Quick answer: Karthika Puranam Adhyaya 3 is read on day 3 of Karthika Masam 2026, which in India is Thursday, 12 November 2026 (Shukla Tritiya at sunrise, Hyderabad). In the USA, UK and Canada the month begins a day earlier, on Monday 9 November, so families following a local panchang there usually read it on Wednesday, 11 November. The chapter praises the Karthika bath and begins the story of the traveller Tattvanishtha and three tormented spirits on the Godavari bank.

The frame

The telling is still Vasishtha's, given to King Janaka in Mithila, inside the larger frame of the sage Suta speaking to the sages of Naimisharanya. In Chapter 2 Vasishtha explained the Karthika Monday vow. Now he turns to another of the month's central practices: the bath.

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The Karthika bath and the full moon

The early bath is the first of the month's daily disciplines, as Chapter 1 already set out: bathe each morning and light a lamp, and on Karthika Pournami take a sacred bath and give gifts. Chapter 3 dwells on this bath and on the full moon of the month, and then tells a story to show what the merit of the Karthika bath can do.

Tattvanishtha meets three spirits on the Godavari

A traveller named Tattvanishtha is described as truthful and kind. On the bank of the Godavari, he comes upon three frightening spirits who live in a banyan tree and are tormented in that state.

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Rather than fleeing, Tattvanishtha listens. Each of the three spirits tells him its past life and the wrongs that brought it to this condition. The stories are a mirror held up to the listener: the spirits are not strangers from another world, but people whose own actions shaped what they became.

The chapter leaves the three spirits still waiting. Their release, through the merit of the Karthika bath, comes in Chapter 4, read on the next day. Tattvanishtha is remembered in the Telugu tradition as one of the main stories of the month; the Telugu Wikisource text recalls him first among the stories when it closes the Skanda Purana part on Karthika Pournami.

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What this chapter teaches

  • Actions have consequences: each spirit traces its state back to its own wrongs.
  • Truthfulness and kindness matter: the story's hero is defined by these two qualities, and it is to him that the spirits tell their stories.
  • The bath is more than washing: the chapter treats the Karthika bath as a source of merit strong enough to help others, as the next chapter shows.

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 3, 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: take the early bath with intention, before sunrise or soon after, and spend a moment in silence before lighting the lamp. If you live abroad and cannot bathe in a river, a bath at home with a prayer is how most families keep it.
  • 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.

Practical rules for the month, including food and the bath: Karthika Masam 2026 rules, food and do's and don'ts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Karthika Puranam Chapter 3 about?

The Karthika bath and the full moon, and the story of Tattvanishtha, a truthful and kind traveller who meets three tormented spirits living in a banyan tree on the bank of the Godavari.

Who is Tattvanishtha?

A traveller described as truthful and kind. On the Godavari bank he meets three frightening spirits, and each tells him the past life and wrongs that led to its state.

How are the three spirits freed?

Through the merit of the Karthika bath. Their release is told in Adhyaya 4, which is read on the next day.

When is Karthika Puranam Chapter 3 read in 2026?

In India on Thursday, 12 November 2026. In the USA, UK and Canada, where the month begins on 9 November, many families read it on Wednesday, 11 November.

Karthika Puranam chapters and Karthika Masam 2026 guides