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Date:
A family festival, it is celebrated 20 days after
Dussehra, on the 13th day of the dark Fortnight of
the month of Ashwin (October / November)
Deepawali
or Diwali The 14th Day of the dark half of Aashwayuja
to the 2nd day of bright half of Kaartik If there
is one occasion which is all joy and all jubilation
for one and all - the young and the old, men and women
for the entire Hindu world, it is Deepaavali - the
Festival of Lights. Even the humblest of huts will
be lighted by a row of earthern lamps. Crackers resound
and light up the earth and the sky. The faces of boys
and girls flow with a rare charm in their dazzling
hues and colors. Illumination - Deepotsavas - in temples
and all sacred places of worship and one the banks
of rivers symbolize the scattering of spiritual radiance
all round from these holy centres.
The
radiant sight of everybody adorned with new and bright
clothes, especially ladies decorated with the best of
ornaments, captures the social mood at its happiest.
And all this illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity,
is to signify the victory of divine forces over those
of wickedness. Narakaasura was a demon king ruling over
Praagjyotishapura (the present-day Assam). By virtue
of his powers and boons secured from God, he became
all-conquering. Power made him swollen-headed and he
became a menace to the good and the holy men and even
the Gods. The Gods headed by Devendra implored Sri Krishna
who was at Dwaaraka (in the present-day Gujarat) to
come to their rescue. Sri Krishna responded. He marched
from the western end of the country to its eastern end,
Praagjyotishapura, destroyed the huge army which opposed
him finally beheaded Narakaasura himself. The populace
was freed from the oppressive tyranny and all heaved
a sigh of relief. The 16,000 women kept in captivity
by the demon king were freed. With a view to removing
any stigma on them and according social dignity, Sri
Krishna gave all of them the status of his wives. After
the slaying of Narakaasura Sri Krishna bathed himself
smearing his body with oil in the early morning of Chaturdashi.
Hence the invigorating vogue of taking an early morning
`oil-bath' on that day. Mother Earth, whose son Narakaasura
was, requested Sri Krishna that the day be celebrated
as one of jubilation. Sri Krishna granted the request
and since then the tradition has continued.
Mother Earth reconciled herself to the loss of her son
and knowing as she did that the Lord had punished her
son for the sake of the welfare of the world, she set
a glowing example of how one has to brush aside one's
personal joys and sorrows in the interest of society.
It is this deliverance of the people from the clutches
of the asuras that fill the people with joy. Then follows
Amaavaasya, the new moon day, auspicious for offering
prayers and gratitude to the bygone ancestors of the
family and invoking their memories and blessings for
treading the path of right conduct. This is also the
sacred occasion for the worship of Mahaa Lakshmi, the
goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. The business community
open their New Year's account with Her worship. This
reminds us of the famous saying of the sage Vyaasa,
'dharmaadarthashcha kaamashcha...' - it is through right
conduct that wealth and fulfilment of desires also accrue.
In northern parts of Bharat, Deepaavali is associated
with the return of Sri Rama to Ayodhya after vanquishing
Raavana. The people of Ayodhya, overwhelmed with joy,
welcomed Rama through jubilation and illumination of
the entire capital. Well has it been said that while
Sri Rama unified the north and south of our country,
Sri Krishna unified the west and the east. Sri Rama
and Sri Krishna together therefore symbolize the grand
unity of our motherland. The third day, i.e., the first
day of Kaartik, is named Balipratipada, after the demon
king Bali, the ruler of Paataala (the netherworld),
who had extended his kingdom over the earth also. On
the day, Sri Vishnnu, taking the form of a dwarfish
Brahmin by name Vaamana, approached Bali, for a boon
of space equal to his three steps. Bali, known for his
charity, gladly granted the boon. Vaamana now grew into
a gigantic form; with one step he covered the entire
earth, with the second he covered the outer sky, and
asked Bali where he should keep his third step. Bali,
left with no other choice, showed his own head. Sri
Vishnu placed his foot on Bali's head and pushed him
down to the netherworld, the rightful territory of Bali's
reign. However, Bali prayed to the Lord that he might
be permitted to visit the earth once a year.
Now it was the turn of Vishnu to grant the boon. And
the people too offer their and respect to him on this
day. The annual visit of Bali is celebrated in Kerala
as Onam. It is the most popular festival for Kerala
where every Hindu home receives him with floral decorations
and lights and festoons adorn all public places. Onam,
however, falls on the 16th day of Aavani (Sowramaana)
in september. The pratipada is also the day for Govardhana
Pooja and Anna Koota (heap of grains), the former signifying
the Govardhana episode in Sri Krishna's life and the
latter conveying affluence and prosperity. The fourth
and final day is Yama Dwiteeya, also called Bahu beej.
It is a most touching moment for the family members
when even distant brothers reach their sisters to strengthen
that holy tie. The sister applies tilak and waves aarati
to her brother, and the brother offers loving presents
to the sister. To the Jains, Deepaavali has an added
significance to the great event of Mahaaveera attaining
the Eternal Bliss of Nirvaana. The passing into Eternity
on the same Amaavaasya of Swami Dayananda Saraswati,
that leonine sanyasin who was one of the first to light
the torch of Hindu Renaissance during the last century,
and of Swami Ramatirtha who carried the fragrance of
the spiritual message of Hindu Dharma to the western
world, have brought the national-cum-spiritual tradition
of Deepaavali right up to modern times. |
