Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 53
विष्णुचेष्टितवर्णनम् / Account of Viṣṇu’s Stratagem and Its Aftermath
ततो विस्मृतदुःखोऽसौ विष्णुस्ताभ्यां सहैव तु । वैकुंठमगमत्तुष्टस्सर्वदेवैर्नमस्कृतः । कार्तिके मासि विप्रेन्द्र धात्री च तुलसी सदा । सर्वदेवप्रियाज्ञेया विष्णोश्चैव विशेषतः
tato vismṛtaduḥkho'sau viṣṇustābhyāṃ sahaiva tu | vaikuṃṭhamagamattuṣṭassarvadevairnamaskṛtaḥ | kārtike māsi viprendra dhātrī ca tulasī sadā | sarvadevapriyājñeyā viṣṇoścaiva viśeṣataḥ
Então Viṣṇu, tendo esquecido sua tristeza, partiu com aquelas duas; e, satisfeito e reverenciado por todos os deuses, retornou a Vaikuṇṭha. Ó melhor dos brāhmaṇas, no mês de Kārtika, Dhātrī (āmalakī) e Tulasī devem ser sempre conhecidas como queridas por todos os deuses—e especialmente por Viṣṇu. Do ponto de vista do Śaiva Siddhānta, isto também mostra como até as divindades encontram paz e restauração sob a ordenação suprema do Senhor cósmico (Pati), e como as observâncias sagradas no tempo (Kārtika) e as plantas sagradas se tornam suportes de devoção e mérito dentro do dharma.
Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya; addressing a leading brāhmaṇa as 'viprendra')
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Kārtika-māsa observance is highlighted as a time when dhātrī (āmalakī) and tulasī become especially dear; while not a Jyotirliṅga episode, it functions like a vrata-māhātmya segment within the narrative.
Significance: Merit through Kārtika devotion and offering/association with dhātrī and tulasī; supports sāttvika bhakti and ritual purity.
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It highlights restoration through dharma: Viṣṇu’s grief is dispelled and he returns to his divine abode, while Kārtika is praised as a potent sacred time where offerings like Dhātrī and Tulasī amplify devotion and merit—showing that divine well-being is sustained within the cosmic order governed by the Supreme (Pati).
Though the verse names Viṣṇu, the Shiva Purana’s frame presents all deities as functioning within Śiva’s overarching sovereignty; thus, honoring sacred observances (vrata-kāla) and pure offerings supports Saguna worship—including Liṅga-pūjā—by cultivating sattva, devotion, and alignment with dharma.
Observe Kārtika with devotional discipline: offer or venerate Tulasī and Dhātrī (Āmalakī) with purity and mantra-japa; as a Śaiva practice, pair this with Liṅga-arcana and Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") for steadiness of mind and merit.