Deepawali: The festival of lights

Er. Prabhat Kishore

(prabhatkishore65@gmail.com)

India is the land of festivals. Deepawali, or Diwali, is one of them, which is celebrated on the Amavasya of Kartik Krishna Paksha. The Shanti Mantra from the Brihadaranyaka Upnishad, “Tamso Ma Jyotirgamya,” i.e., “Lead me from darkness to light,” reveals its spiritual spirit.

Deepawali is a five-day-long festival that starts in Dhanteras and ends in Bhaiya Duj. Deepawali is mentioned in Padma Puran and Skand Puran. It is composed of two Sanskrit words: “Deep,” i.e., light or candle, meaning that which glows, illuminates, or imparts knowledge, and “Awali,” i.e., rows or series. Thus, Deepawali means “Rows of Lights” or “Festival of Lights”.

The first day, Dhanvantari Trayodoshi, or Dhanteras, is celebrated to commemorate the arrival of Devi Lakshmi from Kshir Sagar (Ocean) during the Samudra Manthan (churning of the cosmic ocean of milk) by the Devtas and Asuras to receive the Amrit (nector). On this day, Bhagwan Dhanvantari also came out of the ocean with Ayurveda for mankind. Bhagwan Kuber, the lord of wealth, is also worshipped. Shopping for new items on this day is considered auspicious.

Chhoti Diwali, also termed Narak Chaturdashi or Roop Chaudash, is the second day of the festival. It is celebrated because Bhagwan Krishna and his wife Satyabhama killed demon king Narkasur of Pragjyotish and released nearly 16,000 girls from the demon’s captivity. It is also believed that Devi Kali made Narkasur disappear.

On the third day, Diwali is celebrated with great enthusiasm all over the world. Devi Lakshmi and Bhagwan Ganesh are worshipped together to achieve the blessings of wealth and prosperity and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. According to mythology, once Goddess Lakshmi was proud of herself, the whole world worshipped her and yearned to get her. Lord Vishnu understood this feeling of his conscience, and with the aim of breaking Lakshmi’s pride, he said that, Goddess, even though the whole universe yearns to have you, you are not yet complete. Lakshmiji narrated her woes to her friend Parvatiji and asked her to adopt Ganesh, one of her two sons. Lakshmiji adopted Ganesh with the consent of Parvatiji, and since then, Ganesh has come to be called the adopted son of Devi Lakshmi. Being very pleased, Devi Lakshmi gave Ganesh a boon, saying, ‘I will fulfil the wishes of the devotees only when they will worship you along with me’. For this reason, there is a law to worship Ganesh along with Lakshmi in Diwali. Bhagwan Kuber is also worshipped by the devotees on this auspicious day.

There are several beliefs behind this festival. In Treta Yug, Raja Ramchandra, along with Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman, returned to Ayodhya from Lanka on this day after victory over Ravan, and people celebrated the occasion by lighting Deeyas and decorating Rangolis. On this auspicious day, the Nirvan Diwas of Bhagwan Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankar of Jain, is observed by the followers of Jainism. The Sikh community celebrates this day to mark the release of Guru Hargovind ji Maharaj from Mugalprison and his arrival at the Holy Swarnmandir, Amritsar.

The fourth day is the Govardhan Puja, or Padwa. Bhagwan Krishna had lifted the Govardhan parvat and held it up to protect the people and cattle from the rain and thunder produced by the angry Indra. When Indra conceded defeat, on the request of Krishna, the people of Brajbhoomi started performing the Govardhan Puja.

Bhaiya Duj, or Bhai Teeka, is the fifth and last day of Diwali. This day is dedicated to sisters. Yamraj (the lord of death) had visited his sister Yamuna on this day and gave her a vardhan (boon) that whoever visits his sister on this day will be liberated from all sins and will achieve Moksha, or final emancipation. As per another belief, Krishna had visited his sister Subhadra after defeating Narakasur, who welcomed him with a tilak on his forehead.

The festival of Deepawali not only has religious or spiritual significance, but it also has scientific importance. The clay Deeyas with oil and cotton wick are eco-friendly and do not leave any harmful residue. During the monsoon, the air is moist and full of bacteria and fungi. The heat generated from the deeja destroys bacteria, insects, and fungi and thus cleanses the air. The magnesium present in Deeya’s oil reacts with the harmful sulphur and carbon dioxide present in the air to form sulphurate and carbonate and purify the environment. The Panch Tatwa (five elements of the universe)—Kshiti (Earth), Jal (Water), Pawak (Fire), Gagan (Sky), and Sameer (Air)—is represented by the Deeya. The earth element is represented by the clay Deeya, oil, and cotton wick. Water is produced during the combustion of oil, fire by the light generated, sky by the light around the flame, and air by the oxygen diffused to the wick.

Deepawali is the season of celebration, and there is joy, light, and happiness everywhere around us. It illuminates houses and hearts and spreads the message of friendship and togetherness.