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The Hindus living in Northern India celebrate it to mark the return of Lord Rama, one of the 10 reincarnations of Lord Vishnu, after an exile of 14 years and his coronation as the king of Ayodhya. Deepawali also marks for them the return of Pandavas after 13 years of exile. The Hindus living in
southern parts of India celebrate it to mark the killing of the demon
Narkasura by Satyabhama — the consort of Lord Krishna — another
incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The killing of the despotic ruler led to
freeing 16,000 women who were forcibly imprisoned by Narkasura. The
women, so liberated celebrated their new-found freedom by lighting
lamps. Narkasura’s mother also agreed that her son’s death is not
an occasion to mourn but to celebrate. In many parts of the country, Deepawali
is celebrated as Bali-Pratipada or as Balipadayami
to commemorate the pushing of Bali into patala — the nether
world, by Vishnu in his incarnation as vamana.
According to Skanda Purana, it was on Deepawali that Lord Shiva responded to Shakti’s 21-day-old penance to get right half of Shiva’s body and appeared in the form of Ardhanarishwara. The day is also celebrated as the birthday of goddess Lakshmi. According to the Puranas, Deepawali is the day when Lakshmi married Lord Vishnu soon after the legendary churning of the sea by the devtas and the asuras. For Buddhists, Deepawali marks the anniversary of the day when King Ashoka embraced Buddhism and the Sangha way of life. Jainas celebrate Deepawali as the day on which Lord Mahavira gave his last sermon and attained the state of Nirvana. Sikhs celebrate Deepawali to commemorate the release from prison of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru and 52 other princes in the year 1619. For the followers of Arya Samaj, Deepawali marks the day when its founder Swami Dayananda attained his final abode. Banish ignorance Whatever may be the reason for celebrations, Deepawali is celebrated across India by lighting diyas —lamps. It is because Deepawali is associated with the prayer of the Vedas which appeals to the Almighty God to lead us from darkness to light — Tamso ma jyotirgamaya. The lighted diyas convey the message: Let us remove darkness and therefore ignorance from the face of earth. The Vedic rishis realised that the removal of darkness or ignorance and diffusion of light or knowledge is a gigantic task. It cannot be accomplished by just an individual or a family but requires a collective effort by the whole of the mankind. The diyas are
lighted not just in palaces of the rich but in the humble hoes and
grass huts of the poorest of the poor. The light of the diya,
its penetration and glow is identical, irrespective of the economic
status of the one who lights the lamp. This obliteration of high and
low, rich and poor, haves and have-nots signifies the essential
oneness of humankind. It illustrates the Upanishadic saying: Aham
Brahmasmi, Tat, tyam asi — I am Brahman so are you. The lighted diya,
therefore, conveys essential unity and equality of humankind.
The flame of the diyas, irrespective of its position, always points upwards. The light and heat of the flame of a diya is qualitatively the same as that of the sun, the moon or the fire. It signifies the essential unity in diversity. The lighting of the lamps and placing them in and outside, in the lawns, verandas, on the walls, the roof, at the gate and the path leading to the house signifies the spread of the "inner light" of the indwelling atman to the outside world. Deepawali is the celebration of this inner light. Swami Sivananda declares that, "All the lights of the world cannot be compared even to a ray of inner light of the self". The light of the soul is unique because it is eternal, it neither rises nor sets. In the Brhadaranayaka Upanishad, sage Yajnavalkya in his reply to king Janaka’s query about "the real light of man," when the sun and moon have set and fire has gone out, and no sound is heard says, "The Self indeed is his light; for by the light of the Self man sits, moves about, does his work, and when his work is done rests". Discussing the nature of the Self, he says, "the light of the intellect is that Self". The upward-going flame of the diya cajoles us to search for the self which underlies, and is the source of all light and knowledge. The fact that one lamp can light several others without any loss or reduction in its own luminosity, brightness and heat illustrates the nature of Brahman. The Brahman partakes in everyone yet remains the same. By becoming manifold, the light looses nothing. The light of a diya represents Brahman and his creation. The rows of diyas draw our attention to the underlying oneness of all the things and beings. It exhorts us to realise the nature of our inner self – the atman which verily is Brahman – the pure existence, the pure consciousness, and pure bliss. One who realises Brahman, says Mundaka Upanishad III.ii,9, "becomes Brahman. He passes beyond sorrow. He overcomes evil. Freed from the fetters of ignorance, he becomes immortal". In his social behaviour, as the Shanti Parva 167.9 and Anushasana Parva 113.8 of the Mahabharata, follows the maxim " Treat others as thou wouldst thyself be treated" and "Do nothing to thy neighbour which hereafter thou wouldst not have thy neighbour thy neighbour do to thee." The Bible puts the same maxim as "Treat thy neighbour as thyself". One consciousness Once we realise that there is one consciousness, the one light which partakes in all creation, we see all beings and non-beings as an extension of our own self and their otherness vanishes. Consequently, we treat them with love and compassion. That is the real message, the true spirit of Deepawali. Let us therefore, pray
on the Deepawali day, "May we all attain full inner
illumination! May the supreme light of lights enlighten our
understanding! May we all attain the inexhaustible spiritual wealth of
the Self! May we all prosper gloriously on the material as well as
spiritual planes!" In the true spirit of the Indian tradition
this prayer is a synthesis of our yearning for wealth, the instrument
of achieving worldly goods and enjoying sensate pleasures – abhyudaya
and our craving for spiritual emancipation – ni reyasa. —The
writer is Professor and Head, Department of Philosophy, Delhi
University,
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