Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66
Mantra-Māhātmya and Sādhana of Kārtavīryārjuna
Nyāsa, Yantra, Homa, and Dīpa-Vrata
योगेषु रात्रौ पूर्वाह्णे दीपारंभः कृतः शुभः । कार्तिके शुक्लसप्तम्यां निशीथेऽतीव शोभनः ॥ ६६ ॥
yogeṣu rātrau pūrvāhṇe dīpāraṃbhaḥ kṛtaḥ śubhaḥ | kārtike śuklasaptamyāṃ niśīthe'tīva śobhanaḥ || 66 ||
During auspicious yogas, commencing the lamp-offering at night or in the forenoon is highly auspicious. In the month of Kārttika, beginning it at midnight on the bright fortnight’s seventh lunar day (Śukla-saptamī) is especially splendid and meritorious.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within the Vedāṅga/kalpa-ritual timing context)
Vrata: Kārttika-dīpa (lamp observance; dīpa-ārambha)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that the merit of a lamp-offering depends not only on devotion but also on correct kāla (timing)—especially auspicious yogas, tithi, and the sacred Kārttika period—making the observance more spiritually efficacious.
By recommending dīpāraṃbha in Kārttika and at sacred times like niśītha, it frames bhakti as expressed through simple, luminous offerings (a lamp) performed with reverence and disciplined observance.
It highlights Jyotiṣa and Kalpa applications—using yoga (astral combination), tithi (lunar day), and niśītha (midnight division) to select auspicious ritual timings for vrata and dāna.