Diwali

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History:

Diwali is a five day Hindu festival which occurs on the fifteenth day of

Kartika. During this time, homes are thoroughly cleaned and windows are opened

to welcome Laksmi, goddess of wealth. Candles and lamps are lit as a greeting

to Laksmi. Gifts are exchanged and festive meals are prepared during Diwali.

Diwali, being the festival of lights, thousands of lamps are lit in and outside

every home on the day. Lamp or “Deep” is the symbol of knowledge. Lighting the

lamp of knowledge within us means to understand and reflect upon the

significant purpose of each of the five days of festivities and to bring those

thoughts in to our day to day lives.

The first day of Diwali:The first day of Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi

or Dhanwantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras .It is in fact the thirteenth

lunar day of Krishna Paksh (the dark forthnight) of the month of Kartik. On

this day, Lord Dhanwantari came out of the ocean with Ayurvedic medicine

(medicine which promotes healthy long life) for mankind. This day marks the

beginning of Diwali celebrations. On this day at sunset,Hindus should bathe and

offer a lighted deeya with Prasad (sweets offered at worship time) to Yama Raj

(the Lord of Death) and pray for protection from untimely death.This offering

should be made near a Tulsie tree (the Holy Basil) or any other sacred tree

that one might have in their yard. If there is no sacred tree, a clean place in

the front yard will suffice.The second day of Diwali:The second day of Diwali is

called Narak Chaturdasi. It is the

fourteenth lunar day (thithi) of the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik and

the eve of Diwali. On this day Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and

made the world free from fear. On this day, we should massage our bodies with

oil to relieve it of tiredness, bathe and rest so that we can celebrate Diwali

with vigour and devotion.On this night, Yama Deeya should NOT be lit. The

Shastras (Laws of Dharma) declares that Yama Deeya should be offered on

Triodasi night with Prasad.The misconception that Yama Deeya should be offered

on the night before Diwali came about some years ago when the fourteenth lunar

day (Chaturdasi) was of a very short duration and caused Triodasi to extend

into the night before Diwali. Some people mistook it to mean that because Yama

Deeya was lit on that night, that it should always be lit on the night before

Diwali.This is absolutely not true. It is advisable that one consults with a

learned Pandit or Hindu Astrologer for proper guidance

on this matter. The third day of Diwali.

Actual Diwali.......

This is the day when worship unto Mother Lakshmi is performed. Hindus cleanse

themselves and join with their families and their Pandit (priest) and they

worship the divine Goddess Lakshmi to achieve the blessings of wealth and

prosperity, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.The fourth

day of Diwali.On this day, Goverdhan Pooja is performed. Many thousands of

years ago, Lord Krishna caused the people of Vraja to perform Goverdhan Pooja.

>From then on, every year Hindus worship Goverdhan to honour that first Pooja

done by the people of Vraja.It is written in the Ramayan that when the bridge

was being built by the Vanar army, Hanuman (a divine loyal servant of Lord Rama

possessing enormous strength) was bringing a mountain as material to help with

the construction of the bridge. The call was given that enough materials was

already obtained. Hanuman placed the mountain down before He could

have reached the construction site. Due to lack of time, He could not have

returned the mountain to its original place.The deity presiding over this

mountain spoke to Hanuman asking of His reason for leaving the mountain there.

Hanuman replied that the mountain should remain there until the age of Dwapar

when Lord Rama incarnates as Lord Krishna in the form of man. He, Lord Krishna

will shower His grace on the mountain and will instruct that the mountain be

worshiped not only in that age but but in ages to come. This deity whom Hanuman

spoke to was none other than Goverdhan (an incarnation of Lord Krishna),who

manifested Himself in the form of the mountain.To fulfill this decree,

Goverdhan Pooja was performed and is continued to be performed today.The fifth

day of Diwali.The fifth day of the diwali is called Bhratri Dooj. This is the

day after Goverdhan Pooja is performed and normally two days after

Diwali day.It is a day dedicated to sisters. We have heard about Raksha Bandhan

(brothers day). Well this is sisters day.Many moons ago,in the Vedic era, Yama

(Yamraj, the Lord of death) visited His sister Yamuna on this day. He gave his

sister a Vardhan (a boon) that whosoever visits her on this day shall be

liberated from all sins. They will achieve Moksha or final emancipation.From

then on, brothers visit their sisters on this day to enquire of their

welfare.This day marks the end of the five days of Diwali celebrations.

This is also known as Bhai fota among Bengalis. Bhai fota is an event

especially among Bengalis when the sister prays for her brother's safety,

success and well being.

The Origin of Diwali:

Hindu Mythology:

According to Ramayana, Diwali commemorates the return of Ram, an incarnation of

Lord Vishnu and the eldest son of King Dasharath of Ayodhya, from his 14-year

exile with Sita and Lakshman after killing the Ravan, a demon king. The people

of Ayodhya illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and fireworks

to celebration of the return of their king.

In rural areas, Diwali signifies Harvest Festival. Diwali which occurs at the

end of a cropping season has along with the above custom, a few others that

reinforce the hypothesis of its having originated as a harvest. Every harvest

normally spelt prosperity. The celebration was first started in India by

farmers after they reaped their harvests. They celebrated with joy and offered

praises to God for granting them a good crop.

During the reign of Emperor Prithu, there was a worldwide famine. He ordered

that all available cultivatable lands be ploughed.When the rains came, the land

became very fertile and grains were planted. The harvest provided food not only

to feed all of India, but for all civilisation. This harvest was close to

Diwali time and was a good reason to celebrate Diwali with great joy and

merriment by a wider community.

When Lord Krishna destroyed Narakasur on the day before Diwali, the news of it

travelled very rapidly throught the land.It gave people who were already in a

joyful mood, another reason for celebrating Diwali with greater pride and

elaboration.In the Adi Parva of the Mahabarat , the Pandavas returned from the

forest during Diwali time. Once more, the celebrations extended beyond the

boundaries of India to wherever Hindus lived.

It is on the same day of Amavasya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, that leonine

sanyasin who was one of the first to light the torch of Hindu Renaissance

during the last century, passed into Eternity. Swami Ramatirtha who carried the

fragrance of the spiritual message of Hindu Dharma to the western world, also

passed into eternity. The lights kindled on this day also mark the attempt of

their followers to immortalize the sacred memories of those great men who lived

to brighten the lives of millions of their fellow beings. The passage of these

great men have indeed brought the national-cum-spiritual tradition of Deepavali

right up to modern times.

Sikh Festival Diwali

In Sikh perspective, Diwali is celebrated as the return of the sixth Guru, Guru

Hargobind Ji from the captivity of the city, Gwalior. History states two

commonly known reasons for his imprisonment. One is that the Muslim Raja

approached Guru Hargobind Ji upon his entering Gwalior and told the Guru to

denounce his Sikh religion and to join the Muslim faith. With the intention of

utilizing the Guru’s great strength and fearlessness needed in battles. Being

outraged by this request, the Guru rejected his proposition. In retaliation he

captured the Guru and held him against his will. But eventually the Guru

managed to free himself of this unjust imprisonment and returned to his beloved

town of Amritsar. To commemorate his undying love for Sikhism, the townspeople

lit the way to, Harmandhir Sahib (referred to as the Golden Temple), in his

honour. For more about Diwali for Sikhs Click

Here.

Jain Festival Diwali:

Among the Jain festivals, Diwali is one of the most important one. For on this

occasion we celebrate the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira who established the dharma

as we follow it. Lord Mahavira was born as Vardhamana on Chaitra Shukla 13 in

the Nata clan at Khattiya-kundapura, near Vaishali. He obtained Kevala Gyana on

Vishakha Shukla 10 at the Jambhraka village on the banks of Rijukula river at

the age of 42. He initiated his shaashan (Jaina-shashana) on Shravana KrashNa 1

at his first assembly at Rajgrah. After having preached the dharma for 30 years,

he attained Nirvana at Pava, at the age of 71 years and 6 and half months. For

more about Diwali for Jains Click Here.

Celebration:

In Punjab, the day following Diwali is known as tikka when sisters make a paste

with saffron and rice and place an auspicious mark on their brother’s foreheads

as a symbolic gesture to ward off all harm.

In North India on the day of the Diwali the children emerge, scrubbed clean to

get into their festive attire, and light up little oil lamps, candles and

agarbathis the wherewithal for setting alight crackers and sparklers. Likewise,

on the second day of the month of Kartik, the people of Maharashtra exchange

gifts. In Maharashtra, it is the thirteenth day of Ashwin, the trayodasi, that

is observed as a festival commemorating a young prince whom Yama, the God of

Death, had claimed four days after his marriage. Filled, however, with

compassion for the luckless youth, the legend goes, Yama promised that those

who observed the day would be spared untimely death—and so the lamps that are

lit to mark the festival are placed facing south, unlike on other festive days,

because south is the direction mythologically assigned to Yama.

For the Bengalis, it is the time to worship Goddess Kali , yet another form of

Durga, the divine embodiment of supreme energy. KALI is the Goddess who takes

away darkness. She cuts down all impurities, consumes all iniquities, purifies

Her devotees with the sincerity of Her Love.

Tradition:

Diwali is supposed to be a corruption of the word Deepavali, the literal meaning

of which in Sanskrit is ‘a row of lamps.’ Filling little clay lamps with oil and

wick and lighting them in rows all over the house is a tradition that is popular

in most regions of the country. In the north, most communities observe the

custom of lighting lamps. However, in the south, the custom of lighting baked

earthen lamps is not so much part of this festival as it is of the Karthikai

celebrations a fortnight later. The lights signify a welcome to prosperity in

the form of Lakshmi, and the fireworks are supposed to scare away evil spirits.

For the grown-ups, there is also a custom of indulging in gambling during

Diwali. It is all in fun, though, in a spirit of light-hearted revelry, and

merrymaking.

The children can be seen bursting fire crackers and lighting candles or earthen

lamps. This is a time of generously exchanging sweets with neighbors and

friends. Puffed rice and sugar candy are the favorite fares.Diwali is a time

for shopping, whether for gifts or for adding durable items to one’s own

household. The market soars—everything from saffron to silver and spices to

silks. Yet, symbolic purchases are to be made as part of tradition during

Diwali.

Whatever may be the fables and legends behind the celebrations of Diwali, all

people in India exchange sweets, wear new clothes and buy jewellery at this

festive time. Card parties are held in many homes. Diwali has become

commercialised as the biggest annual consumer spree because every family shops

for sweets, gifts and fireworks. However, in all this frenzy of shopping and

eating, the steady, burning lamp is a constant symbol of an illuminated mind .

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