MONDAY MUSE (27 October 2008)
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
Today we celebrate the Festival of Lights where the lights or lamps signify
victory of good over the evil within every human being.
Diwali or Deepavali has many legends associated with it. In North India, it is
associated with the story in Ramayana where people of Ayodhya welcomed Rama
(after a 14-year exile) by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deepa). In South
India, it is celebrated as the day Lord Krishna defeated Narakasura.
Founder of Jainism, Mahaveer is said to have attained Nirvana on this very day.
Additionally as the day, chief disciple of Mahaveer, Gautam Swami attained
complete knowledge, makes Diwali an important Jain festival. Sikhs celebrate
Diwali as the day of the release from prison of their sixth Guru, Hargobind
along with 52 other princes with him, from detention in the Gwalior Fort in
1619.
For the Hindus, the festival marks the triumph of good over evil and the
homecoming of goodwill and faith. For the Jains it is a celebration of complete
knowledge. For the Sikhs, it is a struggle for freedom. And it is a confluence
of all these reasons that will add meaning and purpose to our lives.
Hence when we seek to banish the darkness, it is not enough to light lamps only
during the Festival of Lights. We must join the fight of the “right” against
“might”. We have to connect with our faith in human values of equality, justice
and peace for all. We need to connect to knowledge and a better understanding
with what’s happening around us. And of course, let’s embark on the struggle
for freedom from darkness, both, within and without.
To BE BETTER at banishing the bleak shade…
Stop cursing, and light the lamp within instead!
- Pravin-da
27 October 2008, Goa, India.
Since 2004, the MONDAY MUSE series (based on JCI-India’s annual theme) is
penned by PRAVIN SABNIS - a life coach with a passion to connect people to
their passion & potential. He employs creative competencies in theatre &
trekking in his UNLEARNING UNLIMITED workshops conducted for leading corporate
& other groups.
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