Krishna & Satyabhama; Kali as Chaudas
Naraka Chaturdashi (Chhoti Diwali)
The dawn Narakasura fell: oil-bath before sunrise, and the small Diwali's first lamps.
Tithi: Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi (north) · Ashwin Krishna Chaturdashi (west & south) — the same night
Which calendar do you follow?
The bright fortnight is named the same everywhere. A dark fortnight belongs to one month in the north and to the month before it in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the south: the same night, two true names. Saved only on this device.
In the simplest words
Small Diwali: the dawn Krishna freed sixteen thousand prisoners from the demon Narakasura; an oil bath before sunrise washes the year's darkness away.
The story & purpose
Narakasura of Pragjyotisha had grown monstrous: sixteen thousand captives, the gods' own treasures seized. Krishna rode out with Satyabhama, and in several tellings it was she whose arrow ended him at dawn. His dying boon: let this day be kept with lamps and joy. The captives were restored to honour.
The rest of the story
So the day begins before sunrise: the abhyanga snan of oil and ubtan while the moon still shows, said to bathe away narak itself. Goa burns Narakasura effigies at dawn; Bengal keeps the night as Bhoot Chaturdashi with fourteen lamps for fourteen forebears; the south celebrates this dawn as its main Deepavali.
What is done
Abhyanga snan
Sesame-oil massage and ubtan bath before sunrise, the day's defining rite.
Yama deepa
A four-wick lamp set southward at dusk for the lord of the crossing (kept on Dhanteras in many homes).
First lamps
The 'small Diwali' rows lit; rangoli renewed for the great night.
Krishna smaran
Krishnaya Vasudevaya, the deliverer's mantra at the oil-bath.
Best timings
Abhyanga snan in the last muhurta before sunrise while chandrodaya lasts.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition; for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
In 2026 chaturdashi and amavasya share 8 Nov: abhyanga at dawn, Lakshmi puja by night, one long day of light.
'Kali Chaudas' is Gujarat's name for the night, when strength is asked of the Mother before the new year.
Roop Chaudas is another name: the pre-dawn bath as the year's beauty-rite.