Diwali - The Festival of Lights

Diwali is one of the major Hindu festival, celebrated all over the country with great zeal and enthusiasm. The word Diwali find its origin from the sanskrit word “deepavali”, which means “rows of lighted lamps”. Households across India celebrate Diwali by decorating their space with small earthen lamps called diyas, rangolis and colourful lights.

According to the Skanda Purana, the earthen lamps or the Diyas symbolize the Sun, describing a diya the cosmic giver of light and energy.

People cover streets and buildings in the festive lighting and there are lively songs and dance. Dazzling fireworks go off, creating spectacle of sound and light. This helps to scare away evil spirits and celebrate the victory of good over evil.

How is Diwali Celebrated?

Being a grand festival , Diwali is celebrated over a period of 5 days. Each day signify by certain rituals and traditions. The first day of Diwali is popularly known as Dhanteras, marks the beginning of Diwali.

The second day of Diwali, commonly known as Choti Diwali, is Naraka Chaturdashi. The celebrations on this day indicate a sense of freedom from all kinds of suffering. A wide variety of sweets are prepared and distributed among relatives and friends.

The third day of the festival is known to be the main day of Diwali. Also known as Lakshmi Pujan, devotees welcome Goddess Lakshmi into their homes. They worship her and ask for her blessings. This is the day of celebration and joy as people burst crackers and meet up with their relatives and close friends.

The fourth day of Diwali is the Govardhan Puja, It is a celebration of that time when Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Mountain on his little finger. to save the cowherd and all the farmers from dangerous floods caused due to heavy rainstorm.

The fifth and final day of Diwali, also known as Bhai Dooj. Bhai Dooj celebrates the beautiful bond shared between brothers and sisters. much like Rakshabandhan. This again is the day of celebration and excitement, as brothers meet their sisters and offer them several gifts.

Why is Diwali Celebrated?

The festival of deepavali finds its origins in the period of Ramayana. But overtimme, there has been a lot of stories that has been linked to the festival. Some of the major stories associated with diwali are as follows:-

The Return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya

Diwali is believed to be the day when Lord Rama completed his exile of 14 years and returned to Ayodhya. This day holds utmost importance in the Hindu tradition because Lord Rama returned with his wife Sita after defeating Ravana. Hence, this festival also symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

Lord Rama had put an end to Ravana’s rule in Lanka on the day of Vijaya Dashmi, also known as Dusshera. After the defeat, Lord Rama returned to his kingdom in a period of 20 days. The people of Ayodhya celebrated the return of their ruler by lighting up the way to his home with diyas. The entire city was illuminated with lights in order to welcome the ruler and his wife.

The Return of Goddess Lakshmi

Once the great Sage Durvasa decided to visit Indra, the ruler of heaven. But when the sage reached Indra’s kingdom, he was distracted and didn’t pay proper respect to the Great Sage. Maharishi Durvasa got angry at the disrespect and cursed Indra that he will lose his dominion over the 3 worlds.

As a result, Goddess Lakshmi vanished from the world and was lost in the ocean. In order to return the Goddess to her former place Samundra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean) was performed. Diwali is believed the day when Goddess Lakshmi emerged again and took her rightful place beside Lord Vishnu. Hence, she is worshiped as the deity of wealth and prosperity during Diwali and Dhanteras.

Dhanvantri and the wisdom of Ayurveda

Diwali is also related to Dhanvantri, the Lord of Medicines who gave the wisdom of Ayurveda. This day is celebrated as his birth anniversary for imparting the knowledge of medicine to people.

Lord Krishna's victory over Narakasura

In some parts of India, the festival of Diwali is celebrated as the victory of Lord Krishna over the wicked demon Narakasura. It is believed that when Narakasura kidnapped more than 16,000 princesses, Lord Krishna defeated him and freed all the princesses.

Pandava's Return from Exile

In the Hindu Epic Mahabharata, the Pandavas were the 5 sons of King Pandu. At one point, the Pandavas were ordered into exile for 12 years after losing a game of dice. The Pandava brothers were genuinely loved by all the people. Their return from exile was marked as a joyous occasion worthy of celebration by illumination of lamps throughout the city streets. This return was said to occur during the festival of Diwali and thus is observed in line with the annual tradition.

The Story of Goddess Kali

Kali, the goddess of destruction is celebrated in West Bengal as the major deity associated with Diwali. According to Hindu mythology, Kali was born to liberate heaven and earth from the cruel oppression of the demons. However, after slaying all the demons, Kali lost control and continued her path of destruction until the intervention of Lord Shiva reigned her in. Her day of repentance is celebrated on Diwali, paying tribute to the awsome power of kali and her embodiment of the ultimate victory of good over evil.

Celebration of Diwali in Other Religions

While previously mentioned legends come from the Hindu Religion, other religions such as Jainism and Sikhism also have their own traditions guiding the celebration of Diwali.

Diwali according to Jainism

According to Jainism, Lord Mahavira, a contemporary of Gautam Buddha reached enlightenment at the time of Diwali in the 6th century BCE, around the time of the first historical records of the festival’s observation. Mahavira is a major figure in the Jain religion, and his achievement of nirvana serves as the primary reason why Jains have celebrated their own Diwali alongside Hindus for countless generations.

Diwali according to Sikhism

Sikhs also hold their own version of Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, which they celebrate in a similar way alongside Hindus and Jains.

In Sikh tradition, this date commemorates the 17th century release from prison of Guru Hargobind, a significant figure in the Sikh religion, who had been detained under the Mughal Empire. It is also the time of year during which all Sikhs traditionally gather to receive guru’s blessings, and has officially been observed as a Sikh festival since 16th Century.