Festival Of Lights


'Festival of Lights' or Diwali is a festival which has the potential of unifying entire India because of the charisma and splendor surrounding this festival. Diwali has been given the traditional name of 'festival of lights' because of the hundreds and thousands of small oil lamps or diyas lighted by many households. The burning of these diyas are considered to be the lighted pathway of a person's expression of happiness and also a manner of paying obeisance to God, the Supreme power for attainment of health, prosperity, knowledge, financial security and peace in one's life.

'The festival of lights' is celebrated with much enthusiasm and zeal in all of north India. In fact the festival of Diwali is regarded to bring the supernatural joy and brightness in a person's life with the hope of discovering light amidst darkness, achieving happiness in place of ignorance and spreading of love amidst hatred and violence. The tradition of lighting the diyas on Diwali holds much importance as in Hindu mythology the light signifies goodness and vitality. In cities candles and classy neon lights often substitute these diyas.

The idea behind the lighting of diyas and candles on the festival of lights comes from a number of stories as mentioned in the Hindu mythology. The most famous of these stories is the story revolving around Lord Ram and his family. Diwali celebrates the homecoming of Lord Ram, who according to a legend came home to Ayodhya after defeating the evil Ravana and spending fourteen years in exile. Diwali is also the day of Lord Ram's coronation. According to a popular legend King Dashratha had three wives by the names of Kaushalaya, Keykayee and Sumitra who had four sons Ram, Bharat, Laxmana and Shatrughan. Lord Ram, the son of Queen Kaushalaya was the eldest of all four brothers while Bharat was the son of Queen Keykayee.

Queen Keykayee wanted her son Bharat to be the future king of Ayodhya while King Dashratha decided to coronate Ram to be the future king. Keykayee on getting to know about the decision of king Dashratha decided to ask the king for two wishes which he had promised her earlier in life. For her two wishes Keykayee asked for sending Ram to exile for the period of fourteen years and to crown Bharat as the king, though Bharat refused to accept the kingship. Well Ram went to exile accompanied with his younger brother Lakshman and wife Sita. During exile King Ravana of Lanka abducted Sita and Lord ram had to fight a fierce battle in the southern part of the Indian sub-continent with ravana.

During this fight the king of the demons was killed and Lord Ram came back to Ayodhya along with His brother and wife. Deepavali marks his victorious return to his kingdom along with Hanuman, the Vanar who helped him in achieving success. The legend states it took 20 days for Rama to return to his kingdom after defeating Ravana. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali signifies many different things to people across the country. Like in Gujarat, the festival is celebrated to honor goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth; and in Bengal, it is related with goddess Kali. Though everywhere, it is celebrated with the same sprit and signifies the renewal of life.


Diwali Lakshmi Puja
Lakshmi Puja on Diwali is an integral part of the Diwali celebrations. This day is also known by the name of 'Chopada-Puja'. Lakshmi-Puja is performed for the sole purpose of propitiating Goddess Lakshmi and to thank Her for the bestowal of her blessings on the humans. Lakshmi-Puja falls on the darkest night of Amavasya, though with the help of innumerable lamps and diyas this darkness is reduced to such an extent that it seems as if one is celebrating Diwali in broad daylight.

Lakshmi Puja on Diwali is a major part of the Diwali celebration in North and West India. According to the legend associated with Lakshmi Puja, there once occurred the churning of ocean by the demons and the deities in order to look for the 'amrit' or the 'drink of immortality'. On this day Goddess Lakshmi manifested herself from the ocean and since then Diwali began to be celebrated and Lakshmi Puja became an important part of the Diwali celebrations in order to commemorate the Goddess Lakshmi.

According to a common belief Goddess Lakshmi walks through the green fields as well as the bye-lanes in order to shower her blessings on the human race for peace, wealth and prosperity. Thus everyone is advised to open the doors and the windows of their homes on the eve of Lakshmi Puja.

Cleanliness forms another important part of the rituals of Lakshmi Puja on Diwali. People try to keep their houses neat and clean on this day, as Goddess Lakshmi is believed to like cleanliness and she visits the cleanliest house first. Another ritual is of lighting the diyas and lamps on the eve of Diwali in order to light up the path of Goddess Lakshmi. Puja for five deities are included in the process of Lakshmi Puja on Diwali. Foremost Lord Ganesha is worshipped in the beginning of the Puja, then Goddess Lakshmi is revered through the Lakshmi Puja, Mahasaraswati who is regarded to be the goddess of books and learning is worshipped for gaining of knowledge and last but not the least Lord Kubera who is the treasurer of the wealth of gods.

Diwali Padwa and Govardhan Puja
The day following Diwali or the fourth day of the Diwali celebrations is known by the names of 'Padwa & Govardhan Puja'. These two festivals are celebrated differently in the diverse geographical parts of the country. While the festival of Padwa is celebrated in order to celebrate the coronation of king Vikramaditya, the festival of Govardhan Puja is celebrated for commemorating the incidence of lifting of Mount Govardhan by Lord Krishna. Though both the festivals 'Padwa & Govardhan Puja' are celebrated wit much fervor but in different parts of the country.
While Padwa is celebrated in parts like Maharashtra and the western states of India, Govardhan puja is mainly associated with the northern parts of the country.

Padwa
'Kartik shuddh padwa' or simply 'Padwa' is the name given to the day following Amavasya. According to a famous legend, on this very day the very powerful King Bali comes out of the patala lok every year to rule over his kingdom on Bhuloka, as per the boon awarded to him by Lord Vishnu. Since then this day came to be celebrated as Padwa in order to honor and welcome the King Bali. This day is also known by the name of 'Bali Padyami'. The day of Padwa also has a historic importance, as it is considered to be the day of the coronation of king Vikramaditya. Gudi Padwa is also a symbol of husband wife love and on this very day according to a famous custom the newly married daughters along with their husbands are invited to their parental homes for special meals and feasts.

Dhanteras
Dhanteras falls on the thirteenth day of the ashwin month and two days before the festival of Diwali. The word 'Dhan' signifies wealth and hence this particular day of all the five days of Diwali celebrations is considered to be of utmost importance for the rich mercantile community of India particularly in the western part of India. This day of Dhanteras is meant to be the day of renovating and decorating of the houses and the business premises. Traditional motifs of Rangoli designs are particularly used for decorating the entrance of the homes in order to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.
To signify the arrival of Goddess Lakshmi into the house, small footprints prepared with rice flour and Vermillion powder are made in the entire house. This day is also regarded to be auspicious for women to buy some gold or silver or some utensil. Buying some dhan or some form of precious metal on Dhanteras is regarded to be a sign of good luck. In the evening 'Lakshmi Puja' is performed and diyas are lighted to drive away the shadows of the evil spirit.

According to the most famous legend associated with Dhanteras is that of Samundramanthan, the name given to the churning of the ocean by gods and demons for getting amrit or nectar from the ocean. The result of churning was the arrival of Dhanavantri, the physician of the gods along with the jar of elixir. Since then the day came to be celebrated as the day of Dhanteras.

Another legend associated with Dhanteras is that of sixteen-year-old son of King Hima who was doomed to die by snakebite on the fourth day of his marriage as per his horoscope. On the fourth day of his marriage the prince was not allowed to go to sleep by his young wife, who laid ornaments and lots of gold and silver in a heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lighted thousands of lamps all over the palace and went on telling stories and songs to her husband for the entire night.

Yam, the God of death arrived in the night only to be blinded with the light of the lamps. Since he was not able to enter the prince's room, Yam climbed the heap of the ornaments and the gold and sat there for the entire night listening to the stories and songs and in the morning quietly went away. Since that day Dhanteras came to be celebrated as the day of "Yamadeepdaan" and many lamps are lighted for the entire night in adoration to yam, the God of death.
Choti Diwali
Diwali is one of the most celebrated festivities in the Indian culture. The splendor of the festival of Diwali is so great that the celebrations for Diwali go on for five days. Choti Diwali, which falls on the fourteenth day of the Hindi month, Kartik just after Dhanteras, is celebrated as the second day of Diwali. The other name given to Choti Diwali is that of 'Narak Chaturdasi'. The Choti Diwali is celebrated with the same fervor and enthusiasm though on a much lower scale.Just like Diwali, there is a tradition of worshipping Goddess Lakshmi, decorating the homes with Diwali Rangolis and lights, bursting crackers and lighting of diyas on the occasion of Choti Diwali also. As per the legends

associated with Choti Diwali are concerned there is one famous legend of the demon king Narakasur, who used to rule over Pragjyotishpur, which is a province in the South of Nepal. After winning the war with the deities of the heaven, he empowered the kingdom of Lord Indra, imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of the gods and harems in the heaven and even snatched the earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi, who was not only the mother of the deities of heaven but also the relative of Satyabhama, Lord Krishna's wife. Satyabhama lost her cool on hearing about this malevolent act of Narakasur and prayed to Lord Krishna to empower her so that she could be able to kill Narakasur. Narakasur was under a curse that a woman would kill him. So Lord Krishna empowered Satyabhama and she was able to murder Narakasur by beheading him. She then rescued the sixteen thousand women prisoners from the clutches of Narakasur and even recovered Mother Goddess Aditi's earrings. In order to save the women from embarrassment, Lord Krishna married all the sixteen thousand women and accepted them as His wife.

Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with blood as a sign of victory over Narakasur and returned home with his wives on the morning of Choti Diwali. Lord Krishna was massaged with scented oil by the womenfolk on the morning of Narak Chaturdasi and since then it became a practice to take a bath before sunrise on the day of Narak Chaturdasi.

According to another legend associated with Choti Diwali, there was a king of the nether world by the name of 'King Bali'. Though a demon, King Bali was very influential and his increasing powers posed a great threat to the deities of the heaven who went to Lord Vishnu asking for his help in eradicating King Bali. Lord Vishnu took the incarnation of 'Batu Waman', a short-height Brahmin and went to King Bali and begged him for that area of land which He would be able to cover by his three steps as King Bali was very much famous for his philanthropy.

When king Bali saw the small size of the Brahmin and heard about his request he just smiled and readily granted the Brahmin's request. At this moment the Brahmin got converted into Lord Vishnu who covered heaven with his first step and the earth with his second step. With his third step Lord Vishnu covered king Bali's head and pushed him into the underground. But at the same time being impressed with King Bali's generosity Lord Vishnu granted the king with the lamp of knowledge and allowed him to visit his kingdom once a year.

Since that day the day of the death of King Bali came to be commemorated through the celebrations of Choti Diwali.

Diwali Bhai Duj
The Fifth day of Diwali Festival is known by the name of 'Bhai Duj' or 'Bhaiya Dooj'. This festival marks the love between the sisters and brothers and is known to strengthen the bond of care and affection between the two. Through the means of this festival the sisters commemorate their brothers with an auspicious tilak or a vermilion mark on their foreheads. In return brothers are expected to present some lavish gifts to their sisters. Well Bhai Duj is not only about the applying of tilak on someone's forehead or giving out gifts, but it also reflects the rich Indian culture and traditions, which gives due
attention and respect to all kinds of relationships. Bhai Duj is a day of getting together of families and friends, forgotten enmities, enjoyment and merriment.

According to a legend associated with the celebrations of Bhai Duj, Lord Krishna went to her sister Subhadra's home after killing the Narakasura demon. Subhadra welcomed him with lamps, flowers, sweets an applied vermilion mark on his forehead. Since that day sisters adopted this practice of applying vermilion mark on their brother's forehead on the day of Bhai Duj. Another legend linked with the Bhai Duj tells the story of God Surya who got married to a princess by the name of Samjna, also pronounced as Sangya. She gave birth to twins who were named Yama and Varni or the river Yamuna. After some time Samjna left God Surya and left behind her exact replica by the name of 'chaya' so that her husband would not come to know about her absence.

Chaya turned out to be a very cruel stepmother who persuaded god Surya to drive both Yama and Varni out of their home. Varni fell to the earth and turned into river Yamuna while Yama went to the underworld and became the King of Death. In the course of time Varni married a young prince but kept on missing her brother. On the other hand Yama also kept yearning for her sister and decided to pay her a visit.

On hearing about his visit Varni made a lot of preparations and organized a great feast in his honor. Yama on receiving so much love from his sister got overwhelmed and told Varni that since he hasn't brought any gift for her so she should herself ask for any appropriate gift. Varni asked him to grant her a boon according to which every brother on the particular day of Bhai Duj would have to pay a visit to his sister's home. Yama happily granted this wish of her and also said that any brother who would gift a nice present to his sister on this day would be granted with a long and healthy life.

Since that day Bhai Duj came to be celebrated with much fervor with sisters applying tilak on their brother's forehead and brothers giving precious gifts to their sisters as a token of their love and affection for them.

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mor

Whenever you experience joy, peace, security, equanimity or purity, it is only because you are aligned with ALMIGHTY.

I learnt that in parts of S India esp Tamil Nadu , Diwali is celebrated not because of Rama's return to Ayodhya , but Krishna killing Narkasura ...

Surprising the same festival celebrated in the same country for 2 entirely different origins including eras ...

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Fido.

More intresting Ravana is considered a good guy and an intellectual virtuoso.There are plays and other stuff which depict Ravana as a brahmin and Ram as a Kshatriya and the Ravana the King of Lanka is depicted as a hero while Ram is looked down upon for asking his wife to do Agnipariksha to prove her chastity.

Also if you watch the tv serial on BBC shown on TVO on fridays also available on the net \"Story of India \" by a guy called Blair Wood he has done extensive research on Mathura and tries to provide a link for Krishna as a Kalinga which might be a modified version of a Roman King who lived in that period and also the Naramisha avatar and the further celebaration in Mathura.

May be the MYTH's may be homegrown as per the location.

Hence the best way to realize Hinduism is to read the thoughts of Ramana Maharishi or even JK or someother modern thinkers/philosophers.

Ultimately the essence of Hinduism is \"Aaham Bramhasmi\" or \"I'm God\" or \"Naan Kaduvul\" and do not waste time looking for God outside and the yardstick of our life is Karma. You do good it returns back to as good. We are all born to die and we are awaiting death and the soul goes on multiple cycles until it attains Mukti.

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Sunny Leone a true Canadian DESI now back in India !.

Could some one please provide the mahurat for dhanteras pooja in Toronto?
Thanks,