Shloka 26
Kārtika-Māhātmya
The Greatness of Kārtika
विष्णुभक्तः श्रुतिपरः प्रवरः स महीक्षिताम् । तस्मिन्पुण्यतमे मासे किं चकार नृपोत्तमः ॥ २६ ॥
viṣṇubhaktaḥ śrutiparaḥ pravaraḥ sa mahīkṣitām | tasminpuṇyatame māse kiṃ cakāra nṛpottamaḥ || 26 ||
ಆ ನೃಪೋತ್ತಮನು ವಿಷ್ಣುಭಕ್ತನು, ಶ್ರುತಿ-ಪರಾಯಣನು, ರಾಜರಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠನು. ಆ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಪುಣ್ಯಮಯ ಮಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನು ಏನು ಮಾಡಿದನು?
Narada
Vrata: Kārtika-māsa observance (Kārtika-vrata, implied)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames the king as an ideal ruler grounded in Viṣṇu-bhakti and Śruti-authority, then highlights that actions done in a supremely holy month carry special spiritual potency—setting up the forthcoming description of his meritorious observance.
Bhakti here is not sentimental alone: the king’s devotion to Viṣṇu is paired with śruti-paratā (submission to Vedic revelation), implying devotion expressed through dharmic conduct, vrata, and sacred-month observances.
While no Vedāṅga is named explicitly, the emphasis on a specific “most sacred month” points to Vedic calendrical discipline (Jyotiṣa-based timing) that governs when vrata, tīrtha-yātrā, and ritual merits are intensified.