Hello,
I am enclosing below a small write up on the various aspects of Diwali received
from an acquaintance. Hope it is of interest to you.
M.S.Iyer
ps: Given below is a note on the various aspects of Diwali, which may be of
interest to you.
THE MANY ASPECTS OF DIWALI
I used to associate Diwali with the return of Shri Ram and his companions to
Ayodhya. I was aware of the legend that, seeing them return, the people of
Ayodhya lit lamps (Deep) and put these in their doorways in rows (avali) to
light their path. However, as the following makes clear, there are other
reasons why Diwali is a great time to celebrate for many people. Not being as
well-versed in our mythical lore as I should perhaps have been, I was not aware
of these.
1.Goddess Lakshmi's Birthday: The Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi incarnated on the
new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during the churning of the ocean
(samudra-manthan), hence the association of Diwali with Lakshmi.
2. Vishnu Rescued Lakshmi: On this day (Diwali day), Lord Vishnu in his fifth
incarnation as Vaman-avtaara rescued Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali and
this is another reason of worshipping Ma Lakshmi on Diwali.
3. Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On the day preceding Diwali, Lord Krishna killed
the demon king Narakaasur and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity. The
celebration of this freedom went on for two days including the Diwali day as a
victory festival.
4. The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great epic 'Mahabharata', it
was 'Kartik Amavashya' when the Pandavas appeared from their 12 years of
banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands of the Kauravas at the game
of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the day by
lighting the earthen lamps.
5. The Victory of Rama: According to the epic 'Ramayana', it was the new moon
day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Ma Sita and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya after
vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya decorated the
entire city with the earthen lamps and illuminated it like never before.
6. Coronation of Vikramaditya: One of the greatest Indian Kings, Vikramaditya
was coronated on the Diwali day, hence Diwali became a historical event as
well.
7. Special Day for the Arya Samaj: It was the new moon day of Kartik (Diwali
day) when Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism and the
founder of Arya Samaj attained his nirvana.
8. Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, considered to be the founder
of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on Diwali day at Pavapuri on 15th
October, 527 BCE on Kartik chaturdashi. Lord Mahavira attained his nirvana at
the dawn of the amavasya (new moon). According to the Kalpasutra by Acharya
Bhadrabahu, 3rd century BC, many gods were present there, illuminating the
darkness. The following night was pitch black without the light of the gods or
the moon. To symbolically keep the light of their master's knowledge alive16
Gana-kings, 9 Malla and 9 Lichchhavi, of Kasi and Kosal, illuminated their
doors. They said: "Since the light of knowledge is gone, we will make light of
ordinary matter". The oldest reference to Diwali is a related word, dipalikaya
or deepalikaya, which occurs in Harivamsha-Purana, written by Acharya Jinasena
and composed in the Shaka Samvat era in the year 705.
9. Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar Das institutionalized
Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would gather to receive the Gurus
blessings. In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was
laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind, who was held by the
Mughal Emperor Jahengir, was released from the Gwalior fort along with 52 kings
who were political prisoners and whose release the Guru negotiated.After his
release he went to the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple). Because of this,
Sikhs also refer to Diwali also as Bandi Chhorh Divas - "the day of release of
detainees."
10. New Years Day: The Vikram Samvat begins on Diwali. On this 29th Oct. we
entered Samvat 2065. Originally this was in sync with the start of the Jain New
Year, Vira-Nirvana-Samvat. Now the Jain New Years starts just after Diwali.
With best wishes for this multifaceted festival,
Kishore Asthana
