Quick answer: If you read one adhyaya a day from 10 November, Karthika Puranam Adhyaya 26 falls on Saturday, 5 December 2026 in India. If you follow the tithi-based table on our 30-adhyaya guide, read it on Friday, 4 December (Krishna Ekadashi, Utpanna Ekadashi). 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 Friday, 4 December; check your local panchang. Durvasa is angered, and Vishnu's Sudarshana chakra pursues him. On the tithi-based table this is Utpanna Ekadashi in India.

The frame

In Chapter 25 King Ambarisha, with Dwadashi running out and his guest Durvasa still away, sipped water on the advice of the learned to break his fast without slighting the guest.

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Durvasa's anger and the chakra

Our 30-adhyaya guide says that Durvasa is angered, and that Vishnu's Sudarshana chakra pursues him.

Our sources name how the anger plays out and how the chakra comes to pursue him 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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Even in outline the turn is striking: the angry sage is now the one in danger, and the king who tried to honour him has done nothing to cause it. The next chapters follow Durvasa's flight.

What this chapter teaches

  • Anger rebounds: Durvasa's anger sets the chakra after him.
  • The Lord protects the devotee: the chakra is Vishnu's own weapon.

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 26, 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 something makes you angry today, wait before you answer. If you are fasting on Utpanna Ekadashi, plan to break the fast within tomorrow's Dwadashi.
  • 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 26 about?

The sage Durvasa's anger at King Ambarisha for breaking his fast by sipping water, and Vishnu's Sudarshana chakra pursuing Durvasa.

Why is Durvasa angry?

Ambarisha, on the advice of the learned, sipped water to break his Ekadashi fast within Dwadashi before Durvasa returned. Durvasa is angered. Our sources do not set out his words, so we do not retell them.

Is Chapter 26 read on an Ekadashi?

On the tithi-based table, yes: it falls on Friday 4 December, Utpanna Ekadashi in India. Reading one a day from 10 November, it falls on Saturday 5 December, the Dwadashi.

When is Karthika Puranam Chapter 26 read in 2026?

Reading one adhyaya a day from 10 November, on Saturday, 5 December in India. On the tithi-based table, on Friday, 4 December (Krishna Ekadashi, Utpanna Ekadashi). In the USA, UK and Canada, one-a-day readers reach it on Friday, 4 December; check your local panchang.

Karthika Puranam chapters and Karthika Masam 2026 guides