Shloka 17
The Glory of Lamp-Donation
in Kārttika
एकदा कार्तिके सोऽपि प्रदीपं पुरतो हरेः । दत्वा गृहं गतो विप्रो घृतपूर्णं द्विजर्षभः
ekadā kārtike so'pi pradīpaṃ purato hareḥ | datvā gṛhaṃ gato vipro ghṛtapūrṇaṃ dvijarṣabhaḥ
Pada suatu ketika dalam bulan Kārttika, brāhmana yang mulia itu—terbaik antara kaum dvija—meletakkan pelita berisi ghee di hadapan Śrī Hari, lalu pulang ke rumahnya.
Narrator (context not supplied; commonly within Padma Purāṇa Brahma-khaṇḍa dialogues attributed to Pulastya speaking to Bhīṣma)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: temple
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सोऽपि = सः + अपि; हरेः (no sandhi); घृतपूर्णं (contextually agrees with प्रदीपम्); द्विजर्षभः = द्विज + ऋषभः.
FAQs
Kārttika is repeatedly presented as a highly meritorious month for Vaiṣṇava devotion; offering a lamp before Hari is a classic act of bhakti and vrata-observance associated with spiritual merit and purification.
The verse describes placing a ghee-filled lamp (ghṛta-pūrṇa pradīpa) before Lord Hari (Viṣṇu), a standard Kārttika observance connected with dīpa-dāna.
It highlights simple, sincere devotion: even a straightforward offering—done at an auspicious time and directed to the divine—embodies reverence, discipline, and faith.