Quick answer: If you read one adhyaya a day from 10 November, Karthika Puranam Adhyaya 29 falls on Tuesday, 8 December 2026 in India, together with adhyaya 30. If you follow the tithi-based table on our 30-adhyaya guide, read it on Monday, 7 December (Krishna Chaturdashi), the fourth Karthika Somavaram and Masa Shivaratri. 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 Monday, 7 December; check your local panchang. Ambarisha honours Durvasa, who blesses him, and the chapter explains the meaning of Dwadashi parana. On the tithi-based table this is the fourth Karthika Somavaram and Masa Shivaratri.

Advertisement

The frame

In Chapter 28 King Ambarisha faced Vishnu's Sudarshana chakra and asked it to spare his guest, and the chakra was calmed. Chapter 29 closes the story that began in Chapter 24.

The king honours the sage

Our 30-adhyaya guide says that in adhyaya 29 Ambarisha honours Durvasa, who blesses him, and that the chapter explains the meaning of Dwadashi parana.

Our sources name the meal, the blessing and the explanation 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.

Advertisement

What Dwadashi parana means

The story has made the point by example. In Chapter 24 Atri said the Ekadashi fast should be broken before Dwadashi ends; in Chapter 25 Ambarisha found a way to do so without slighting his guest; and here the guest he feared to offend ends by blessing him. Keeping the vow faithfully and honouring others are not at odds.

The last Karthika Somavaram

If you follow the tithi-based table you read this chapter on Monday 7 December, the last Karthika Somavaram and Masa Shivaratri in India.

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.

Advertisement

What this chapter teaches

  • Goodwill wins in the end: the angry guest leaves with a blessing.
  • Keep the vow to the end: parana within Dwadashi completes the Ekadashi fast.

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 29, 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: feed someone today, a guest, a neighbour or someone in need, before you eat yourself. If you are reading on 8 December, read adhyaya 30 after this one.
  • Close simply: offer a flower or a little prasadam, bow and say a short prayer.
Advertisement

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. Tuesday 8 December: Karthika Amavasya 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Karthika Puranam Chapter 29 about?

The end of the Ambarisha story: the king honours the sage Durvasa, who blesses him, and the chapter explains the meaning of Dwadashi parana, breaking the Ekadashi fast within Dwadashi.

Why is Chapter 29 read together with Chapter 30 by some families?

Karthika Masam 2026 has 29 days in India, so families reading one adhyaya a day from 10 November read the last two, 29 and 30, together on Tuesday 8 December, Karthika Amavasya.

Is Chapter 29 read on a Karthika Somavaram?

On the tithi-based table, yes: it falls on Monday 7 December, the fourth Karthika Somavaram and Masa Shivaratri in India.

When is Karthika Puranam Chapter 29 read in 2026?

Reading one adhyaya a day from 10 November, on Tuesday, 8 December in India, together with adhyaya 30. On the tithi-based table, on Monday, 7 December (Krishna Chaturdashi), the fourth Karthika Somavaram and Masa Shivaratri. In the USA, UK and Canada, one-a-day readers reach it on Monday, 7 December; check your local panchang.

Karthika Puranam chapters and Karthika Masam 2026 guides