Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37
तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन कार्यो यत्नेन कार्तिके । एकोऽपि नियमः कश्चित्सुसूक्ष्मोऽपि द्विजोत्तमाः
tasmātsarvaprayatnena kāryo yatnena kārtike | eko'pi niyamaḥ kaścitsusūkṣmo'pi dvijottamāḥ
म्हणून, हे द्विजोत्तमांनो, विशेषतः कार्तिकात सर्व प्रयत्नाने—एक तरी नियम, तो कितीही सूक्ष्म असला तरी—अवश्य करावा।
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.