The Karthika Purana is told as a conversation. King Janaka asks why Karthika is the holiest month, and the sage Vasishtha answers him. His answer comes as a series of stories, and the month is dear to both Shiva and Vishnu.
The month runs about thirty days, and the Purana is read the same way, one chapter a day. Many people pair the reading with a simple routine: a bath before sunrise, lamps lit in the evening, and giving to others. Some calendars count the month from the new moon and others from the full moon, but the customs are the same either way.
Here you will find all thirty chapters retold as stories, one for each day of Karthika. Take a few quiet minutes to read or listen to today's chapter, then come back tomorrow for the next. Each day's chapter is linked below.
Read the Karthika Puranam day by day
- Day 1 – Karthika Puranam Day 1: The River in Every Well — King Janaka asks the sage Vasishtha why Karthika is the greatest of the twelve months. Vasishtha explains the Karthika vow of bathing, worship and lighting lamps, which is open to everyone.
- Day 2 – Karthika Puranam Day 2: The Dog Who Spoke — Vasishtha tells King Janaka how a dog who once was a woman named Nishthuri was freed by one Karthika Monday, and gives six ways to keep the Monday vow.
- Day 3 – Karthika Puranam Day 3: Three Demons in a Tree — Vasishtha tells Janaka how the pilgrim Tattvanishtha freed three brahmarakshasas on the Godavari by giving them the merit of his Karthika morning bath.
- Day 4 – Day 4
- Day 5 – Day 5
- Day 6 – Day 6
- Day 7 – Day 7
- Day 8 – Day 8
- Day 9 – Day 9
- Day 10 – Day 10
- Day 11 – Day 11
- Day 12 – Day 12
- Day 13 – Day 13
- Day 14 – Day 14
- Day 15 – Day 15
- Day 16 – Day 16
- Day 17 – Day 17 (on 2026-11-26)
- Day 18 – Day 18 (on 2026-11-27)
- Day 19 – Day 19 (on 2026-11-28)
- Day 20 – Day 20 (on 2026-11-29)
- Day 21 – Day 21 (on 2026-11-30)
- Day 22 – Day 22 (on 2026-12-01)
- Day 23 – Day 23 (on 2026-12-02)
- Day 24 – Day 24 (on 2026-12-03)
- Day 25 – Day 25 (on 2026-12-04)
- Day 26 – Day 26 (on 2026-12-05)
- Day 27 – Day 27 (on 2026-12-06)
- Day 28 – Day 28 (on 2026-12-07)
- Day 29 – Day 29 (on 2026-12-08)
- Day 30 – Day 30 (on 2026-12-09)