Kārtika Māsa: October 7 – November 5

Kārtika māsa brings with it festivals and rituals even as it takes us closer to the stillness and darkness of winter. When it begins, the second month of Sharad rtu, is a time of beauty and perfection of balance between the energy of the Sun and the Moon. But it is also the time when the transition towards winter becomes palpable.

Kārtika māsa is the month of both, light and darkness. The darkness of Kārtika Amāvasya, New Moon, is illuminated with millions of diyas, celebrating the festival of Dipāvali and inviting the grace and blessing of goddess Lakshmi into our homes. The radiant Kārtika Purnimā, Full Moon, is celebrated in the eternal city of the gods – Benaras, as Dev Dipāvali.

And in between these two festivals of light we witness the palpable transition from the waning, fleeting beauty of Sharad rtu to the quiet solitude of the oncoming winter season. When this month begins the skies are deeply blue and golden sunshine gilds everything it touches. Dawn is scented with delicate fragrance of Praijat. The heady scent of Saptaparni scents the day and dusk offers us the sensuality of Tuberose, Mogra and Gulab. But the days grow visibly shorter, the air gets a little bit cooler every day and the soft, golden glow of the autumnal Sun seems to be gently losing its warmth in slow increments.

Festivals of Light

Kārtika māsa is marked by its two festivals of light – Dipāvali and Dev Dipāvali. And at the heart of both festivals lies the sacred fire of a ritually lit diya.

Deep Vandana: At the heart of the two festivals of Kārtika lies the beauty and power of a diya – the traditional earthen lamp which continues to be lit every day in the millions of homes and on riverbanks across the subcontinent. It goes back to the oldest rituals and prayers of Sanatam Dharma – where Agni is invoked as both, auspiciousness in its own right and as the liminal threshold that connects the world of gods with the realm of mortals. There is both power and peace in these rituals of fire. And one of the more beautiful, oft forgotten rituals of diya is the Deep Vandana. The prayer with which we light a lamp and invoke its blessings. Traditionally, the lighting of the lamp was accompanied by this stotra.

Dipāvali: Dipāvali literally means a “row or series of lights”, and traditionally the lights referred to here are earthen lamps handcrafted from clay and lit using a cotton wick and pure ghee or oil. It is perhaps the biggest celebration of the subcontinent, a dark night that blazes with the light of millions of diyas across homes in the subcontinent. But Dipāvali is also a festival of the goddess – this is the night when Lakshmi, the goddess of abundance and wealth is worshipped.

While the Amāvasya night, lit up with the light of diyas is the apotheosis, Dipāvali is actually a five-day-long festival, with each festivity or day having its own legends and stories. It is the coming together of traditions and rituals of home and celebrations. Symbols of auspiciousness such as rangoli and torans of fresh flowers and Mango leaves are used to decorate the home. Festive feasts begin to be prepared days in advance. Rituals of Shringar – the wearing of new clothes and jewellery are also an integral aspect of Dipāvali.

Dhanteras: Dipawali celebrations start two days earlier on the thirteenth tithi of the waning Moon. It is considered auspicious to buy things on this day and typically jewellery, vessels and other household items are bought.

Narak Chaturdashi: The day before Deepawali is celebrated as Narak Chaturdashi, which is also known as Kali Chaudas in some parts of India.

Amāvasya or Dipawali: The New Moon of Kārtika is the night of lamps – Dipāvali. Goddess Lakshmi is ritually worshipped, and the houses are illuminated by diyas. Legend has it that Lakshmi visits the mortal realm on this night. And the houses she is drawn to visit are then blessed by abundance.

Govardhan Puja: The day after Dipawali is celebrated as Govardhan Puja, also known as Annakut Puja. It marks the beginning of the new year for the regional Gujarati calendar.

Yama Dwitiya: Celebrated on the second day after Dipāvali, Yama Dwitiya marks the end of the Dipāvali festivities. Yama Dwitiya is the day of the God of Death and is also known and celebrated as Bhai Dooj. Legend says that on this day Yama, the god of death, visits his sister, the river Yamuna.

It is thought that these five-day-long festivities and the accompanying rituals for each, which have many regional variations, point towards the coming together of harvest festivals from different regions and other ritual celebrations. Many older legends posit Dipāvali as the night of worshipping Kuber, the lord and keeper of wealth. In some regions it is the night of Kali – as the Adishakti, who rules darkness and time and chaos. It is also perhaps this celebration of Amāvasya as the night of Kali that is possibly the origin of the Jamdani Neelambari saree – a saree woven in the deepest shades of indigo with motifs that were once woven using pure Silver.

Kashi & the Gods: While Dipāvali is our celebration of light, fifteen days later, the Full Moon is celebrated as Dev Dipāvali – festival of the gods. On this beautiful Purnimā, which is celebrated most famously in Benaras, all the ghats along the sacred river Ganga are lit up with diyas and fragrant with floral offerings. It is thought that on this night the gods themselves come to the ancient city of Benaras, where Shiva holds dominion, to celebrate. Benaras, one of the oldest continuously lived in cities in the world, is traditionally known as Kashi, which also means “City of Lights”. Kārtika Purnimā is also celebrated in other regions such as Orissa with differing rituals and legends.

Rtusandhi: Transition to Winter

In Kārtika māsa, especially in its last fortnight, there is a palpable shift in seasonal energy. The warmth of the Sun begins to wane, the nights turn significantly chilly and the very air around us seems to carry a hint of the oncoming cold season. These fourteen days, when the transition from one season to the next takes place, are known as Rtusandhi – the timespan where two seasons or rtus meet.

And to ease our bodies and minds into the next season we return to the timeless wisdom and advice offered by Ayurveda. In Ayurvedic terms, we need to prepare our bodies to transition from the Vata predominant autumn to the season of Kapha dosha. When in balance Kapha is a time of stability and strength but in excess it can also be a time of sluggishness of the body and mind and mucus-related problems.

Here we reiterate some of the simple practices that can help make this transition easier:

• Abhyanga: A regular bi-weekly self-massage of the body with warmed medicinal oil is highly recommended as it nourishes the skin and body, grounds and calms us.
• Warm Herbal Teas: Drink tisanes with spices that enhance digestion and support immunity – Ginger, Coriander, Cumin, Cinnamon and Cardamom. Avoid cold, iced beverages and cold foods such as ice cream.
• Healing Habits: For many of us the onset of winters also brings with it congestion and other phlegm related problems. Liquorice or Mulethi tea is particularly good at this time of the year as it helps discourage the build-up of excess phlegm in the body. Instead of tea you can also have a little of the powder mixed with Honey and follow it up with a cup of warm water. You can also try gargling with a cup of hot water with 1 teaspoon each of Turmeric and Rock Salt to help keep your throat well. Including Ginger, Black Pepper and Pippali (Piper Longum or Indian Long Pepper) in your diet is excellent for clearing excess mucus and toxins from the body and strengthening digestive fire. A delicious and traditional dish that offers the benefits of Pippali is Kandathippili Rasam. Kandathippili is the Tamil name for Indian Long Pepper. Here is one tried and tested recipe for this Rasam.

With each day Kārtika eases out of the clarity and abundance of Sharad rtu, the fragrant nights slowly give way to the quieter, sparser beauty of the winter month. As the golden sunlight of Kārtika becomes cooler, as the fragrance of flowers begins to fade, may the grace of the goddess bless us all.