin had set out to break his fast; she remembered her past life, he gave her the merit of one Monday's vow, and she rose to Kailasa.
What this chapter teaches
Even the merit of a single Karthika Monday can lift a soul — which is why Karthika Somavarams are kept so strictly.
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.