In the sacred month of Kārtika, the worship of Keśava is performed with great reverence and joy. Śauri, the Lord, lovingly cleanses a garland woven from holy syllables, adorning it with fragrant sandalwood, camphor, aguru, and saffron. Ketakī flowers, along with the offering of lamps, are especially dear to Keśava; it is said that whoever presents ketakī flowers during Kārtika in the age of Kali is greatly blessed. The simple act of offering lamps is of immense power—it brings salvation not just to the giver but to a hundred families. Flowers such as lotuses, tulasī, ketakī, and those beloved by sages are all cherished in worship. Most auspicious of all is the fifth day of Kārtika, when the offering of lamps is particularly celebrated. If one, adorned with a ketakī garland, arranges a pavilion of flowers in this month, Keśava himself, the Garuḍa-bannered Lord, establishes for them a dwelling in heaven. Madhusūdana, the slayer of Madhu, is exceedingly pleased for a thousand years when worshipped with ketakī flowers. Even the house where Keśava is worshipped with damanaka flowers during the spring season becomes holy, O Guha. Those who worship with devotion attain the fruits of their worship; offering agastya flowers to Janārdana destroys the fires of hell, and even rigorous penance cannot grant what Hari bestows when pleased. Mahāsena, adorned with muni flowers, forsakes all other offerings, and when he worships Keśava with these, the Lord is delighted. One who worships with devotion in Kārtika attains the merit of a horse sacrifice, and offering a garland made by a sage to Janārdana brings extraordinary rewards. Even Indra, king of the gods, recounts the glory of such deeds, for the fruit gained by giving ten thousand cows is matched by the offering of a single flower from a sage in Kārtika. Hari is pleased by the Kaustubha gem and the forest garland, and in this month, even a single tulasī leaf brings him joy equal to all others. Siūta observed a humble and devoted boy, absorbed in worship, and again the blessed Mahadeva, Lord Śiva, spoke to the Peacock-rider, revealing the greatness of the lamp in Kārtika. The ancestors, ever surrounded by their kin, long for a son in their lineage who is devoted to them. Whoever pleases Keśava by offering a lamp in Kārtika, whether fueled by ghee or sesame oil, fulfills the highest sacrifices. There is no need for a horse sacrifice; all rituals and pilgrimages are encompassed by this act. Especially in the dark fortnight, for five days, whoever gives a lamp before Keśava attains imperishable merit. Even if a lamp is lit by others on Ekadashi, or by a mouse, it brings immense benefit. A woman, having attained rare human birth, reached the highest state; even a hunter who worshipped Maheshvara on the fourteenth day, abstaining from violence, ascended to the world of Vishnu. Another woman, seeking refuge with a dog-eater, made a lamp that others lit, and she became pure and was named Lilavati, ascending to eternal heaven. A cowherd, witnessing the worship of the wielder of the Sharnga bow on Amavasya, repeatedly chanted 'Victory!' and became king of kings. Therefore, lamps should be given at night until sunrise—in homes, cow-pens, temples, shrines of the gods, cremation grounds, and lakes. With ghee and other auspicious substances, for five days, even sinful ancestors whose rites have lapsed attain supreme liberation by the merit of lamp-giving. Thus concludes the chapter in the glorious Padma Mahapurana, in the Uttarakanda, within the Kartika Mahatmya, describing the greatness of lamps, fragrances, and dhātrī. Then, Kartikeya asked the Lord: "Tell me especially the fruit of Dipavali. For what purpose is it performed, and who presides over it? What should be given, and what should not? What joy and play are prescribed?" Sūta narrated that Skanda’s words were well spoken, and the venerable Kāmaśoṣaṇa, smiling, responded. Śrī Śiva explained: On the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight of Kārtika, one should place a lamp for Yama outside the house; this act destroys untimely death. By offering a lamp on this day, the son of the Sun, Yama, is pleased with those bound by the noose of Death and Time, along with their spouses. On the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, at moonrise, those who fear sin must bathe. If the fourteenth falls earlier, whether in the bright or dark half, one should bathe at dawn without negligence. During the festival of lamps on the fourteenth, Lakṣmī resides in oil and Gaṅgā in water; whoever bathes then will not see the realm of Yama. During this bath, one should whirl apāmārga, gourd, prapunnāṭa, and vāhvala for the destruction of hell. With a clod of earth and thorns, together with apāmārga leaves, one should whirl them repeatedly, invoking their power to remove sin. Apāmārga and prapunnāṭa should be whirled above the head, followed by libations offered with the names of Yamarāja: To Yama, Dharmarāja, Mṛtyu, Antaka, Vaivasvata, Kāla, the destroyer of all beings; to Audumbarā, Dadhna, Nīla, Parameṣṭhin, Vṛkodara, Citrā, and Citragupta—obeisance is offered. Thus, the sacred rituals and offerings of Kārtika, especially the giving of lamps and fragrant flowers, are revealed as acts of profound merit, pleasing to the Lord and granting liberation to all.