Diwali or Deepawali is the festival of lights. This festival is celebrated in the entire world with an extreme splurge. On this day people exchange best wishes and sweets with each other.
Diwali is Called the Festival of Lights
The answer to Why Diwali is called the festival of lights is not new to anyone. People of India know how important this festival is and what are the stories behind this festival. This blog will sum it all for the readers.
Why Do We Celebrate Diwali?
Rama returns to Ayodhya after the defeat of Ravana.
According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, Shree Rama, his brother Laxmana, and his wife Sita have defeated the devil King Ravana for 14 years. After asylum, Rama returned to Ayodhya.
Krishna kills Narakasura
In Dvapara Yuga, Sir Krishna, housed 16,000 girls near what is now Assam. Killed the evil king of Tishapra, the devil Narakasura. Captive body. In the Brazi region of northern India, parts of Assam, and the southern communities of Tamil and Telugu, Narakchaturdashi is believed to be the day Krishna killed Narakasla.
Pandava returns to Hastinapur.
Five Pandava brothers lost their bets during gambling and were subsequently banned by Kaurava’s cousin for 12 years. According to Kartik Amavasya’s Hindu epic Mahabharata, Pandava has returned to Hastinapur.
Birth of Goddess Lakshmi
According to another popular tradition, Diwali is celebrated as the day Goddess Lakshmi was born from Samudra Amun Sam. Goddess Lakshmi chose Vishnu as her husband and married him.
Vishnu saves Lakshmi
Vishnu is believed to have saved the goddess Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali in the fifth Vamanavatar. That day, King Bali was banished to rule the underworld at the command of Sir Vishnu.
Bandi Chhor Diwas
In Sikhism, Diwali is associated with historical events. The sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind, was released from prisoner of war by Emperor Jahangir of Mughal and 52 other Hindu kings on Diwali Day. Mahavira Nirvana Diwali In Jainism, the Diwali Festival is celebrated to celebrate Mahavira’s Nirvana, the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara anniversary of the present space era. Mahavira won Moksha (Liberation) at Chaturdashi in Cardi Month.
Maharshi Dayananda reaches Nirvana
On the day of the new moon of Karthik, Maharshi Dayananda, the founder of Arya Samaj, reaches Nirvana.
Coronation of Maharaja Vikram Maditya
The legendary Hindu king Vikram Maditiya was crowned at the Diwali Festival.
Kali Puja
According to the Shaktist Kali, the last manifestation of the goddess Mahakali, Kamalatmika Incarnation Day, is celebrated as Kamalatmika Jayanti. It is the day of Deepavali. Curly Pooja is celebrated in Bengal, Mitilla, Orissa, Assam, Siletto, Chittagong, and Titowara, Maharashtra.
End of Harvest Season
According to another general opinion, the Diwali Festival may have started as a harvest festival commemorating the last harvest a year before winter.
What Is The Significance of The Diwali Festival?
The Diwali festival is important because it symbolizes its immense popularity and splendid fireworks and the win of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and light over darkness. On this day, diahs, candles, and lamps will be installed throughout the house to “illuminate” the path to knowledge and victory.
Each house is decorated with different colored lights and diers. The soft brilliance and warmth emitted from homes all over the country is a truly mysterious sight. The Diwali Festival also serves as a purification ritual, which means letting go of all the worries and difficulties of the past year and stepping into the light.
During the days leading up to the Diwali festival, families gathered to clean, refurbish and decorate their homes and work places with rangoli and Diya. The Diwali Festival marks the beginning of winter and all new things, both in nature and humanity.
On this day, celebrities wear the most beautiful and brand new clothes and pray to different gods and goddesses according to family traditions.
What is the Tale of Ramayana?
Lord Rama was the first and the eldest son of the great King Dasharatha. The gods declared that he was born with the specific purpose of defeating Ravana, the Devil’s King. He is considered the seventh incarnation of the great god Vishnu.
Rama beat his wife Sita in the archery competition, the only candidate to bend the bow that once belonged to Shiva. Sita was born from a ditch on Earth (that’s what her name means). The two were very happy together and returned to Rama’s house in Ayodhya.
Rama’s stepmother, Kaikeyi, wanted to promote her son Bharata as the heir to her husband’s throne, King Dasharatha. Rama is the oldest, and he deserves the honor. Kaikeyi demanded some of the benefits her husband had promised her and forced Dasharata, who failed to keep her promise with her wife, to expel Rama for her 14 years.
Rama’s brother Lakshman and Lakshman’s wife insisted on going with him, and they went with him. Dasharata died in sorrow, and Balata tried to persuade him to return to his brother. Rama, who doesn’t break the language, refused, and Balata promised to rule in the name of Lama until he returned.
Rama, Seater, and Lakshman wandered through the woods until Rama was seen by the evil spirits who fell in love with him. Rama rejected her, and she attacked her allies but only lost to Lakshman and Rama. She turned to her brother Ravana, her strongest and most dangerous demon in the world at the time, for her help. Ravana decides to kidnap Rama’s wife, Sita.
One of Ravana’s demon lovers took the form of a spectacular stage that caught Sita’s attention. She asked Lama to bring a deer, and Lakshman drew her lines and circles around the Seater to magically protect her and with the help of her brother.
Ravana came to Sita as a saint while he and his brother were working very hard. He thus forced her to cross the line of protection, kidnapped her, and took her to his palace in Lanka.
She was in despair when Rama returned and found Seater missing, and he took her brother and went looking for her. Along the way, the two killed the demon whose liberated spirit told them to ask Sugriva of the Monkey King for help.
With gratitude, Sugriva dedicated his army and his best general, Son of the Wind Hanuman, to the search for Sita. Hanuman discovered her whereabouts in Sita and visited her to ensure that Rama would save her. He proposed to build a huge bridge to the island to allow the siege of Lanka. After a great battle and abuse, the siege was over, and Ravana was defeated. Sita was saved.
Therefore, many versions of Ramayana end with the return of Sita and Rama to the kingdom after 14 years of asylum and the beginning of Ram Raja, the glory of Ram’s reign. Other versions, such as Valmiki, end with the loyalty of Sita being questioned during the kidnapping of Sita when she spends a lot of time at another man’s house.
Sita returned to her husband in such a version only to be tried by fire to prove her loyalty. She passed this test, but she was later interviewed again. She was then banished with her two fetal twin sons.
Later, when she was asked to return to the kingdom, she stood in front of the congregation and did so only to call on Earth (where she was born) to bring her back when she was clean. The story ends with her mother, immersion in Earth, and her ultimate justification.
Why Do We Do Laxmi Pooja on Diwali?
The Diwali Light Festival is awaited in India. We are all happy as Dhanteras began today when it was celebrated all over the country. There are many legends about this happy day, and Deepavali shows a good victory over evil. Sir Rama is believed to have returned from 14 years of exile in Diwali with his wife Sita and his younger brother Laxmana.
Residents of his kingdom, Ayodhya, were so pleased with his return that they set fire to Diya to brighten the atmosphere. It was said that the night was moonless, and it was Ayodhya’s burning earthen lamps and Diya that illuminated the sky.
The Significance of Diwali festivals is related to Sir Rama, but the goddesses Lakshmi and Sir Ganesha are worshiped in the evening. Have you ever wondered why? According to Hindu mythology, once poor Brahmin was advised by priests to worship Lakshmi for wealth. In this era in which we live, Kali Yuga is more dominated by Lahoguna.
It makes more sense to worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth because people seek wealth and prosperity above all else. Legend has it that the Diwali festival collapsed when her husband, Sir Vishnu, was asleep in the year’s quarter. Vishnu sleeps from the 11th month day of Asada (i.e., Shayani Ekadashi) to the 11th month day of Kartika (i.e., Pravodhini Ekadashi).
Diwali indicates that Sir Rama arrived in Ayodhya after the death of many demons such as Narcasser by Lord Krishna, killing Ravana and defeating the arrogant Sir Vamana in Bali. Lakshmi is worshiped because defeating good to evil is supposed to bring prosperity. However, some believe that Lakshmi would be more pleased if the believers prayed to Sir Vishnu instead of praying directly to Sir Vishnu.
But Shastras recommends making her happy. Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, is also worshiped in Diwali Lakshmi. According to Hindu mythology, Lakshmi Ganesha was adopted by her mother, Parvati, and the former had no children.
From her love for Ganesha, Lakshmi declared that her luxury, wealth, and achievements were also Ganesha. She also said that in all three worlds (Tri lok), those who do not worship Ganesha with her would never see prosperity in their lives.
Another explanation surrounding both worships is that Ganesha is the correct deity. What is health without wealth? What is the wisdomless money to use it properly? Are all the important achievements of the world lasting without intelligence? Therefore, Ganesha is worshiped to rebalance these two forces.
Most People Ways In Which Diwali Celebrated Across India.
There are many legends about celebrating Diwali in India, some of which are according to the scriptures, while the others are just old tales told to us by our ancestors.
- The most renowned reason for celebrating this festival is the coming back of Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and brother Laxman.
- Apart from this, due to the appearance of Goddess Laxmi from the churning of the ocean, she is also prayed on this day. Goddess Laxmi chose Vishnu Ji as her husband and married Vishnu Ji. Some people do Laxmi Puja on Diwali and also start new bookkeeping.
- In Dwapara Yuga, Sri Krishna Killed Narkasura.
- Vishnu Ji Saved Laxmi Ji from the prison of King Bali.
- According to Kartik Amavasya, the Hindu epic Mahabharata Pandavas returned to Hastinapura.
The Damodar Lila of Lord Krishna and mother Yashoda is also celebrated on this day. This was the day when mother Yashoda tied little Krishan to a mortar, and there little Krishna freed the Yamalarjan trees from their curse. This story teaches us to love and surrender to Krishna.
Conclusion
This Diwali, let’s cleanse our hearts too, just like we do our houses by bringing spiritual knowledge into ourselves.
Try and make our hearts as pure as a temple and call Radha-Krishna in it to serve them and progress in Bhakti. Also, let’s make our lives happier by the upbringing that bhakti in us.
So, with utmost joy and pleadingly welcome Lord Rama this Diwali and ask him to engage us in his services.
Wish You a Very Happy Diwali
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Ref : https://iskcondwarka.org/blogs/auspicious-festival-diwali-and-its-significance/