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
En el mes de Kārtika, oh dos veces nacido, quien ofrece una lámpara en Nabhas queda libre de pecados como el asesinato de un brāhmaṇa y llega a la morada de Hari.
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.