Quick answer: Karthika Puranam Adhyaya 6 is read on day 6 of Karthika Masam 2026, which in India is Sunday, 15 November 2026 (Shukla Shashthi 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 Saturday, 14 November. The chapter tells of Devadatta, a wayward son on the Kaveri bank, changed by his father's advice to bathe at dawn and light a lamp.

The frame

Vasishtha is still speaking to King Janaka in Mithila. In Chapter 5 he praised sacred reading in the Lord's presence and the vana bhojanam under the amla tree. Now he tells the story of a son who had lost his way.

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Devadatta and his father's advice

On the bank of the Kaveri lived a wayward son named Devadatta. His father, worried about the course of his life, urges him to take up two simple practices through the month of Karthika: to bathe at dawn and to light a lamp.

The advice asks nothing grand of him: no pilgrimage, no long ritual, no great gift. It asks only for the two practices that the Puranam has praised since Chapter 1, the early bath and the lamp. And it is this advice, in our summary's words, that changes him.

How some editions tell this story

Printed editions do not always break the chapters at the same place. The Telugu chapter 5 text that our Chapter 5 page follows tells a closely matching story at the end of adhyaya 5: a Brahmin named Devasharma on the Kaveri bank urges his son Shivasharma to bathe in the river in Karthika and light a lamp in the temple. The son mocks the advice, his father curses him to live as a mouse, and he is freed only when he hears the Karthika Puranam read by the sage Vishwamitra under the banyan tree where he lives. If your book tells the story in adhyaya 6, read it today; if it told it yesterday, today's reading follows your book.

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Both tellings share the same heart: a son who has strayed, a father who points him to the bath and the lamp of Karthika, and a change of course that comes through the month's simplest practices.

What this chapter teaches

  • Small practices can change a life: a dawn bath and a lamp are all the father asks for.
  • Advice from elders is worth hearing: the turn in the story comes from listening to a parent.
  • No one is beyond return: the story begins with a wayward son, not a saint.

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 6, 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 a younger member of the family is home, invite them to light today's lamp or read part of the adhyaya aloud. Keep it an invitation, not a lecture.
  • 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 6 about?

Devadatta, a wayward son living on the bank of the Kaveri, whose father urges him to bathe at dawn and light a lamp through the month of Karthika, and who is changed by that advice.

Is Devadatta the same as Shivasharma?

Editions differ. Our 30-adhyaya guide calls the son Devadatta and places his story in adhyaya 6. The Telugu chapter 5 text on HinduTone tells a closely matching story at the end of adhyaya 5, with the father named Devasharma and the son Shivasharma. Follow your own book.

When is Karthika Puranam Chapter 6 read in 2026?

In India on Sunday, 15 November 2026. In the USA, UK and Canada, where the month begins on 9 November, many families read it on Saturday, 14 November.

What is the lesson of Adhyaya 6?

That a parent's good advice, and the simple practices of the month (a dawn bath and a lamp), can turn a life around.

Karthika Puranam chapters and Karthika Masam 2026 guides