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by
Dr Satyavati S. Kandala
Deepavali
(Nov 08 14, 2007 ,) is one of the most auspicious and celebrated
festivals in Bharat (India ). It is a festival of lights.
It occurs on the month of Ashwayuja , on the dark
fortnight of Amavasai, every year. It
symbolizes the vanquishing of ignorance , and the driving away
of the evil and darkness that sometimes overshadows us. "Deepavali
" is a Sanskrit word , it is the conjunction of the
words "Deepa" meaning light and "Aavali",
meaning arrays. It can be derived that Deepaavali is a festival
consisting of an array of lights, and that indeed it is . Every
home sparkles with the shining hues of deepas or lamps, in order
to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Prosperity ).
In most parts of Bharat Deepavali
continues for five days , each day having its own
significance in myth, belief, and legends.
The
First Day is called ":Dhana trayodashi",
(or Dhanteras ) and it falls on the thirteenth (Trayodashi)
day of Ashwayuja Month. The word "Dhana" means wealth,
and indeed this day is of extreme importance to the merchant
families and business communities ..Business premises are
decorated and sometimes even renovated to prepare for the
arrival of Goddess Lakshmi. Entrances are colored with the
colorful motifs of Rangoli designs , and small foot prints
are made with rice flour ,and Vermillion powder to signify
the long awaited arrival of Goddess Lakshmi. Bhajans are sung in
Her praise , and Naivedya , the offering of sweets to the
goddess , is performed.
An
interesting legend pertaining to Dhan trayodashi, is about
the sixteen year old son of King Hima. The horoscopes
predicted that he was doomed to die on the fourth night of his
marriage to the venomous bite of a serpent . On that very fourth
night, however, the son's wife would not let him sleep. She
piled golden ornaments, jewelry, silver and gold in a pile
towards the entrance to his bedroom, and sang songs all night.
Then, just as predicted , Yama, the Lord of Death, came in a
separate form to take away the life of the young man as
predicted .
But
, after seeing all the light reflected by the jewelry and
ornaments .Yama was blinded. So he climbed on top of all
the ornaments and listened to the songs sung by the woman
and left in the morning. Thus the young man was saved. Since
this day, Dhana trayodashi ( Dhanteras) came to be known as the
day of " yama deepa daana" ,means lighting the
lamps in order to pacify the Yama , the Lord of Death.
The
Second Day is called Naraka - chaturdasi (the
fourteenth day of Aswayuja Month. Legend goes that the demon
king Naraka asura ,(Nara means Man , Asura means
demon , "the demon in man" ) ruler of
Pragjyothisha pura ,(prag means former, jyoti means light, sha
means forgetting , puram means human body, where formerly
forgot the Light within) had defeated Lord
Indra and snatched away the precious earrings of Aditi, the
Mother Goddess. He had also imprisoned sixteen
thousand of the daughters of the saints and gods in his
palace. On the day preceding Naraka - chaturdashi, Lord
Sri Krishna killed the demon Naraka and
freed all the captured damsels, along with the precious earrings
of Aditi.
As
a symbol of His victory Sri Krishna smeared
the blood of his enemies on his forehead . Krishna arrived
home early on the morning of Naraka - chaturdashi, and upon
reaching there, the women folk massaged scent oils on his body,
and gave hima good bath to wash away the filth
from his body. Since that day , the custom of bathing
early in the morning of Naraka - chaturdashi has been
observed by many.
The
Third Day of Deepavali (or Diwali ) is considered
to be the most important, as it is upon this day that
Lakshmi - Pooja is celebrated Despite the fact that this day
falls on an Amavasya , or a time when there is no moon.,
it is taken as a most auspicious day. It is believed
that on the day of Lakshmi Puja , the man kind is submerged in
the blinding light of knowledge, and ignorance is finally
conquered. This sense of self-enlightenment is
represented through the twinkling lamps that every lights, the
rich and the poor. alike.. On this day, Lakshmi showers
Her blessings of prosperity on the heads of mankind. It is
believed Goddess Lakshmi visits the Earth only on this day.
When evening approaches , the chanting of Vedic
hymns can be heard commonly ., and home made sweets are offered
as Naivedya t (offering) to the Goddess. Gifts are exchanged.
A
curious indulgence given at the time is that of gambling .This
is due to the belief that the goddess Parvati played dice with
her husband Lord Paramesvara., and decreed that whoever would
gamble on the day of Lakshmi Pooja would prosper throughout
the year.
The
Fourth Day of Deepavali is Varsha pratipada (the first day
of the Kartika Month . It is observed by some as
Anna koota, meaning heap of food, and Govardhana Pooja ,
remembering the incident Lord Krishna who protected the
cattle by lifting the Govardhana mountain. Bhog (prasadam)
is offered to the deities in the form of a mountain,
and devotees then take their prasadam from this pile. Lakshmi is
worshipped in every household, and this day is looked upon as
being the most auspicious day to start any new venture.
Traditionally,
the wives put a red tilak on the foreheads of their
husbands, give garlands to them, and do aarati with a prayer for
his long life. In return, husbands give their wives costly
gifts.
The
Fifth and Final Day of Deepavali falls on the second day
of the Kartika Month . It is known by the name Bhratru -
Dvitiya. (Bhaiya duj) In legend, Yama visited his
sister Yami on this day and they had a merry time.
This day signifies the love of siblings, and it became
imperative that any brother visits his sister's house on this
day.
Kali
Pooja Ritual in Bengal coincides with Deepavali. Ritual
is a symbolic act which expresses a mystic relationship between
man and deity. Ritual is a symbolic transformation of
experience that no other medium can adequately express.
The Kali Pooja is performed during the dark
night of the new moon. . About three weeks after Durga
Puja . The divine mother is worshipped in the form
of Kali . Kali comes from the word
"Kala " or time. she is the power of time which
devours all. The Mother Goddess took several forms
to subdue the Demons. The Demon Rakta bija (symbolic of
our passions and instincts . They are so deeply rooted in us
that they often seem to be indestructible since one
what is killed is replaced at once by another, and so on)
possessed a special magical power which allowed him to create
new demons from his own blood. Whenever the Goddess Kali
wounded him, each drop of blood that spilled to the ground
sprouted another demon full of strength and ferocity. But in the
end the Mother outwitted him. She picked up Raktabija and lifted
him high into the air to avoid spilling his blood on
the ground, and then, gnashing him between her teeth, she drank
his blood and swallowed the demon Rakta bija whole. Thus
the Earth was protected from evil by the Mother
Goddess Kali is celebrated.
Deepavali
is celebrated to welcome the return of Sri Ram to Ayodhya after
having spent 14 years in Exile. . Sri Ram's coronation
took place on this day after his victorious return to
Ayodhya from Lanka vanquishing Ravana. welcoming Sri Ram
by the lighting of lamps. On Deepavali day
Lord Vishnu in his Vamana (Dwarf ) incarnation sent the Emperor
Bali to the Nether world after he got the promise of three feet
of ground from Bali. This is to put down the Ahamkara (Egoism )
of Bali.
The
Sun appears on Mesha Sankranti .(The Sun entering the Aeries
sign of the Zodiac )The Sun sets in the Polar
region on Tula Sankranti day (when the Sun enters Libra) In
the movement between these two signs there is an interval of Six
months . After the Sun gets in Libra the dark half -year starts
As we can see through this collection of facts, tradition, and
custom, Deepavali is a time of great joy and prosperity, a
time when the darkness of ignorance is lighted by the
bright light of knowledge and Truth.
In
conclusion, Deepavali festival bears out the profound
spiritual truth, the whole array of lamps are lit by the light
from one lamp .That one lamp symbolizes the Supreme Effulgent
Lord (Eko Vishnu) the other symbolize the
light in individual selves (Pruthak bhutah) . The One
willed to become Many is exemplified by the lighting of the
lamps by the flame of one.
TAMASO
MA JYOTIRGAMAYA |
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