Shloka 12
The Glory of Lamp-Donation
in Kārttika
कार्तिके यो नरो दद्यात्प्रदीपं नभसि द्विजः । विप्रहत्यादिभिः पापैर्मुक्तो गच्छेद्धरेर्गृहम्
kārtike yo naro dadyātpradīpaṃ nabhasi dvijaḥ | viprahatyādibhiḥ pāpairmukto gaccheddharergṛham
Im Monat Kārtika, o Zweimalgeborener: Wer im Nabhas eine Lampe darbringt, wird von Sünden wie dem Töten eines Brāhmaṇa befreit und gelangt in Haris Wohnstatt.
Not explicitly specified in the provided excerpt (context needed to confirm the dialogue frame).
Concept: Offering a lamp in Kārtika liberates even grave sins and grants entry to Hari’s abode.
Application: Light a ghee/oil lamp daily in Kartika with a clear sankalpa for Hari; pair with repentance, non-harm, and charity to align conduct with the rite’s promise.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a quiet Kartika night, a twice-born devotee places a bright lamp on a clean altar, its flame steady like a vow. The darkness behind him seems to dissolve into a luminous path, and at the far end a radiant doorway suggests Hari’s abode, implying liberation from heavy sins through a single act of light.","primary_figures":["Brāhmaṇa devotee","Śrī Hari (visionary, distant)","Attendant devas (subtle)"],"setting":"Home shrine or temple mandapa with tulasī pot nearby, night sky of Kartika (clear, starry).","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["deep midnight blue","ghee-gold","vermillion","ivory white","emerald green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Kartika dīpa-dāna at a home shrine, large golden flame with gold leaf radiance, Viṣṇu’s Vaikuṇṭha doorway in the background with ornate arch, rich reds/greens, heavy jewelry motifs, embossed halos and decorative borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate night interior with a single lamp illuminating the devotee’s face, delicate shading, starry sky through a window, a faint celestial path leading to a distant Viṣṇu silhouette, cool blues with warm lamp glow, refined ornamentation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized lamp with exaggerated flame, devotee in profile offering with añjali, Viṣṇu’s form in a circular aura above, strong black outlines, earthy reds/yellows/greens, temple-wall composition with rhythmic patterns.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central oversized diya with lotus petals around it, symmetrical floral borders, peacocks and cows at the margins, a small Viṣṇu/Śrī Hari medallion above the flame, deep blue cloth ground with gold highlights and intricate motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","oil lamp crackle","soft conch shell","night insects","distant kirtan hum"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दद्यात्प्रदीपम् = दद्यात् + प्रदीपम्; पापैर्मुक्तो = पापैः + मुक्तः; गच्छेद्धरेर्गृहम् = गच्छेत् + हरेः + गृहम् (त् + ह → द्ध)
FAQs
It praises dīpa-dāna—offering a lamp—as a potent devotional act associated with Kārtika observances.
It states that the giver is freed from grave sins (listed with brāhmaṇa-killing as the foremost example) and attains the abode of Hari (Viṣṇu).
The verse underscores repentance and transformation: sincere devotional charity (like lamp-offering) is presented as a means to purify even heavy moral faults and reorient life toward dharma and devotion.