Eight Days to Diwali: What Comes Next

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Dharma Katha · Season 4: The Road to Diwali · Episode 141 The last day of October. In eight days, the darkest night of the month, the new moon of Kartik, and the brightest night of the year's festivals. Diwali. The shops are full of clay lamps and strings of lights. Someone on your street has already started bursting crackers, too early, as someone always does. And in many homes, the cleaning is half done, the sweets are being planned, and the old question is being asked: what should we buy on Dhanteras this year? Let us stop for a moment, and look back at the road. Missed the previous story? Listen to Episode 140 first. Source note. Label: retelling. This episode recalls the season's episodes from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and forty, with their episode numbers, without adding new material; sources for each are given in its own episode. The Diwali-week dates for 2026 are from published almanacs: Dhanteras November 6, Naraka Chaturdashi November 7, Diwali and Lakshmi Puja November 8, Govardhan Puja November 9, Bhai Dooj November 10. The reflections are my own. Note: this episode is narrated with an AI voice and the script was written with AI assistance. Sanskrit verses are checked against published editions; corrections are welcome.