Kanchi Paramacharya, Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi’s lecture in Chennai on 6th December 1957; Page 124 of Acharya’s Call: Madras Discourses (1957-1960),Part 1, BG Paul and Co, 1964)

The Lighting of oil lamps (deepam), at sunset on the full moon day in the month of Karthigai (November-December), is an ancient practice which is in vogue throughout country from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari. It is prescribed in our Sastras (scriptures) that while lighting the deepam (lamp) on this day, we should mentally consecrate it as the abode of Sri Damodara and Sri Tripurantaka alaong with Sri Uma. This is done in the same way as we invoke the ‘sannidhyam’ (in-dwelling) of a chosen deity in a saligrama, linga, or sila(icon) or in a picture and invoke the grace of the Lord on us.

The idea in lighting the deepam with such consecration is that every person who sees the light and every living creature, worm, insect, bird, beast or plant, on which the lustre of the deepam falls, will be suffused with the presence of God and will be blessed by Him. The following prayer is accordingly recited when lighting the Karthigai Deepam:

“Keetah pathangah masakascha vrikshah
Jale sthale ye nivasanti jeevah:
Drstva pradeepam nacha janmabhagina:
Bhavanti nityam svapachahi vipraa:”

( in Tamil கீடா: பதங்கா: மஸகாஸ்ச வ்ருக்ஷா:
ஜலே ஸ்தலே யே நிவசந்தி ஜீவா:
த்ருஷ்ட்வா ப்ரதீபம் நச ஜன்மபகின:
பவந்தி நித்யம் ஸ்வபசாஹி விப்ரா:)

The prayer is in consonance with the Vedic invocation

“Sarve Janas Sukhino Bhavantu”

“May all the people of the world be Happy.”

(சர்வே ஜனாஸ் சுகினோ பவந்து)

We light bonfires (chokka panai), before temples on this night so that its blaze can be seen for a great distance around and God’s grace may descend on all those who behold it. Tha Annamalai deepam at Arunachala (Tiruvannamalai) is seen for miles around. It is significant that the Karthigai Deepam festival is observed in both Saivite and Vaishnavite temples, as there is the ‘avahana’ or indwelling in the light of both Damodara and Tripurantaka, illustrative of the non difference of Siva and Vishnu.

Our country abounds in ‘Punya Kshetras’ (holy temples) and ‘Punya Teerthas’ (holy bathing places) and ‘Punya Kalas’ (auspicious times). The temples and ‘Teerthas’ are places where sages of old had dedicated their ‘tapas’ (spiritual powers) so that erring mortals, who are incapable of observing the austerities necessary to gain spiritual powers and who are susceptible to sins, may be purified and blessed, when they make pilgrimages to these temples and take bath in the ‘teerthas’.

Picture of Special dishes made for Karthigai day (puffed rice+ meltedJaggery+spices)

Punya Kalas’ represent periods of planetary conjunction of a nature beneficent to the world and to the humanity. Karthigai Deepam is lighted on one such sacred conjunction of planets, namely, the conjunction of full moon and ‘kritika nakshatra’ (Star Pleiades), which occurs only once a year in the month of Karthigai.

Pictures are used from face book. Thanks.

(Please read london swaminathan’s the Great Lamp Festival and S. Nagarajan’s Tamil article on Karthigai Natchatram in this blog. contact swami_48@yahoo.com )