Diwali - Hindu New year
Introduction
The festival Diwali or Deepavali is the biggest and the brightest among all
Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights and brightness. It is
celebrated with great enthusiasm not only in India but also all over the
world.
Name of the festival
The title of the festival has two words, deep (light) and avali (a row)
which means a row of lights. Mainly the festival is celebrated by lighting
lamps everywhere, hence the festival is known as the Dipawali.
Dipawali is referred to by various names in various literatures. Vastyayana
Kamasutra gives word Yaksharatri; on the other hand Varaha Purana gives
name of the festival as Yakshapuja. Kubera the god of wealth is worshiped
during Dipawali. Kubera is the lord of Yakshas hence above names may be apt
for Dipawali. Dipapratipadutsava name is given by the Shriharsha in his
Nagananda drama. Nilamata Purana refers to this festival as Dipamala
festival.
The Significance of Light
The title of the festival means ‘festival of light’; light has so much
significance in the celebration. During Dipawali homes, stores, sidewalks
and other public places are decorated with small clay oil lamps called
diyas. Fire crackers and big lamps called Akashadiwas are lit during the
festival.
In the scriptures, it is said, lighting Akashdiwa confers prosperity. It
is described as the ritual of the Dipawali festival. Pre pre-decided place
in the open courtyard should be prepared with the coating of cow-dung. Then
a high pole should be erected at the center of the place. An octagonal lamp
should be hung on that pole. Again in each angle of the lamp eight lamps
should be lit for eight entities namely Dharma, Hara, Bhuti, Damodara,
Dharmaraja, Prajapati, Pitara, Preta. This lamp should be lighted by using
sesame oil. Following verse should be recited in the honor of the lamp,
Damodaraya nabhasi tulayam lolaya
saha pradipam te prayachchami namonantaya vedhase
Lamp is considered as the symbol of knowledge. The illumination of homes
with lights is an expression of attainment of health, wealth, knowledge,
peace and prosperity.
Why it is celebrated
It is considered that the festival of Dipawali is originated from
sacrifices of Vedic Aryans. It is a combination of three sacrifices namely,
Parvana, Ashwayuji and Agrahayani. Among the sacrifices, Parvana sacrifice
was for the ancestors, Ashwayuji was for Indra and Sita, agricultural
goddess and Agrahayani for the end of the year. Hence it can be derived
that the festival of Dipawali is also celebrated for the above three
reasons.
Legends of the festival
There are any number of legends for this festival which give stories
related to all the rituals of Dipawali.
Rama returned to Ayodhya along with Sita and Lakshman from his fourteen
year long exile by killing Ravana. Hence the delighted subjects of Ayodhya
decorated the city by lighting lamps
Some people believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Lakshmi
with Lord Vishnu.
Two historical legends are also given as the reason for celebrating the
Dipawali festival. Rejoicing during the festival of Dipawali were the
subjects of King Ashoks for his political achievements. The festival of
lights was also observed on the Rajyabhishek of king Chandragupta
Vikramaditya which began to be known as Dipawali after that.
When it is celebrated
Dipawali is celebrated in the sandhi (fusion) period of the months of
Ashwin and Kartika. It is celebrated from the 13th day of the dark half of
Ashwin month to the 1st day of the bright half of Kartika month. It is a
four-day celebration. Each day has its own significance and legend. The
previous and the next day of these four days are also celebrated as
festivals but those are not part of Dipawali.
Serial No. name of the day When it is
celebrated
1 Vasubarasa Ashwin
Vadya Dwadashi
12th day of the second half of the
Ashwin month
2 Dhanatrayodashi Ashwin Vadya
Trayodashi
13th day of the second half of the
Ashwin month
3 Narakachaturdashi Ashwin Vadya
Chaturdashi
14th day of the second half of the Ashwin
month
4 Dipawali or Lakshmi puja Ashwin
Amavatsya
No moon
day of Ashwin
5 Bali Pratipada Kartika
Shukla Pratipada
1st day of the first half of the
Kartika month
6 Yama Dwitiya Kartika
Shukla Dwitiya
2nd day of the first half of the
Kartika month
According to the lunar calendar it comes in the months of October
and November. Each day of Dipawali has its own legend and reason to
celebrate it. All the simple rituals of Dipawali have significance.
Govatsa Dwadashi
Go and vatsa means cow and calf in Sanskrit. Dwadashi means the 12th day of
the month. This festival is celebrated on the 12th day of the second half
of the Ashwin month. Cow and calf are worshiped on the evening of this day.
If cow and calf are not available then people draw a picture of cow and
calf. The day is also known as Vasu Baras.
There is a legend related to Vasubaras. An old woman asked her daughter in
law to cook dinner. Unknowingly she killed cattle at home. The old woman
felt very sad when she came to know about this. Then with devotion she
called those cattle and they came back alive due to her devotion.
Thereafter, the tradition of worshipping cattle began.
Dhanatrayodashi
This festival is also known as Dhanaterasa. Dhana in the title is wealth
and trayodashi or terasa means 13th day. This festival is celebrated on the
13th day of the second half of the Ashwin month. This evening a lamp should
be lit for Yama, the god of death. People should worship gold, wealth,
jewelry along with the deities who bestow prosperity. Hence Lakshmi, Vishnu
and Kubera are worshiped on this day.
Legend states that, once Yama asked his minions, “you don’t feel sad while
taking the Prana from the human body?” They replied, “Destiny had decided
the death of the son of King Hemaraja on the fourth day of his marriage. We
became so sad seeing the sorrow of people when we went to take his life. We
followed our duty as we did not have an option. But lord please find out
the remedy for this.” Hearing itYama said, today onwards one should observe
the Dhanatrayodashi festival and donate lamps to avoid untimely death.
This day is also regarded as the Jayanti (Birth Anniversary) of God
Dhanvantari. He is the Physician of Gods who came out during Samudra
manthan, the churning of the great ocean by the gods and the demons. Hence
the day is also known as Dhanvantari terasa.
Naraka Chaturdashi
It is celebrated on the 14th day of the second half of the Ashwin month.
This was the day on which the demon Narakasura was killed by Krishna.
Narakasura was the king of Pragjyotishyapura who obtained Vaishnavastra
from Bhudevi. He imprisoned 16000 girls. He also had stolen the airavata
elephant and uchaishravas horse of Indra. Hence Krishna killed Narakasura
with the help of his wife Satyabhama. Before death Narakasura asked a boon
as, from that day onwards on the day of Naraka chaturdashi who will perform
spiritual bath before sunrise will not suffer hell.
At some places the replica of the Narakarusa is burnt in the morning of the
festival as a symbol of victory of good over bad.
Hence it is advised to take a spiritual bath before sunrise on this day.
Feast for brahmana, donation of lamp are also advised to be performed on
this day.
Lakshmi Puja
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on the no moon day of Dipawali. It is said
that Vamana, fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu released Lakshmi and other
gods from the prison of Bali. Lakshmi along with Kubera who bestow wealth
are worshipped on this day by chanting the following
verses,
Namaste sarvadevanam varadasi hareh
priya
ya gatistvatprapannanam sa me syattava darshanat
(O Laksmi you are prosperity given to all gods and beloved of Vishnu. I
should obtained the exalted status of the people who worship you. )
Dhanadaya namstubhyam nidhipadmadhipaya
cha
bhavantu tvatprasadena dhanadhanyadi
sampadah
(O Kubera who is the god of treasures and lotus salutations to you. I
should obtain wealth and food by your mercy.)
People welcome Lakshmi being awake at night and remove Alakshmi, the
goddess of poverty.
Bali Pratipada
Bali Pratipada is celebrated on the 1st day of the first half of the
Kartika month. It is celebrated in honor of king Bali. On the day Bali is
worshipped with his image by reciting following verse,
Bhavishya P. 140.54)
Baliraja namastubhyam virochanasuta
prabho
bhavishyendrasurarate pujeya
pratigruhyatam
(O the son of Virochana, the mighty king Bali, salutations to you. You are
the future king and the enemy of demons hence you accept this worship.)
King Bali was a mighty emperor. He imprisoned all the gods and goddesses.
Hence Vishnu came to the sacrificial place of Bali in the form of Yachaka.
Vishnu asked for three paces of land as donation. As donation is part of
sacrifice Bali agreed to give that. Vishnu acquired earth and heaven. Then
for the third pace, he kept his foot on the head of Bali and sent him to
the nether world. All these happened during the three days of Dipawali.
Hence before death, Bali asked for a boon as, the one who will donate lamp
will not suffer through the sorrow of death and will get prosperity.
In North India, this day is celebrated as Govardhan Puja which is also
known as Annakoot. On this day, Krishna defeated Indra by lifting the
Govardhan hill to save his kinsmen and cattle from rain and floods. A
replica of Govardhana hill is made of cow-dung and worshipped. But if it is
made for Annakoot, large quantities of food are decorated symbolizing the
Govardhan in the shape of a hill.
It is also celebrated as the first day of the Vikram Samvat calendar, in
Gujarat. Hence all Gujaratis observe this day as the new year celebration.
Yama Dwitiya
It is celebrated on the second day of the first half of the month Kartika.
On this day, brothers and sisters meet to express love and affection for
each other. Sister worships brother and prays to god for his long life.
The legend of the festival says, Yama the lord of Death, visited his sister
Yami on this day. Brothers visit their sisters’ place on this day and
usually have a meal there, and also give gifts to their sisters with
blessings.
The Tradition of Gambling
The tradition of gambling on Dipawali also has a legend behind it. Game of
Gambling was created by lord Shiva and he taught that to his wife. It is
believed that on the day of Dipawali, Goddess Parvati played dice with her
husband and won for the first time. Hence she decreed that whosoever
gambled on Dipawali night, they would get prosperity throughout the year.
Other related celebrations
Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj died on Kartik
Amawasya, new moon day of Kartik, on 30 October 1883. Followers of Arya
Samaj celebrate Rishi Nirvan Utsav as his Death Anniversary on this Day.
Dipawali has a very special significance in Jain religion. Lord Mahavira,
the last Jain Tirthankara attained eternal bliss of Nirvana on Kartika
Chaturdashi at Pavapuri on the new moon day of Dipawali.
Sikh celebrate this festival as Chhorh Divis. The sixth guru of Sikh, Guru
Hargobind Ji, released 52 Hindi kings out of prison. The festival is
celebrated in honour of this incident.
How it is celebrated all over India
Festival of Dipawali is celebrated with great zest and zeal all over India.
All the rituals of Dipawali are practiced with some variations in every
place of India.
In Gujarat, Dipawali begins on the 12th day of Ashwin's second half of
Ashwin. Commonly it is known as Vasubarasa, but in Gujarat the day is
known as Vaghavaran. People draw a picture of a tiger on this day and keep
it till the end of Dipawali.
The 14th day of the second half of the Ashwin month is known as
Rupachaturdashi in Gujarat. People decorate themselves on this day with new
colourful clothes and jewelry. Belief of the people that ‘ghosts travel on
this night’ naming this festival as Kalaratra, black night. Hence people
avoid traveling at night and worship God Hanuman.
On the new moon day of Ashwin month, people worship Mahakali, Mahalakshmi
and Mahasaraswati in the form of ink pen, coin and notebook. On the first
day Kartika Kalabhairava is worshipped. On the occasion of New Year, small
children distribute salt. People buy that as an auspicious act.
In Rajasthan Dipawali is celebrated in honor of Rama's return to Ayodhya
after defeating Ravana. Hence they enact the Lanka Dahana. They consider
cats as goddess Lakshmi during Dipawali. Like Gujarat on the 14th day
Rajasthanis also celebrate Rupachaudasa. On this evening, girls carry lamps
in the perforated jars and wander in the village. They also worship Lakshmi
on the new moon day. On the first day of Kartika Govardhan puja and
Annakoota is performed. This day is also known as Khenkhara. They start
using new calculation notebooks on the occasion of New Year.
In Punjab, Dipawali is celebrated in the honour of Ramarajyabhisheka. In
Uttar Pradesh, on the day of Dipawali cow is worshiped. People dance on the
border of the village.
Sindhis also dance on the border of villages on the day of Dipawali. They
make a platform of mud and place one branch of tree on that and worship it.
Then they take some soil from that platform and take it home considering it
to be auspicious.
In Bengal, Kali is worshipped on the day of Diwali, considering her as
Laksmi and Saraswati. That night is known as Mahanisha, great night.
In Maharashtra and Goa, the replica of Narakasura is burnt on the day of
Naraka Chaturdashi. In Maharashtra it is made of cow dung. But in Goa those
are made like Rvanadahana and burnt on that day. A small wild fruit namely
Karita is baked as the symbol of Narakasura. In Goa various types of rice
flakes are cooked and distributed as this is the season of getting new rice
flakes. In Maharashtra normally people buy a new broom as it also
represents goddess Laksmi. People draw a figure of Bali made of rice flour
or cow dung and worship. During the period of Diwali, children make
replicas of forts to honor the victory of King Shivaji.
In South India spiritual baths taken before sunrise are considered
auspicious. Women from Andhra Pradesh welcome Goddess Lakshmi on Dipawali
night.
K Rajaram IRS 191025
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZop2L2JB2oykw6aOt05N2pmPBpHs3FOjcker8XJi%3DG2-LA%40mail.gmail.com.
