The full moon day in the month of November is Kartik Poornima (Hunter’s Full Moon). Kartik has been named from ‘Kritika’ nakshatra. The Kartik Poornima is one of the most auspicious full moon among all other full moons. One of the reasons is moon exaltation in Kritika nakshatra. Another reason for its importance is that Kritika nakshatra is ruled by the Sun, which is the significator (Karak) of our soul. Therefore, Sun along with the Moon i.e. soul along with the mind rules this auspicious full moon. Kritika denotes sharp objects, which also signifies defeating the demons within oneself.
Kartik Poornima is an auspicious day to initiate any activity, which can boost the stability of the mind. There are certain activities one can plan for this day:
#1 Dip in the Holy river :
If you live nearby any holy river like Ganga in India or can travel to do so, you should take a dip in the Holy river in the early evening (around moonrise). Water is the element for the moon, and Holy rivers especially Ganga are the purest and energized water, which is well known for aura cleansing. Celebrating this auspicious day with such activity is bliss. Even if you cannot take a dip in a holy river, take a shower at your home. You can mix some Ganga water if you have stored it. If not, you can do some basic aura cleaning exercises after taking bath.
#2 Bow to the Sun God :
As Kritika is ruled by Sun, so it is also significant to this day. One can bow to the rising and setting Sun and offer water to the Sun god.
#3 Remember your Ancestors :
This is a very auspicious day to remember and pray for one’s Ancestors. One should not forget to lighten at least 5 lamps (Diya) of clarified butter (desi ghee) in the evening. The fire has its importance on Kartik Poornima as fire is the significator of the soul, which can be individual or collective. One can also light the lamps on the bank of holy rivers (known as Diya Daan).
#4 Pray to Lord Shiva :
As the month Kartik is the favorite month among the devatas (supreme souls) especially lord Shiva, one should chant mantras like ‘Om Namah Shivaya‘ or Maha Mrityunjaya mantra, for the awakening of one’s third eye, denoting Shiva.
#5 Charity:
As the moon is the significator of mother and mother is a giver, so one should also perform charity to the needy on the auspicious day of Kartik Poornima.
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There are some other ancient events associated with Kartik Poornima. These are:
1. Another great legend associated with Kartik Purnima is the episode where Lord Shiva killed the demon king Tripurasura. Hence the name Tripura Purnima or Tipurari Purnima. It is believed that the Devas celebrated the day in heaven by lighting several diyas, hence the day also came to be known as the ‘Deva Deepavali’.
2. Lord Vishnu took birth as Matsya (incarnation of Lord Vishnu as fish), popularly known as Matya Avatar.
3.This fest is also memorialized as the birthday of ‘Vrinda’ who was the beautiful incarnation of the Goddess ‘Tulsi’ and Lord ‘Kartikeya’ (son of Lord Shiva)
4. A very special day to remember Radha- Krishna’s unconditional love as there is a belief that Lord Krishna worshiped Radha and they played ‘Rasa’ to solemnize their true love.
5. Birth of Guru Nanak Saheb, celebrated as Guru Nanak Jayanti also called Guru Poorab.
6. Jain devotee takes up Shri Shatrunjay Teerth Yatra, a religious walk covering 216 km of mountainous terrain to visit Lord Adinath temple atop the hill in the city of Palitana, in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat.
7. The world-famous Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan starts on Prabodhini Ekadashi and continues till Kartik Poornima
With all this, the most important activity on the auspicious day of Kartik Poornima is to spare some time with the full moon and strengthen your mind with the positive rays of the moon.
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Prodigious ‘Kartikeshwar’ deities are built in the city of ‘Cuttack’ and at the night time, they have been taken in a carcade to worship nearby Shiva Temple and thereupon immersed in ‘Mahanadi’ River.
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There are some Shiva temples in India where devotees offer ‘Kheer’ to Lord Shiva on the night and consume some of it as ‘Prasad’ of ‘Kartik Purnima’ and also perform various other rituals to please Lord Shiva, this festival is celebrated with peerless enthusiasm every year. List of Some of the Lord Shiva temples/pilgrimages to celebrate this festival:
– Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Varanasi)
– Arunachaleshwara Temple (Thiruvannamamalai)
– Manjunatha Temple (Dharamasthala)
– Srisailam Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple (Vemulawada)
– Rajarajeshwara Swamy Temple
– Keesaragutta Ramalingeshwara Swamy Temple
– Kaleshwaram Shiva Temple
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