Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 53
विष्णुचेष्टितवर्णनम् / Account of Viṣṇu’s Stratagem and Its Aftermath
ततो विस्मृतदुःखोऽसौ विष्णुस्ताभ्यां सहैव तु । वैकुंठमगमत्तुष्टस्सर्वदेवैर्नमस्कृतः । कार्तिके मासि विप्रेन्द्र धात्री च तुलसी सदा । सर्वदेवप्रियाज्ञेया विष्णोश्चैव विशेषतः
tato vismṛtaduḥkho'sau viṣṇustābhyāṃ sahaiva tu | vaikuṃṭhamagamattuṣṭassarvadevairnamaskṛtaḥ | kārtike māsi viprendra dhātrī ca tulasī sadā | sarvadevapriyājñeyā viṣṇoścaiva viśeṣataḥ
Dann ging Viṣṇu, dessen Kummer vergessen war, mit jenen beiden; und, erfreut und von allen Göttern verehrt, kehrte er nach Vaikuṇṭha zurück. O Bester der Brāhmaṇas, im Monat Kārtika sind Dhātrī (āmalakī) und Tulasī stets als Lieblinge aller Götter zu erkennen—und ganz besonders als Lieblinge Viṣṇus. Aus Sicht des Śaiva Siddhānta zeigt dies auch, wie selbst die Gottheiten Frieden und Wiederherstellung in der höchsten Ordnung des kosmischen Herrn (Pati) finden, und wie zeitgebundene heilige Observanzen (Kārtika) und heilige Pflanzen zu Stützen von Hingabe und Verdienst innerhalb des Dharma werden.
Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya; addressing a leading brāhmaṇa as 'viprendra')
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Kārtika-māsa observance is highlighted as a time when dhātrī (āmalakī) and tulasī become especially dear; while not a Jyotirliṅga episode, it functions like a vrata-māhātmya segment within the narrative.
Significance: Merit through Kārtika devotion and offering/association with dhātrī and tulasī; supports sāttvika bhakti and ritual purity.
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It highlights restoration through dharma: Viṣṇu’s grief is dispelled and he returns to his divine abode, while Kārtika is praised as a potent sacred time where offerings like Dhātrī and Tulasī amplify devotion and merit—showing that divine well-being is sustained within the cosmic order governed by the Supreme (Pati).
Though the verse names Viṣṇu, the Shiva Purana’s frame presents all deities as functioning within Śiva’s overarching sovereignty; thus, honoring sacred observances (vrata-kāla) and pure offerings supports Saguna worship—including Liṅga-pūjā—by cultivating sattva, devotion, and alignment with dharma.
Observe Kārtika with devotional discipline: offer or venerate Tulasī and Dhātrī (Āmalakī) with purity and mantra-japa; as a Śaiva practice, pair this with Liṅga-arcana and Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") for steadiness of mind and merit.