Deepawali the festivals
Of light & prosperity
Deepawali or Diwali is
certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It's the
festival of lights (deep = light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights) that's
marked by four days of celebration, which literally illumines the country with
its brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy. Each of the four days in the
festival of Diwali is separated by a different tradition, but what remains true
and constant is the celebration of life, its enjoyment and goodness.
Historically, the origin
ofDiwali can be traced back to ancient India, when it
was probably an important harvest festival.
However, there are various legends pointing to the origin of Diwali or 'Deepawali.'
Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord
Vishnu. Whereas in Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Kali, the dark goddess of strength. Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, is
also worshiped in most Hindu homes on this day. In Jainism, Deepawali has an added significance to the
great event of Lord Mahavira attaining the eternal bliss of nirvana. Diwali also
commemorates the return of Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshman from his
fourteen year long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous
celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the Capital of
Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and burst crackers.
These Four Days
Each
day of Diwali has its own tale, legend and myth to tell. The first day of the
festival Naraka Chaturdasimarks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama.Amavasya,
the second day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth
in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of
Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the tyrant Bali, and
banished him to hell. Bali was allowed to return to earth once a year, to light
millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance, and spread the radiance
of love and wisdom. It is on the third day of Deepawali — Kartika Shudda Padyami that Bali steps out of
hell and rules the earth according to the boon given by Lord Vishnu. The fourth
day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj) and on this day sisters invite their
brothers to their homes.
The Significance of Lights & Firecrackers
All
the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story to tell. The
illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an
expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth,
knowledge, peace and prosperity. According to one belief, the sound of
fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on earth,
making the gods aware of their plentiful state. Still another possible reason
has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of
insects and mosquitoes, found in plenty after the rains.
The Tradition of Gambling
The tradition of
gambling on Diwali also has a legend behind it. It is believed that on this
day, Goddess Parvati played dice with her husband Lord Shiva, and
she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the
ensuing year. Diwali is associated with wealth and prosperity in many ways, and
the festival of 'Dhanteras'
('dhan' = wealth; 'teras' = 13th) is celebrated two days before the festival of
lights.
From Darkness Unto Light...
In
each legend, myth and story of Deepawali lies the significance of the victory
of good over evil; and it is with each Deepawali and the lights that illuminate
our homes and hearts, that this simple truth finds new reason and hope. From
darkness unto light — the light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good
deeds, that which brings us closer to divinity. During Diwali, lights
illuminate every corner of India and the scent of incense sticks hangs in the
air, mingled with the sounds of fire-crackers, joy, togetherness and hope.
Diwali iscelebrated around the globe. Outside India, it is
more than a Hindu festival, it's a celebration of South-Asian identities. If
you are away from the sights and sounds of Diwali, light a diya, sit quietly, shut your
eyes, withdraw the senses, concentrate on this supreme light and illuminate
Deepavali or Diwali means
"a row of lights". It falls on the last two days of the dark half of
the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November).
Mythical Origins of Diwali
There are various alleged origins
attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In
Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also
commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Ramareturned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day
also Sri Krishna killed
the demon Narakasura. In South India people take an oil bath in the morning and
wear new clothes. They partake of sweetmeats. They light fireworks, which are
regarded as the effigies of Narakasura who was killed on this day. They greet
one another, asking, "Have you had your Ganges bath?" which actually
refers to the oil bath that morning as it is regarded as purifying as a bath in
the holy Ganga.
Give and Forgive
Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an
air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings
about unity. It instills charity in the hearts of people. Everyone buys new
clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their
employees.
Rise and Shine
Waking up during the 'Brahmamuhurta' (at 4a.m.) is a great blessing
from the standpoint of health, ethical discipline, efficiency in work and
spiritual advancement. It is on Deepavali that everyone wakes up early in the
morning. The sages who instituted this custom must have cherished the hope that
their descendents would realise its benefits and make it a regular habit in
their lives.
Unite and Unify
In a happy mood of great rejoicing village folk move about freely,
mixing with one another without any reserve, all enmity being forgotten. People
embrace one another with love. Deepavali is a great unifying force. Those with
keen inner spiritual ears will clearly hear the voice of the sages, "O
Children of God unite, and love all". The vibrations produced by the
greetings of love, which fill the atmosphere, are powerful enough to bring
about a change of heart in every man and woman in the world. Alas! That heart
has considerably hardened, and only a continuous celebration of Deepavali in
our homes can rekindle in us the urgent need of turning away from the ruinous
path of hatred.
Prosper and Progress
On this day,
Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books and pray for
success and prosperity during the coming year. The homes are cleaned and
decorated by day and illuminated by night with earthen oil-lamps. The best and
finest illuminations are to be seen in Bombay and Amritsar. The famous Golden
Temple at Amritsar is lit in the evening with thousands of lamps placed all
over the steps of the big tank. Vaishnavites celebrate
the Govardhan Puja and feed the poor on a large scale.
Illuminate Your Inner Self
The light of lights, the self-luminous
inner light of the Self is ever shining steadily in the chamber of your heart.
Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Withdraw the senses. Fix the mind on this supreme
light and enjoy the real Deepavali, by attaining illumination of the soul. He
who Himself sees all but whom no one beholds, who illumines the intellect, the
sun, the moon and the stars and the whole universe but whom they cannot
illumine, He indeed is Brahman, He is the inner Self. Celebrate the real
Deepavali by living in Brahman, and enjoy the eternal bliss of the soul.
The sun does not shine there, nor do
the moon and the stars, nor do lightnings shine and much less fire. All the
lights of the world cannot be compared even to a ray of the inner light of the
Self. Merge yourself in this light of lights and enjoy the supreme Deepavali.
Many Deepavali festivals have come and
gone. Yet the hearts of the vast majority are as dark as the night of the new
moon. The house is lit with lamps, but the heart is full of the darkness of
ignorance.
O man! Wake up from the slumber of ignorance.
Realise the constant and eternal light of the Soul, which neither rises nor
sets, through meditation and deep enquiry.
May you all attain full inner
illumination! May the supreme light of lights enlighten your understanding! May
you all attain the inexhaustible spiritual wealth of the Self! May you all
prosper gloriously on the material as well as spiritual planes!
Why do we celebrate
Diwali? It’s not just the festive mood in the air that makes you happy, or just
that it's a good time to enjoy before the advent of winter. There are 10
mythical and historical reasons why Diwali is a great time to celebrate. And
there are good reasons not just for Hindus but also for all others to celebrate
this great Festival of Lights.
1.Goddess Lakshmi’s Birthday: The Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi incarnated
on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during the churning of the
ocean (samudra-manthan), hence the association of Diwali with Lakshmi.
2. Vishnu Rescued Lakshmi: On this very day (Diwali day), Lord
Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as Vaman-avtaara rescued Lakshmi from the
prison of King Bali and this is another reason of worshipping Ma Larkshmi on
Diwali.
3. Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On the day preceding Diwali, Lord Krishna
killed the demon king Narakaasur and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity.
The celebration of this freedom went on for two days including the Diwali day
as a victory festival.
4. The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great epic
‘Mahabharata’, it was ‘Kartik Amavashya’ when the Pandavas appeared from their
12 years of banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands of the Kauravas
at the game of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated
the day by lighting the earthen lamps.
5. The Victory of Rama: According to the epic ‘Ramayana’, it was
the new moon day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Ma Sita and Lakshman returned to
Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya
decorated the entire city with the earthen lamps and illuminated it like never
before.
6. Coronation of Vikramaditya: One of the greatest Hindu King
Vikramaditya was coroneted on the Diwali day, hence Diwali became a historical
event as well.
7. Special Day for the Arya Samaj: It was the new moon day of Kartik (Diwali
day) when Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism and the
founder of Arya Samaj attained his nirvana.
8. Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, considered to be the
founder of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on Diwali day.
9. Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar Das
institutionalized Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would gather to
receive the Gurus blessings. In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple
at Amritsar was laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind, who was
held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir, was released from the Gwalior fort along
with 52 kings.
10. The Pope’s Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John Paul II performed a
special Eucharist in an Indian church where the altar was decorated with Diwali
lamps, the Pope had a ‘tilak’ marked on his forehead and his speech was
bristled with references to the festival of light.
