Wed Oct 30 10:30:00 UTC 2024: ## Nark Chaturdashi 2024: Light Up Your Life and Ward Off Evil on “Chhoti Diwali”

This year, **Nark Chaturdashi**, also known as **Chhoti Diwali**, falls on **October 30, 2024**. Celebrated a day before Diwali, it marks the worship of Lord Yama (the god of death), Lord Krishna, and Lord Hanuman. According to tradition, those who appease these deities on this day are said to be blessed with good fortune.

**Auspicious Timings:**

Nark Chaturdashi begins at 1:15 PM on October 30th and ends at 3:52 PM on October 31st. However, the most auspicious time for performing rituals is the evening of October 30th, between 4:36 PM and 6:15 PM.

**Rituals and Significance:**

* **Lighting the Yama Deep:** A large, four-faced clay lamp filled with mustard oil and four wicks is lit in the evening, facing the south direction. This ritual, performed by the family, is believed to ward off untimely death and misfortune.
* **Worshipping Deities:** Devotees offer prayers for prosperity and light lamps in the main entrance and corners of their homes. Lord Krishna is offered fruits, flowers, and sweets, while Lord Yama is worshipped with a lamp placed at the main doorway. Lord Hanuman, too, is revered on this day.
* **Diya Dan for Prosperity:** The practice of lighting lamps is a way to drive out negative energies and invite positivity. It is also believed that the light of the lamps reaches the ancestors, bringing them peace and blessings.

**Special Remedies for Specific Wishes:**

* **Debt Relief:** Light a nine-wick lamp filled with ghee before Lord Hanuman and offer him laddus equal to your age. Recite the Hanuman Chalisa nine times and distribute the prasad (offering) to children or a cow the next morning.
* **Peace and Harmony:** Along with the regular rituals, light a lamp in the name of your ancestors to ensure peace and prosperity at home.
* **Beauty and Radiance:** Add rose petals, sandalwood powder, saffron, milk, and honey to a bucket of water and let it sit overnight. Bathing with this water in the morning is said to bestow beauty and vitality.
* **Long Life and Good Health:** Light a single-wick mustard oil lamp facing south and place it next to a pile of grain. Offer flowers and water, seeking blessings for long life and well-being.

**Embrace the auspiciousness of Nark Chaturdashi and welcome the blessings of Lord Yama, Lord Krishna, and Lord Hanuman. May this festival bring you happiness, prosperity, and a joyful Diwali celebration!**

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