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For most of us, Diwali means a festival of lights – of decorating houses with rows of lamps (hence Deepawali) and bursting firecrackers all night. There would be goodies at home, new clothes, pujas and rituals to invoke the blessings of goddess Lakshmi...and so on.
If you are in North India, the day would celebrate the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom in Ayodhya after vanquishing the demon king Ravana. If you are a South Indian, you are told that it was on Diwali day that Lord Krishna killed another evil demon, Narakasura. A Bengali celebrates Diwali as Kali Puja – the day the goddess annihilated Bakrasura, yet another demon. For a Sikh, the festival marks the return of a victorious Guru Hargobind (the Sixth Guru) from war, and for the Jains, this is the day of commemorating the attainment of nirvana by Lord Mahavira. Thus, every community has its own reason for celebrating this special day. But beyond all the customs, rites and legends that govern the festivities, what invariably escapes the present generation is that Diwali has never been a one-day festival. It has traditionally been celebrated over five days. The first day is Dhanteras (or Dhantreyo Dashi), devoted to worshipping dhan (wealth) in all its various forms – cash, jewellery, bank passbooks. It is an auspicious day to make investments on assets – even if it is in the shape of kitchen utensils. Naraka Chaturdashi follows next, marked by a sacred bath (abhyanga snan) before sunrise. It is an act of self-purification, though the ritual owes its origin to Lord Krishna returning home, drenched in blood, after slaying the dreaded Narakasura. The god was given a sandal oil bath by his attendants. The third day is devoted to Lakshmi puja. Many consider this Diwali proper – the lights and firecrackers accompanying the ceremony are an expression of beseeching the goddess to lead humankind from the darkness (of ignorance, want and greed) to the luminosity of knowledge, wealth and contentment. Annual accounts are squared, sweets distributed, some test their luck in gambling...This is also the day when not only Lord Mahavira, but also Lord Krishna discarded earthly coils. So did Swami Ramtirth attain samadhi and Swami Dayanand Saraswati became one with Lord Brahma, the Creator. Next comes Padwa or Varsha Pratipada (new year), marking the coronation of King Vikramaditya (The Vikram Samvat calendar begins on this day). Also, Goverdhan puja is performed, commemorating the raising of Mount Goverdhan by Lord Krishna to save the city of Mathura from a deluge. In Mathura (and nearby Nathdwara), Krishna devotees observe the day as Annakoot – a mountain of food, which is offered to the deity and then distributed as prasad among the believers. The ritual is an expression of relieving the populace of hunger and deprivation. There are many apocryphal stories, some drawn from mythology, some not, that have become part of Diwali lore. One such explains why Gujaratis are among the most enterprising and affluent communities in India and how they have earned Goddess Lakshmi’s blessings. It seems that many aeons ago, on Diwali day, a watchman guarding the gates of Ahmedabad saw a beautiful woman leaving the city in the middle of the night. When asked to identify herself, she said she was Lakshmi, and being sick and tired of her devotees neglecting her, she was leaving the city for good. The quick-witted watchman reasoned that if the goddess left, the city would be doomed to poverty and suffering. So he begged her to wait till he got the king’s permission on whether she should go. Lakshmi agreed and has since been waiting. The watchman did not return as he promptly beheaded himself! Now, this is the kind of Diwali story that you wouldn’t find in the scriptures. But ask any Gujarati stock broker or diamond merchant, and he will convince you that it is the presence of Goddess Lakshmi (waiting for the poor watchman) at the gates of Ahmedabad city that has brought him all the riches in life!—MF
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The festival of lights means decorating houses with diyas and bursting firecrackers all night. Pujas are performed to invoke the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi, says
Lakshman Patel
