of the goddess, and as such it embodies auspiciousness. The lighting of lamps is
actually important throughout the entire month of Ka ̄rtik, however, not just on
Diva ̄lı ̄. Every evening throughout the month, small lamps called “sky-lamps” are
placed in baskets and then hoisted to the top of bamboo poles. These sky-lamps
are displayed mainly on the gha ̄t.sconstructed along the banks of the Ganges.
The Ka ̄rtik Ma ̄ha ̄tmya of the Skanda Pura ̄n.a claims that Lakshmi herself comes
to view these lamps throughout the month (7.118–20), and the Dharmasindhu
proclaims that by offering sky-lamps during Ka ̄rtik, one obtains Lakshmi, i.e.,
auspicious boons associated with Lakshmi, such as wealth, good health, and
abundance (205).
Light also has esoteric connotations and can be interpreted as symbolic
of spiritual processes. One finds such an interpretation of the sky lamps,
for example, in a 1995 volume of the booklet, Ra ̄ma ̄nand Praka ̄sh, “The
Light of Ra ̄ma ̄nand,” published at S ́rı ̄Mat.h, a Vais.n.ava monastery located at
the Pañcagan.ga ̄Gha ̄t.in Benares. S ́rı ̄Mat.h is home to a number of monks
of the Ra ̄ma ̄nanda tradition, a celibate Vais.n.ava order. S ́rı ̄Mat.h is very active
during Ka ̄rtik and is a major organizational and financial power behind
many of Benares’s public Ka ̄rtik celebrations. Here the sky lamps are attributed
a spiritual meaning:
These lamps hidden inside wicker baskets hanging from bamboo have probably
been lit for gods. They have become a mediator between people “down below” and
“people” “up there.”... But heaven is nowhere up there, nor do the gods reside
somewhere “up there.”... Hanging the lamp in the sky means awakening con-
sciousness in one’s mind.... These sky lamps are nothing but an effort to elevate
this consciousness. The gods reside only inside us, and whatever good there is in
the outside world is nothing but an expansion of this inner divinity. (32)The lighting of lamps each evening during Ka ̄rtik also occurs in conjunction
with the worship of Tulsi, the basil plant. Tulsi is specifically associated with
Vishnu, and Vais.n.avas are bid to maintain a Tulsi plant in their homes during
this month in particular, honoring it every evening by burning a small lamp
at its base. Tulsi is considered to be an auspicious, purifying, life- and health-
enhancing herb, and many informants in Benares advised me to consume
it for all manner of ills, from upper respiratory problems to an upset stomach.
Tulsi is also considered a goddess, and during Ka ̄rtik she comes to be elevated
to the status of God’s bride. In Benares Tulsi’s wedding is performed at the appro-
priate time in homes and temples all over the city.
Tulsi is wed to her divine groom on the eleventh of Ka ̄rtik’s light fortnight.
This day also marks the end of the ca ̄turma ̄sa, a four-month period that is con-
sidered to be inauspicious. The ca ̄turma ̄sabegins right after eleventh of the bright
fortnight ofs.a ̄d.h, a day known as S ́ayanı ̄Eka ̄das ́ı ̄, “sleeping eleventh.” It is
believed that on this day Vishnu retires to sleep, floating in a vast ocean on the
back of his serpent Ananta. For the duration of his slumber, which lasts for
four months, auspicious life-cycle rituals, like marriages, are suspended.
the month of ka ̄rtik and women’s ritual devotions 331