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 ||
Raja yang terbaik itu ialah bhakta Viṣṇu, setia kepada Śruti (wahyu Veda), dan terunggul antara para pemerintah. Dalam bulan yang paling suci itu, apakah yang dilakukan oleh raja mulia tersebut?
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.