Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37
तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन कार्यो यत्नेन कार्तिके । एकोऽपि नियमः कश्चित्सुसूक्ष्मोऽपि द्विजोत्तमाः
tasmātsarvaprayatnena kāryo yatnena kārtike | eko'pi niyamaḥ kaścitsusūkṣmo'pi dvijottamāḥ
Por ello, oh el mejor de los nacidos dos veces, con todo empeño debe observarse—especialmente en el mes de Kārtika—aunque sea una sola disciplina, aun si es muy sutil y pequeña.
Skanda (deduced)
Tirtha: Kārtika (time-tīrtha)
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvijo-ttamāḥ (best of twice-born) explicitly addressed
Scene: Kārtika evening on a riverbank/temple courtyard: rows of small lamps (dīpas), devotees performing a simple vow with folded hands; starry autumn sky.
FAQs
In Kārtika, even a modest, sincere practice carries great value; consistency matters more than grandeur.
No single tīrtha is named; the verse glorifies the sacred month Kārtika as a ‘pilgrimage in time’.
Undertake at least one niyama during Kārtika, even if minimal.