Quick answer: If you read one adhyaya a day from 10 November, Karthika Puranam Adhyaya 28 falls on Monday, 7 December 2026 in India. If you follow the tithi-based table on our 30-adhyaya guide, read it on Sunday, 6 December (Krishna Trayodashi). 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 Sunday, 6 December; check your local panchang. Ambarisha faces the chakra and asks it to spare his guest; the chakra is calmed. For one-a-day readers in India this is the fourth Karthika Somavaram and Masa Shivaratri.

The frame

In Chapter 27 Durvasa, pursued by Vishnu's Sudarshana chakra, sought shelter and was sent back by Vishnu to King Ambarisha.

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Ambarisha and the chakra

Our 30-adhyaya guide says that Ambarisha faces the chakra and asks it to spare his guest, and the chakra is calmed.

Our sources name Ambarisha's prayer to the chakra 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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The king who was wronged is the one who pleads for the man who wronged him. That is the heart of the Ambarisha story as our guide tells it: the devotee's strength shows in mercy, not in revenge.

The fourth Karthika Somavaram

In India, Monday 7 December is the last Karthika Somavaram and also Masa Shivaratri. Many families keep the fast in one of the forms from Chapter 2.

If you are pregnant, elderly, diabetic, on regular medicine or have any health condition, speak to your doctor before fasting and choose a lighter form such as fruit, one meal, or prayer alone. Children do not need to fast to join the reading.

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What this chapter teaches

  • Mercy is the devotee's strength: Ambarisha asks for his guest's safety, not his punishment.
  • Anger is calmed by goodwill: the chakra is calmed when the king pleads.

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 28, 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: pray for someone who has hurt you. If you are reading on Monday 7 December, keep the Somavaram in a form that suits your health.
  • 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.

Monday 7 December: Karthika Masa Shivaratri 2026. All four Mondays: Karthika Somavaram 2026 dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Karthika Puranam Chapter 28 about?

King Ambarisha faces Vishnu's Sudarshana chakra and asks it to spare his guest, the sage Durvasa; the chakra is calmed.

Is Chapter 28 read on a Karthika Somavaram?

If you read one adhyaya a day from 10 November, yes: it falls on Monday 7 December, the fourth and last Karthika Somavaram in India, which is also Masa Shivaratri. On the tithi-based table it is read on Sunday 6 December.

When is Karthika Puranam Chapter 28 read in 2026?

Reading one adhyaya a day from 10 November, on Monday, 7 December in India. On the tithi-based table, on Sunday, 6 December (Krishna Trayodashi). In the USA, UK and Canada, one-a-day readers reach it on Sunday, 6 December; check your local panchang.

Karthika Puranam chapters and Karthika Masam 2026 guides