Seven Practices for Freedom from Sin in the Kartik Month

Bathing before sunrise while the stars are still out, in flowing water where a river can be reached

The speaker says bathing before sunrise, in the dark hours while the stars are still out, is the most important observance of the whole Kartik month.

The speaker says that of all the things to be done in this month, bathing before sunrise, in the hours while the stars are still out, matters most. He says bathing in flowing water — that is, a river — during this time in Kartik is held to yield imperishable (akshaya) merit. When going to a river is not possible, he says one should still bathe at home, calling to mind the names of the sacred rivers while doing so.

The guru-given mantra recited before a lit lamp right after the bath, aiming at a sava lakh anushthan across the month

The speaker says that after bathing, one should light a lamp before the deities in the puja room and sit before it; if one has received a mantra in Diksha from a guru, that mantra should be recited as far as one is able, even if japa is not otherwise kept up in other months.

The speaker says that after bathing, on returning to the puja room, a lamp should be lit for all the deities present there — or at least one principal lamp — and one should sit before it. He says that whether or not one keeps up regular puja and paath in other months, in Kartik, if one is initiated (Diksha) and has received a mantra from one's guru, that mantra should be recited (japa) as far as one's capacity allows. He says the aim should be to complete a sava lakh (125,000-repetition) AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. of that mantra over the course of the month, with the japa carried out early in the morning, right after the pre-dawn bath.

Water offered to Bhagwati Tulsi each morning and a lamp lit before her each evening

The speaker says that throughout Kartik, water should be offered to Bhagwati Tulsi in the morning and a lamp lit before her in the evening.

The speaker says the third major task for the whole of Kartik month is service (seva) to Bhagwati Tulsi. He says offering water in the morning and lighting a lamp before Tulsi in the evening is essential during this month.

Where should lamps be lit for deepdaan during the Kartik month?

The speaker says deepdaan in Kartik month should be offered not only to deities but also near the grain store, the place where wealth is kept, the okhal-musal and silbatta, the water storage, both sides of the main door, and beside a Tulsi, shami, bilva or mango tree.

The speaker says the fourth major task of the Kartik month is Deepdaan. He says this should not be limited to lighting lamps for the deities — a lamp should be lit near every object one holds dear or that matters greatly in one's life. He names: the place where grain is stored (the bhandar); the place where wealth is kept; the okhal-musal (mortar and pestle) and the silbatta (grinding stone), where present in the home; the place where water is stored; and both sides of the main door of the house. He says he has already mentioned Tulsi, and adds that a lamp should also be lit beside a shami tree, a bilva tree, or a mango tree, wherever these are present. He says the oil used may be sesame, mustard, or ghee — whichever one can manage — but that the lamp being lit is what matters most.

What kind of diet should be kept during the Kartik month?

The speaker says that during Kartik month one should eat purely sattvic food, giving up garlic and onion entirely and avoiding meat altogether, so that the fruit of the month's other observances is fully received.

The speaker says the fifth thing to observe in Kartik month concerns food. He says one should try, as far as possible, to eat only sattvic food through the month, giving up garlic and onion completely. He says eating meat is not even to be considered — food should be entirely vaishnav in nature throughout Kartik. He says it is only then that the full fruit of whatever else is done in the month is received.

One fixed day of the week kept for giving, with annadaan and meeting a person's specific need the best forms

The speaker says he is not asking for charity every day; instead, one may pick a single day of the week to always give on, with annadaan or helping someone with whatever they specifically need counted as the best forms of it.

The speaker says the sixth thing is charity (daan), but adds that one should also know when and to whom to give it. He clarifies he is not saying charity must be given every single day — if one has the means, one may do so, but otherwise a single day of the week can be chosen and kept as the day one always gives on. He says Annadaan (giving food) is the best form of charity, and that helping a person with whatever specific thing they need is also a very great meritorious act — which he counts as the seventh thing.

Why can service to others destroy sins that puja and japa cannot?

The speaker says helping someone in need during Kartik month yields merit capable of destroying many sins, and that the blessings gained from serving any living being can dissolve sins that puja, paath and japa alone cannot; he adds that some outcomes of one's Prarabdha can only be worked off this way, through serving and satisfying another being.

The speaker says that if, during this month, one helps someone — especially someone in genuine need — the merit received from that act is capable of destroying many of one's sins. He adds that this is a special point worth remembering: the blessings gained from serving any living being destroy many sins that cannot be destroyed through puja, paath, or japa alone. He says that, owing to PrarabdhaThe portion of destiny already set in motion by past actions — spiritual practice and good deeds can lessen its severity, but not eliminate it., certain events unfold or certain results come due that a person may no longer have the capacity to bear. In such cases, he says, it is by helping another being, satisfying them and protecting them, and receiving their blessing in turn, that this prarabdha is exhausted and one's own well-being is secured.