DIPAWALI / DIWALI SIGNIFICANCE
Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated on the darkest new moon night of the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar. It marks the victory of good over evil. 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.
Apart from blessed thoughts which emanate from the inner recesses of our heart, the enthusiasts besides lighting their homes and hearths also make sure that their houses are spruced up for inviting the blessings of Maa Lakshmi, the Lordess of wealth and wellbeing.
For this purpose, we can say with fair amount of certainty that Swachchta (cleanliness)
has its own reward. Not only our houses, we clean up our surroundings too and for this purpose, Swachch Bharat Abhiyan has done much. Need is to keep not merely ourselves but also clean up our environment.
For this, use of crackers which produce huge amounts of pollutants should not be used. It would be in the fitness of things to confine ourselves to lighting our houses to the best way possible.
Deepavali is more of the festival of light than of the sounds generated by exploding of crackers.
Lamps that adorn homes during Diwali symbolize the light of knowledge. Just as darkness causes fear and brings sorrow in the form of mishaps, ignorance of one’s true identity leads to suffering, as body-consciousness gives rise to vices that corrupt our thoughts and actions.
Diwali does not just mark the mythical victory of Rama
over Ravana; it is a celebration of the light of spiritual knowledge dispelling the darkness of ignorance which masks one’s true identity as an immortal being.
Happiness is the fruit of good actions, which in turn flow from pure thoughts and feelings. Noble thoughts will come naturally to us only if we have cleansed our mind and cultivated virtues such as love, kindness, purity and truth which, like the fragrance of flowers, enrich human life and bring joy to relationships.
Deities invoked during Diwali are physical representations of virtues. Goddess Lakshmi, popularly associated with the festival, is shown seated on a lotus, holding a lotus blossom, one each in two of her four arms, while one palm is raised in blessing and another showers gold coins. The lotus is a symbol of purity, as the flower remains untouched by the mud in which it blooms. Blessings and gold signify generosity and abundance.
