Light of Diwali

[Guest guest]

Light and Love Happy, light and prosperious Diwali to all members of

'saibabanews' group. Diwali signifies many different events and

happenings in different parts of ancient India. In the Northern and the

Western regions of India, Diwali festival is attributed to the return of Lord

Rama to his kingdom's capital Ayodhya and his coronation after defeating the

demon king Ravana. Rama was the greatest of the hero-kings of India, and is

considered as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In the Eastern

states, Diwali is associated with the story of Narakasura who had menaced his

people with tyranny. In the regions of Maharashtra and Mysore, Diwali is

linked with the legendary king Bali who was immensely popular with his subjects

for his generosity. However, king Bali had become arrogant and conceited, and

provoked the wrath of godly people. Lord Vishnu punished the king and pushed

him to the netherland. However, lord Vishnu allowed him to visit his kingdom

once a year. Since then, his people celebrated his arrival on this day, locally

called Bali Padyami. By historical perspectives, it is believed that Diwali

marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya. This famous Indian king inspired many

ancient tales. The era that goes by his name forty-eight year older that the

Christian era. Diwali also reminds Hindus of Swami Dayananda, the great

reformer and the torchbearer of the Hindu renaissance during the last century,

who died on this time. It is also a remembrance day for Swami Ramatirtha, the

great spiritual leader who carried the massage of Hindu Dharma to the western

world. In general, Diwali is a festival the renewal of life, the approach

of winter and the beginning of the sowing season. It is a festival of harvest

the second crop, joy for people of all ages, throughout India. On this day

farmers express thanksgiving to the Almighty. For Sai devotees it is the

time to become closer towards Swami's Divine Light and to experience its

reflection within. "The Self is self-luminous being pure Consciousness. The

cognition of all objects arises from the light of pure Consciousness."

(Bhrihadaranyaka Upanishad). Swami's Teaching and His Divine vibrations are the

pinpointers towards the Light of humans' Selves - as Unity in diverse forms.

Many stories about Diwali have represented. I shall add to them the ancient

legends connected with Diwali. I have studied the different variations of the

different legends. The represented seems to be more easy to comprehend.

Diwali is a time when every establishment is illuminated with “Deeps”- oil

lamps. 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 days of festivities and to bring those thoughts in to

our day-to-day lives. The illuminations and fireworks, joy and

festivities, are to signify the victory of divine forces over the powers of

darkness. The first day of celebration is called Dhantrayodashi or

Dhanteras. The scriptures mention the divinity called Dhanvantari emerging from

the churning of the ocean with a kalash (pot) filled with Amrit (ambrosia). Due

to the fact that Dhanvantari, who revealed the science of Ayurveda to the

world, first manifested on this day, all over India, doctors following the

Ayurvedic system of medicine organize joyful celebrations of the annual

Dhanvantari festival. The second day is called Naraka Chaturdashi. The

story goes that Narakasur, the ill famed king of Pragjyotishpur was creating

havoc in the society by the excessive use of his powers. He was responsible

for the imprisonment of 16000 young women. Lord Krishna had decided to destroy

this evil dictator. Satyabhama (wife of lord Krishna) took up the challenge of

rescuing the innocent women and Lord Krishna fully supported Satyabhama in her

mission. This day is celebrated as freedom from the tyranny of the evil king.

People free from atrocities of the evil ruler joyously celebrated the event by

taking an oil bath in the early morning and then in the night they lighting

lamps to illuminate the night sky. By the other legend, the second day is

celebrated as “Kali Chaudas”, the day to worship Kali, the goddess of Strength.

(The strength to protect others is referred as Kali). On the third day,

people worship Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. The Puranas say that it was on

this day that Goddess Lakshmi, who emerged from the churning of the ocean of

milk, married Lord Vishnu, the repository of all divine qualities. People

decorate their houses with lit lamps and lanterns to welcome Lakshmi to their

home and hearts. On this day businessmen close old accounts and open new

accounts. The multi-hued lights of fireworks color lamps light up the earth and

the skies. In North India, the Govardhana Puja occurs on the fourth

day of Diwali. By legend in order to shelter the gopis and gopas and their cows

from the torrential rains sent by Indra, Krishna lifted a hill near Mathura

called Govardhana with his finger and sheltered all the people for a period of

seven days under it. By then Indra saw Krishna's greatness and asked him for

forgiveness. Devotees in the North build hillocks made of cow dung,

symbolizing Govardhana, and decorate and worship them. North Indians observe

this day as Annakoot, or the mountain of food. The fifth day of the

festival called Bhaiyya Dooj celebrates unique and fun customs. Every man dines

in his sister's house, and, in return, presents her with gifts. North India

calls it Yama Dwitiya. Thousands of brothers and sisters join hands and have a

sacred bath in the river Yamuna. The river Yamuna and Yama the God of Death

were brother and sister. As they grew up they went their different ways. On

this day, Yama supposedly visited his sister Yamuna, who in her joy at seeing

her brother after such a long interlude set up a feast for him. Pleased, Yama

granted her a boon. He declared that every man that receives a tilak or

vermilion mark on the forehead from his sister and presents her with lovely

gifts on this day would attain higher worlds. The message of Diwali is a

call to remove the darkness from within and from without. One lamp can light

several others. The lights of Diwali pictorially in this relative world

represent Atman (Brahman)* and the eternal creation. The light is always the

same, be it from celestial bodies or candles or oil lamps...it is as the symbol

for the Oneness of Cosmic Consciousness, (Atman, Brahman) what is always in

motion, creation. Its manifestation reflected (consciously or unconsciously)

through the Self. The inner spiritual light the individual Self longs for the

reflection outside into unity of other Selves. *Anybody cannot explain

what Atman is, as, it is beyond humans mind. All scriptures and explanations of

Atman are not objective reality but relative reality on the level of humans'

consciousness. We live in the relative world and our actions are relative

according to to Atmic Reality. Anybody from us do not know what exactly the

Atmic Reality is. Imagine a huge balloon of ether with created by ether special

forms of ants. Suppose that ants are capable to speak. Ask ants to describe the

ether and to find the edge of balloon. Try as they will, scurrying around, the

ants will never reach an edge and cannot describe the ether, as they have

nothing in the balloon to compare with the ether. (All is the same content and

they are too express the same content). So human beings: they have objectively

nothing for comparison of Atman and they never cannot look beyond Atman (alias

balloon). It is a frustrating aspect to our mind-boggling Universe. However,

humans have a divine spark within as reflection of the Self. They 'create' the

pinpointers for comparison from relative world as an imitation of the process

of Creation by Almighty in nano or in pico or more, more less amounts. It

is Cosmic Consciousness, Atman what 'works' by such way through human's Self.

It is as a play of the free will under pulsation of the Divine Will.

References: http://www.amritapuri.org/cultural/bharat/deepavali.htm

http://www.gsia.cmu.edu/afs/andrew/gsia/rb/issues/1999/oct29/diwali.html

http://www.durgajyoti.com/dewali.htm Namaste - Reet

[Guest guest]

Happy, light and prosperous Diwali to all members of 'saibabanews'

thanks reet sairam

beautiful recollections of the various

legendary stories attached to this festivity

In general, Diwali is a festival the renewal of life, the approach of winter and

the beginning of the sowing season. It is a festival of harvest the second crop,

joy for people of all ages, throughout India. On this day farmers express

thanksgiving to the Almighty.

little more to add to this

the wild animals, fauna with insects and domestic animals look for warmer to

guard them and their new born kith and kin , against onslaught of winter, that

drives them to human habitat, and the human in-turn try to keep them away by

lighting and fire works .that sends back them to dens, cracks and clevises and

few small insects and animals also have the practice of hibernating .

No doubt the following is true to us [we consider this our birth right to call

ourselves SAI DEVOTEE,which our beloved SWAMY HAS ALLOWED US .

For Sai devotees it is the time to become closer towards Swami's Divine Light

and to experience its reflection within. "The Self is self-luminous being pure

Consciousness. The cognition of all objects arises from the light of pure

Consciousness." (Bhrihadaranyaka Upanishad). Swami's Teaching and His Divine

vibrations are the pinpointers towards the Light of humans' Selves - as Unity

in diverse forms.

*Anybody cannot explain what Atman is, as, it is beyond humans mind. All

scriptures and explanations of Atman are not objective reality but relative

reality on the level of humans' consciousness. We live in the relative world

and our actions are relative according to to Atmic Reality. Anybody from us do

not know what exactly the Atmic Reality is. Imagine a huge balloon of ether

with created by ether special forms of ants. Suppose that ants are capable to

speak. Ask ants to describe the ether and to find the edge of balloon. Try as

they will, scurrying around, the ants will never reach an edge and cannot

describe the ether, as they have nothing in the balloon to compare with the

ether. (All is the same content and they are too express the same content). So

human beings: they have

objectively nothing for comparison of Atman and they never cannot look beyond

Atman (alias balloon). It is a frustrating aspect to our mind-boggling

Universe. However, humans have a divine spark within as reflection of the Self.

They 'create' the pinpointers for comparison from relative world as an imitation

of the process of Creation by Almighty in nano or in pico or more, more less

amounts. It is Cosmic Consciousness, Atman what 'works' by such way through

human's Self. It is as a play of the free will under pulsation of the Divine

Will. SWAMY HAS OPENED OUR INNER VISION

TOWARDS SUCH FACETS OF TRUTH , WHICH CAN KEEP US ENGAGED TILL OUR BREATH IN THIS

LIFE, THANKS TO SWAMY ,WHAT EVER WE MAY CALL , SELF, COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS, ATMIC

REALITY , THE CONSENSUS

WE ARE ALL AMUSING OURSELF WITH SWAMY 'S BLESSINGS, UNDER SWAMY'S CARE,GUIDANCE,

PROTECTION AND EVERY NOW AND THEN WE EXPERIENCE IN SOME FORM THE BLISS WHEN WE

ARE IN THIS GROUP GOING THRU MAILS THANKS

REET SAIRAM ONCE AGAIN

 

 

Reet Priiman <reet.priiman (AT) neti (DOT) ee> wrote:

Light and Love Happy, light and prosperious Diwali to all members of

'saibabanews' group. Diwali signifies many different events and

happenings in different parts of ancient India. ..........