KarmaVaaniFestival · October–November
Narak Chaturdashi
Also known as Choti Diwali, Roop Chaudas
The day Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura, kept with an oil bath before dawn.
Narak Chaturdashi falls the day before Diwali, sometimes on the same day. It remembers Krishna and Satyabhama’s victory over Narakasura and the freeing of the women he held captive. In the South and in Maharashtra the day begins with an oil bath before sunrise, and in much of the North it is “little Diwali”, with the first lamps lit.
Why it is kept
It is the cleansing before the festival: of the body, the home and the mind.
Step by step
How to observe it
Bathe before sunrise
Oil and ubtan (a paste of gram flour and herbs) are applied, and a bath is taken before dawn.
Light lamps in the evening
Fourteen lamps are sometimes lit around the home.
Customs differ between regions, communities and families. Where your family or temple has its own way, follow it.
Fasting
Fasting
Not a fasting day.
Fasts should suit your health. Children, elders, pregnant women and anyone unwell or on medication should eat, or keep a lighter fast; that is the tradition, not an exception to it.
Traditions
- Abhyanga snan, an oil bath before dawn
- Lighting the first lamps
- Bursting crackers in the South
Where to go
