Quick answer: If you read one adhyaya a day from 10 November, Karthika Puranam Adhyaya 25 falls on Friday, 4 December 2026 in India. If you follow the tithi-based table on our 30-adhyaya guide, read it on Thursday, 3 December (Krishna Dashami). In the USA, UK and Canada the month began a day earlier (Monday 9 November), so readers there going one a day reach it on Thursday, 3 December; check your local panchang. King Ambarisha's dilemma: his guest Durvasa is late, Dwadashi is ending, and the learned advise him to sip water. For one-a-day readers in India this is Utpanna Ekadashi.

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The frame

In Chapter 24 the sage Atri explained that the Ekadashi fast should be broken before Dwadashi ends. Now he gives the example: King Ambarisha.

The king's dilemma

Our 30-adhyaya guide tells it this way. Ambarisha's guest, the sage Durvasa, is late returning from his bath while Dwadashi is ending. The king must break his fast within Dwadashi, but to eat before his guest would slight him. The learned advise him that sipping water both breaks the fast and does not slight the guest, and Ambarisha sips water.

Our sources name the conversation in detail but do not retell it, so we do not retell it here. For the full chapter, read the adhyaya in a Telugu edition your family trusts, or in the freely available Telugu Wikisource text that our 30-adhyaya guide links to. Note that the Wikisource text arranges the month differently (two Skanda Purana adhyayas a day up to Karthika Pournami, then the Padma Purana's Karthika Mahatmyam), so look this adhyaya up by its number, not by the day of the month.

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Two duties at once

The chapter turns on a real bind: the duty to the vow and the duty to the guest. Ambarisha does not choose one and drop the other; he asks the learned, and takes the course that honours both. What follows, in the next chapters, shows how hard it can be to satisfy everyone, even when you act in good faith.

What this chapter teaches

  • Keep the vow and honour the guest: Ambarisha looks for a way to do both.
  • Ask those who know: he takes the advice of the learned before acting.

How to read it today

  • Pick one time: after the morning bath, or in the evening after lighting the Karthika lamp. Keep the same time each day if you can.
  • Light a small lamp: ghee or sesame oil before your home shrine or tulasi. Never leave a flame unattended; in apartments keep it clear of curtains and smoke detectors.
  • Read or listen: say that you are reading adhyaya 25, then read it aloud from a Telugu edition your family trusts (about 15 to 30 minutes). One person can read while the family listens; the text praises listening as much as reading.
  • Today's small practice: if you are fasting on Utpanna Ekadashi, check tomorrow's parana time in your local panchang. If you are not fasting, offer a guest or a neighbour water and something to eat.
  • Close simply: offer a flower or a little prasadam, bow and say a short prayer.
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Printed editions do not always break the chapters at the same place, so a story may begin an adhyaya earlier or later in your book. If your book differs, follow your book. Our summary is a guide to the day's reading, not the text itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Karthika Puranam Chapter 25 about?

King Ambarisha's dilemma: his guest, the sage Durvasa, is late returning from his bath while Dwadashi is ending. The learned advise him to sip water, which breaks the fast without slighting the guest.

Why does Ambarisha sip water?

Because Dwadashi is ending and he must break his Ekadashi fast within it, but his guest Durvasa has not yet returned. The learned advise that sipping water both breaks the fast and does not slight the guest.

Is Chapter 25 read on an Ekadashi?

If you read one adhyaya a day from 10 November, yes: it falls on Friday 4 December, Utpanna Ekadashi in India. On the tithi-based table it is read on Thursday 3 December.

When is Karthika Puranam Chapter 25 read in 2026?

Reading one adhyaya a day from 10 November, on Friday, 4 December in India. On the tithi-based table, on Thursday, 3 December (Krishna Dashami). In the USA, UK and Canada, one-a-day readers reach it on Thursday, 3 December; check your local panchang.

Karthika Puranam chapters and Karthika Masam 2026 guides