Er P L Khushu
Diwali, is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, lasting for five days from the 13th day of the dark half of the lunar month Ashvina to second day of light half of the lunar month Kartika. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term Dipawali, meaning ‘row of lights’. The festival generally symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. In North India the festival is also celebrated for royal homecoming of Bhagwan Ram along with Sita, Lakshman and Hanuma to Ayodhya after defeating Ravan, the 10-headed king of demons, thus connecting the festival with the auspicious day of Dussehra.
Observances of Diwali differ depending on region and tradition. Among Hindus the most widespread custom is the lighting of diyas, the small earthenware lamps filled with oil, on night of the new moon to invite the presence of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. In Bengal, Goddess Kali is worshipped. In South India the festival marks Krishna’s victory over demon Narakasura. Some celebrate Diwali as a commemoration of marriage of Lakshmi and Vishnu, while others observe it as the birthday of Goddess Lakshmi. During the festival, Diyas are lit and placed in rows along the parapets of temples and houses and set adrift on rivers and streams. Homes are decorated, and floors inside and outside are covered with Rangoli, consisting of elaborate designs made of coloured rice, sand, or flower petals. The doors and windows of houses are kept open in the hope that Goddess Lakshmi will find her way inside and bless the residents with wealth and success.
The names and events of the individual days of Diwali are different. The first day, known as Dhanteras, is dedicated to cleaning homes and purchasing small items of gold. Lakshmi is the focus of worship on that day. The second day, called Naraka Chaturdashi or Chotti Diwali, commemorates Krishna’s destruction of Narakasura; prayers are also offered for the souls of ancestors. On the third day, Lakshmi Puja, families seek blessings from Lakshmi to ensure their prosperity and light Diyas, candles, and fireworks, with visits to temples. It is the main day of the Diwali festival. The fourth day, known as Goverdhan Puja, Balipratipada, or Annakut, is also the first day of Karttika and the start of the New Year in the Vikrama (Hindu) calendar. Merchants perform religious ceremonies and open new account books. The fifth day, called Bhai Dooj, Bhai Tika, or Bhai Bij, celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. On that day sisters pray for the success and well-being of their brothers. This year Diwali is to be celebrated on Thursday, November 4, 2021. Diwali is also a time for visiting, exchanging gifts, wearing new clothes, feasting, feeding the poor, and setting off fireworks, though such displays have been restricted to limit noise and other environmental pollutions. Gambling, especially in the form of card games, is encouraged as a way of ensuring good luck in the coming year and in remembrance of the games of dice played by Shiva and Parvati on Mount Kailasa or similar contests between Radha and Krishna, ritually in honour of Lakshmi.
Since the 18th century, Diwali has been celebrated in Sikhism as the time of Guru Hargobind’s return to Amritsar from captivity in Gwalior, an echo of Rama’s return to Ayodhya. Residents of Amritsar lit lamps throughout the city to celebrate the occasion.
What Diwali teaches us? Remove darkness. On this auspicious day, we light Diyas, Lamps to remove darkness of the night, but what actually it says is to never forget to remove darkness from your heart, soul and mind. The actual message of Diwali is to remove darkness from within us, from within our soul and heart; we need to bring consciousness to remove unconsciousness from within us. We need to bring wisdom to remove ignorance from within us. Let us bring wisdom in ourselves which removes darkness and ignorance not only from us, but from the entire planet. It teaches us to stay positive. On this day, we clean our house, workplace, offices because we want to welcome Goddess Laxmi. We clean our houses on every auspicious occasion and festivals, but what we actually forget to clean is our hearts from all the negativity of spiritual thoughts, so that God can reside in our heart, clean your heart, mind and body from bad habits full of negativity and allow positivity to enter in your hearts , minds and the souls, to be more loving and kind towards each other in order to invite positivity and God in your heart and soul. It teaches us to have patience. Every unpleasant thing will come to an end one day for sure. What we need to do is to have patience. Diwali’s important lesson is to have patience. Just be in the right path and do your hard work, put your effort and wait patiently for your reward and good days. Keep on moving and don’t worry about the long journey, just enjoy the journey with piousness, which is going to take you to your goal, the goal of salvation. Diwali teaches us to be sharing. On this day we buy sweets and share them with friends, colleagues and with strangers. People buy gifts and give it to each other. What does it exactly show. It shows that sharing is caring. The actual message is that we should share happiness with others, we should share whatever extra we have to less privileged people. We should share with anyone without being biased and egoistic, because festivals teach us the unity, kindness, togetherness, and sharing. Sharing Happiness with others will for sure double your happiness. It is a new beginning. We buy new clothes, utensils because it makes us feel good and new things give us happiness. But the actual message is that it’s never too late to start afresh and make a new beginning. It teaches us that we should never give up, no matter how bad your today is. You always have a chance to make a better tomorrow. Every day is the new beginnings with new opportunities. We need to try to grab it. While the lights point to different events, there is a deeper sense that celebrating is to remember the core of the celebration throughout one’s life time, which is passion for truth and righteousness the ‘Dharama’. The greatest light to be pointed to is the inner light of ours. Are we paying attention to your own inner light that goes beyond the physical nature of yourself?
How are you feeding the spiritual nature of yours, by asking yourself as to who we are? How are we encouraging this in your relationship with others? Diwali the festival of lights should equally be taken as the torch light of our existence and get involved in the space of self realization. Let this occasion of lights, ignite the power of our self realization apart from giving us courage and intentions to give and surrender. Giving is achieving. Collecting is material death. Let us learn to give rather than to achieve materially at this occasion of Diwali. May these Divine festival sparkle lives of all of us with joy and happiness, with our commitments to our ‘Dharma’, the path of righteousness!
(The author is a Chartered Consultant Civil Engineer, passionately attached and devoted to his Motherland – Jammu & Kashmir)