Chapter 1

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nārāyaṇaṃ namaskṛtya naraṃ caiva narottamam |
devīṃ sarasvatīṃ caiva tato jayamudīrayet || 1 ||
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ṛṣaya ūcuḥ |
sūta naḥ kathitaṃ puṇyaṃ māhātmyamāśvinasya ca |
bhūyo'nyacchrotumicchāmaḥ kārtikasya ca vaibhavam || 2 ||
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kalau kaluṣacittānāṃ narāṇāṃ pāpakarmaṇām |
saṃsārābdhau nimagnānāmanāyāsena kā gatiḥ || 3 ||
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ko dharmaḥ sarvadharmāṇāmadhiko mokṣasādhakaḥ |
ihā'pi muktido nṛṇāmetattvaṃ kathaya prabho || 4 ||
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sūta uvāca |
bhavadbhiryadahaṃ pṛṣṭastadetatpṛṣṭavānmuniḥ |
nārado brahmaṇaḥ putro brahmāṇaṃ tu jagadgurum || 5 ||
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tathaiva satyabhāmā ca śrīkṛṣṇaṃ jagadīśvaram |
apṛcchatkārtikasyaiva vaibhavaṃ śravaṇotsukā || 6 ||
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vālakhilyaiśca ṛṣibhiryaduktamṛṣisaṃsadi |
śrīsūryāruṇasaṃvādarūpeṇā'timanoharam || 7 ||
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kailāse śaṃkareṇaiva kārtikasya ca vaibhavam |
varṇitaṃ ṣaṇmukhasyāgre nānākhyānasamanvitam || 8 ||
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pṛthuṃ prati nāradena kathitaṃ ca mahātmyakam |
kārtikasya ca vipreṃdrā śrutvā brahmamukhātpurā || 9 ||
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ekadā nārado yogī satyalokamupāgataḥ |
papraccha vinayenaiva sarvalokapitāmaham || 10 ||
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śrīnārada uvāca |
pāpeṃdhanasya ghorasya śuṣkārdrasya ca bhūriśaḥ |
ko vahnirdahate brahmaṃstadbhavānvaktumarhati || 11 ||
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nājñātaṃ triṣu lokeṣu brahmāṃḍāṃtargatasya yat |
vidyate tava deveśa trividhasya suniścitam || 12 ||
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māsānāṃ pravaro māso devānāmuttamottamaḥ |
tīrthāni tadviśeṣeṇa kathayasva pitāmaha || 13 ||
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brahmovāca |
māsānāṃ kārtikaḥ śreṣṭho devānāṃ madhusūdanaḥ |
tīrthaṃ nārāyaṇākhyaṃ hi tritayaṃ durlabhaṃ kalau || 14 ||
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nārada uvāca |
bhagavaṃstava dāso'smi bhakto'smi harivallabha |
vaiṣṇavānbrūhi me dharmānsarvajño'si pitāmaha || 15 ||
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ādau kārtikamāhātmyaṃ vaktumarhasi me prabho |
dīpadānasya māhātmyaṃ vratināṃ niyamāṃstathā || 16 ||
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gopīcaṃdanamāhātmyaṃ tulasyāśca tathā vibho |
dhātryāścaiva ca māhātmyaṃ vidhiṃ snānādikasya ca |
vratāraṃbhaḥ kadā kāryaṃ udyāpanavidhiṃ tathā || 17 ||
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yatkiṃcidvaiṣṇavaṃ dharmaṃ tatsarvaṃ vaktumarhasi |
yenā'haṃ tvatprasādena padaṃ yāsyāmyanāmayam || 18 ||
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sūta uvāca |
iti putravacaḥ śrutvā brahmā harṣasamanvitaḥ |
rādhādāmodaraṃ smṛtvā provāca tanujaṃ prati || 19 ||
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brahmovāca |
sādhu pṛṣṭaṃ tvayā putra lokoddharaṇahetave |
kathayāmi na saṃdehaḥ kārtikasya ca vaibhavam || 20 ||
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ekataḥ sarvatīrthāni sarve yajñāḥ sadakṣiṇāḥ |
kārtikasya tu māsasya kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm || 21 ||
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ekataḥ puṣkare vāsaḥ kurukṣetre himālaye |
ekataḥ kārtikaḥ putra sarvapuṇyādhiko mataḥ || 22 ||
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svarṇāni merutulyāni sarvadānāni caikataḥ |
ekataḥ kārtiko vatsa sarvadā keśavapriyaḥ || 23 ||
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yatkiṃcitkriyate puṇyaṃ viṣṇumuddiśya kārtike |
tasya kṣayaṃ na paśyāmi mayoktaṃ tava nārada || 24 ||
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sopānabhūtaṃ svargasya mānuṣyaṃ prāpya durlabham |
tathātmānaṃ samādadyānna bhraśyeta yathā punaḥ || 25 ||
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duṣprāpyaṃ prāpya mānuṣyaṃ kārtikoktaṃ carenna yaḥ |
dharmaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭha sa mātāpitṛghātakaḥ || 26 ||
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kārtikaḥ khalu vai māsaḥ sarvamāseṣu cottamaḥ |
puṇyānāṃ paramaṃ puṇyaṃ pāvanānāṃ ca pāvanam || 27 ||
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asminmāse trayastriṃśaddevāḥ sannihitā mune |
atra snānānidānāni bhojanāni vratāni ca || 28 ||
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tiladhenuṃ hiraṇyaṃ ca rajataṃ bhūmivāsasī |
gopradānāni kurvaṃti sarvabhāvena nārada || 29 ||
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tāni dānāni dattāni gṛhṇaṃti vidhivatsurāḥ |
yatkiṃca dattaṃ vipreṃdra tapaścaiva tathā kṛtam || 30 ||
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tadakṣayyaphalaṃ proktaṃ viṣṇunā prabhaviṣṇunā |
pāpānāṃ mokṣaṇaṃ caiva kārtike māsi śasyate || 31 ||
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tasmādyatnena vipreṃdra kārtike māsi dīyate |
yatkiṃcitkārtike dattaṃ viṣṇumuddiśya mānavaiḥ || 32 ||
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tadakṣayaṃ hi labhate annadānaṃ viśeṣataḥ |
yathā nadīnāṃ vipreṃdra śailānāṃ caiva nārada || 33 ||
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udadhīnāṃ ca viprarṣe kṣayo naivopapadyate |
dānaṃ kārtikamāse tu yatkiṃciddīyate mune || 34 ||
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na tasyāsti kṣayo vipra pāpaṃ yāti sahasradhā |
saṃprāptaṃ kārtikaṃ dṛṣṭvā parānnaṃ yastu varjayet || 35 ||
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dinedine'tikṛcchrasya phalaṃ prāpnotyayatnataḥ |
na kārtikasamo māso na kṛtena samaṃ yugam || 36 ||
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na vedasadṛśaṃ śāstraṃ na tīrthaṃ gaṃgayā samam |
na cānnasadṛśaṃ dānaṃ na sukhaṃ bhāryayā samam || 37 ||
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nyāyenopārjitaṃ dravyaṃ durlabhaṃ dānakāriṇām |
durlabhaṃ martyadharmāṇāṃ tīrthe ca pratipādanam || 38 ||
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kārtike muniśārdūla śāligrāmaśilārcanam |
smaraṇaṃ vāsudevasya kartavyaṃ pāpabhīruṇā || 39 ||
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etādṛśaṃ kārtikaṃ ca akṛtenaiva yo nayet |
pūrvaṃ kṛtasya puṇyasya kṣayamāpnotyasaṃśayam || 40 ||
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nārada uvāca |
aśaktena kathaṃ kāryaṃ kārtikavratamuttamam |
yena tatphalamāpnoti tanme vada pitāmaha || 41 ||
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brahmovāca |
aśaktastu yadā martyastadaivaṃ vratamācaret |
anyasmai draviṇaṃ dattvā kārayetkārtikavratam || 42 ||
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tasmātpuṇyaṃ pragṛhṇīta dānasaṃkalpapūrvakam |
dravyadāne'pyaśaktaścedyadā devarṣisattama || 43 ||
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tadā tena prakartavyaṃ pānaṃ tīrthajalasya ca |
tatrāpyaśakto yo martyastena nityaṃ harermudā || 44 ||
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smaraṇaṃ ca prakartavyaṃ nāmnā niyamapūrvakam |
akhaṃḍitaṃ tadā tena kārtikavratajaṃ phalam || 45 ||
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viṣṇoḥ śivasya vā kuryādālaye harijāgaram |
śivaviṣṇvorgṛhābhāve sarvadevālayeṣvapi || 46 ||
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durgāṭavyāṃ sthito vā'tha yadivā'padgato bhavet |
kuryādaśvatthamūle tu tulasīnāṃ vaneṣvapi || 47 ||
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viṣṇunāmaprabaṃdhānāṃ gāyanaṃ viṣṇusannidhau |
gosahasrapradānasya phalamāpnoti mānavaḥ || 48 ||
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vādyakṛtpuruṣaścāpi vājapeyaphalaṃ labhet |
sarvatīrthāvagāhotthaṃ nartakaḥ phalamāpnuyāt || 49 ||
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sarvametallabhetpuṇyameteṣāṃ dravyadaḥ pumān |
śravaṇāddarśanādvāpi ṣaḍaṃśaṃ phalamāpnuyāt || 50 ||
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āpadgato yadāpyaṃbho na labhetkutracinnaraḥ |
vyādhito vāthavā kuryādviṣṇornāmnā'pi mārjanam || 51 ||
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udyāpanavidhiṃ kartumaśakto yo vratasthitaḥ |
brāhmaṇānbhojayetpaścādvratasaṃpūrtihetave || 52 ||
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aśakto dīpadānāya paradīpaṃ prabodhayet |
tasya vā rakṣaṇaṃ kuryādvātādibhyaḥ prayatnataḥ || 53 ||
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śrīviṣṇoḥ pūjanā'bhāve tulasīdhātripūjanam |
sarvā'bhāve vratī kuryādbrāhmaṇānāṃ gavāmapi |
tasyāpyabhāve manasi viṣṇornāmānukīrtanam || 54 ||
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nārada uvāca |
brahmanbrūhi viśeṣeṇa dharmānkārtikasaṃbhavān || 55 ||
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iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ dvitīye vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍe kārtikamāsamāhātmye kārtikavratapraśaṃsāvarṇanaṃnāma prathamo'dhyāyaḥ || 1 ||
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