goddess in liquid form and is held to be a holy river, eternally pure and purify-
ing. While bathing in the Ganges at any time of year is thought to be meritori-
ous, in Benares the months of Ka ̄rtik, Ma ̄gh, and Vais.a ̄kh are all recognized as
especially meritorious months for daily Ganges bathing.
The Benarsis with whom I spoke about Ka ̄rtik and its merits tended to describe
Ka ̄rtik as a highly auspicious month. Generally speaking, auspiciousness is a
desired value in the Hindu tradition associated with well-being and happiness.
Ronald Inden lists several Sanskrit terms often translated to mean “auspicious”
and describes them as including that which is “pleasant, agreeable, propitious,
favorable, salutary, better, fortunate, prosperous, desirable, beautiful, handsome,
good, charming, radiant, beneficial – and, yes, auspicious” (Inden 1986: 30).
Frederique Marglin’s work on auspiciousness in Hindu culture has emphasized
its connection to fertility, prosperity, happiness, and worldly well-being, values
generally associated with householdership (Marglin 1985). While Inden and
Marglin focus on auspiciousness largely as it pertains to worldly pursuits,
Vasudha Narayanan further ramifies the discussion by calling for a clear recog-
nition of two levels of auspiciousness. In her work on S ́rı ̄Vais.n.avism, she
identifies one level of auspiciousness that has to do with everyday life and
householder values and pertains to things like prosperity, happiness, or the
longevity of a husband – values that are encompassed under the general rubric
of auspiciousness as Marglin describes it. But Narayanan also emphasizes
another level of auspiciousness that encompasses the pursuit of spiritual liber-
ation or moks.aand is associated with the life of renunciation (Narayanan1985:
62). This second level pertains to the achievement of spiritual advancement,
renunciation of the world, and pursuit of the divine.
Ka ̄rtik exemplifies and promotes auspiciousness on both of the levels that
Narayanan describes. Much of the symbolism that pervades the month can be
interpreted as conducive to either spiritual or worldly boons, or both, depending
on the devotee, and the line between the two is quite fluid. Many auspiciousness-
related images, themes, and practices that permeate the month are not unique
to Ka ̄rtik, but during the month they assume distinctive forms that uniquely con-
textualize auspiciousness while embodying more general themes of auspicious-
ness in Hindu culture.^5
Ka ̄rtik’s auspiciousness is exemplified by the month’s strong association with
Lakshmi, quintessential goddess of auspiciousness. The full-moon night with
which Ka ̄rtik begins, S ́arat Pu ̄rn.ima ̄ or “Autumn Full Moon,” marks a festival
dedicated to Lakshmi. This celebration is known as Koja ̄garı ̄, and in Benares, as
elsewhere, celebrants perform a special form of worship to Lakshmi and ask for
her blessings. The goddess is said to roam the earth on this night asking, “Ko
ja ̄garti?” (“Who is awake?”), and those who remain awake are considered most
likely to win her blessings. Lakshmi roams the earth again, of course, on Diva ̄lı ̄,
an important and well-known festival that takes place at the junction between
Ka ̄rtik’s dark and light fortnights in the middle of the month. Lamps are lit in
great abundance during Diva ̄lı ̄ to show Lakshmi the path to people’s homes,
filling the city with light. Light is popularly associated with Lakshmi: it is a form
330 tracy pintchman