Wish you blissful Dipawali ( Festival of Lamps ) !
Namaste and Seasons Greetings to all!
Diwali symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance." The festival is widely associated with Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, and Ganesha, god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles, with many other regional traditions connecting various deities like Sita and Rama, Vishnu, Krishna, Durga, Shiva, Kali, Hanuman, Kubera, Yama, Yami, Dhanvantari, or Vishvakarma.
Let us go back to the beginning and see what the real significance of Diwali is. According to Indian mythology and corresponding scriptural references, Diwali marks the return of the virtuous Lord Rama (representing God) and his idealised wife Sita (symbolising the mind) to their kingdom of Ayodhya after spending 14 years in exile. Their story is told in the ancient Indian saga, the Ramayana—traditionally attributed to the sage Valmiki and one of world literature’s biggest epics, consisting of some 24,000 verses. The story narrates the life of Rama and his struggle to rescue his wife from the 10-headed demon king Ravana (representing the ego), who had kidnapped and absconded Sita to Lanka. With the help of his faithful friend, the monkey god Hanuman, who symbolises prana, Rama rescues Sita after a terrible battle in which he shoots an arrow into Ravana’s one weak spot, killing him.
To celebrate the return of their king and queen, the residents of Ayodhya lit rows of clay lamps—to light the path on a dark, new moon night—as flowers and garlands rained from the heavens above.
Each day of the five-day festival has a special thought or ideal attached to it. The first day is known as Dhanteras, the Dhan meaning "wealth". On this day, prosperity is celebrated. The second day is known as Narak Chaturdasi—on this day it is said the goddess Kali and Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and freed the world from evil power.
The third day is Amavasya, the new moon day and the most important day of Diwali, where the goddess Lakshmi is celebrated. The fourth day marks Lord Krishna’s defeat of Indra, the god of thunder and rain. And the final day of Diwali celebrations is known as Bhai Duj or Bhau Bij; it celebrates the love between sisters and brothers.
The ideology of Diwali is profound, and these deep-rooted traditions help us reconnect with our inner self through all of these celebrations. Let us remember this Diwali to clean sweep our houses as well as the negativity in our minds, to lighten up our homes and our bodies through the practise of Yoga.
I wish you all, Yog Sadhaks, a very happy and prosperous Diwali !
