Dev Diwali / Kartik Purnima - Significance, Snan and Vidhi

Dev Diwali, the Diwali of the gods, is celebrated fifteen days after the main Diwali on Kartik Purnima. It is believed the devas descend to bathe in the sacred Ganga and light lamps in joy, especially at Varanasi, where the ghats glow with thousands of diyas. Kartik Purnima also commemorates Lord Shiva's victory over the demon Tripurasura, earning it the name Tripurari Purnima.

Dev Diwali falls on the Purnima (full moon) of the month of Kartik, the bright full-moon night that closes the holy month. In the Gregorian calendar this usually comes in November. The main celebration and lamp-lighting take place on the evening when Purnima prevails at pradosh (dusk). Please confirm the exact 2026 or 2027 date and snan muhurat on the Vandnaa Panchang, as the timing shifts each year.

Kartik Purnima is among the holiest bathing days of the Hindu year. A Ganga snan (holy bath) at sacred rivers, especially the Ganga at Varanasi, Prayagraj or Haridwar, before sunrise is believed to wash away sins and grant great merit. The lamps floated on the river and lit along the ghats honour the gods, ancestors and departed souls. For Sikhs, this day is also celebrated as Guru Nanak Jayanti, the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

1. Rise before sunrise and take a holy bath in the Ganga or any river; if not possible, add a little Gangajal to your bath water at home. 2. Offer arghya (water) to the Sun while reciting a Surya or Vishnu mantra. 3. Worship Lord Vishnu and Shiva with a ghee lamp, tulsi, flowers and naivedya. 4. In the evening, perform deep daan - float or light lamps on the river or at home for the gods and ancestors. 5. Listen to or read the Kartik Purnima and Tripurari katha. 6. Give daan of food, clothes, ghee or money to the needy, and keep a sattvic, charitable spirit through the day.

While bathing and offering arghya, chant the Vishnu mantra:

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

For Shiva, who vanquished Tripurasura, chant:

Om Namah Shivaya

A simple snan sankalp many recite is:

Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswati, Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jale asmin sannidhim kuru.

This invokes all sacred rivers into the bathing water.

A Ganga snan and deep daan on Kartik Purnima are believed to remove sins, bring peace to ancestors and grant lasting punya (merit). Charity on this day is considered many times more fruitful than usual. Beyond ritual, the day's true spirit is gratitude and light - offering lamps so that the inner and outer darkness gives way to the radiance of the divine.