Diwali Legends and Rituals

Bhagwat Shah @ Sulekha.com

Diwali, the festival of lights, celebrates the abundance of autumn harvest. Dedicated to various gods and goddesses, the festival also marks an important date in the Indian calendar, as this is the point from which we measure the 'Vikram Savant', the date line established by King Vikram who defeated the Huns and saved India from the Huns' potentially disastrous foreign rule.

Since time immemorial, the North Indian kingdom of Avadha has celebrated this as the last day of Lord Rama's long exile of fourteen years. As the citizens of Ayodhya eagerly awaited their beloved prince's return, they lit thousands of lamps to guide his flying vimana to their city. The darkest night of the year gave way to a glorious morning as Rama returned with his wife and brothers to his ancestral kingdom of Avadha. Having rid the world of evil rulers such as Ranvana, Rama established the most benevolent rule ever known to man. New Year marks the first day of this 'Rama Rajya', the ultimate utopian kingdom of Hindus all over the world.

Diwali also celebrates the gracious nature of the three goddesses, Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati. Dhan Teras (two days before Diwali) is dedicated to Lakshmi, whose blessings are essential for a prosperous, fruitful and peaceful life. Lakshmi represents the boundless wealth of nature, health, intelligence, friends, family, long life, fame, fortune and all the good things in life.

Kali-Chudash (the day before Diwali) is dedicated to Maha Kali whose strength we seek to maintain the wealth we have. Strength, physical, mental and spiritual, is essential for all of us to lead a happy life. Used positively, it is benevolent; misused, the same energy can be malevolent.

Diwali itself is dedicated to goddess Saraswati. Knowledge is the ultimate wealth, for it cannot be stolen from you; it is also the ultimate strength, for it often defeats brute force. Knowledge is the ultimate in spirituality, for it is janna that eventually leads to enlightenment and moksha.

Festival season proper starts on the eleventh day of Ashwin. Lamps are lit and sweets are made to welcome guests, and for gods who are said to visit homes during the festival season. Vagha Baras is dedicated to the valor of men and women who fought for the good against evil. Like tigers, they are the brave who have allowed us to preserve our heritage through the ages. Generally, this is also the time people start preparing special eatables for the festival.

On Dhan Teras, people usually buy gold or silver as a sign of good luck. Homes are brightly lit with thousands of twinkling earthenware lamps so that goddess Lakshmi can find them easily. Lakshmi is formally worshipped in the evening –people pray for good fortune in their homes for the coming year. After the puja, fireworks are lit. On Kali Chaudas, goddess Kali is worshipped. Warrior castes, such as the Rajputs, worship their weapons and offer special puja to Kali in her various forms (Bhavani, Durga, etc). Lights are lit to dispel darkness and ward off any evil spirits in the neighborhood. Interestingly, All Hallows Eve (Halloween) and the Mexican festival for the souls of the dead also fall on the same day or around this time.

On Diwali, goddess Saraswati is worshipped. Merchants and businessmen close their books / accounts and the books are 'worshipped,' thanking the gods for a bountiful / successful yearend. Fireworks are lit in the evening and all the houses are wonderfully lit with lamps and lanterns. The festive spirit is in full swing as sweets and sumptuous food is prepared for dinner.

The day after Diwali is the New Year's day that celebrates the beginning of Rama Rajya, and also the worship of Mount Govardhan by Lord Krishna. As a child, Krishna decided to humble the pride of the demigods and their proud ruler, Indra. He urged his Vrajvasi friends to worship Lord Govardhan and share their autumn harvest with each other, rather than pour it into the sacrificial fires for Lord Indra. Krishna took a magnificent form as the many-armed Lord Govardhan to eat the various prashads (consecrated food) cooked for Him and later protected the Vrajvasies from the torrential floods sent by Indra.

Having waited for 14 years, the citizens of Ayodhaya celebrate the crowning of their beloved Rama as the latest in a long line of Ishvaku kings. Merchants usually open their books on this day and everyone wakes up early to offer prayers at home and to go and worship in the temples. Traditionally, the day is spent giving and receiving gifts, receiving blessings from elders, distributing sweets, visiting friends and family, and of course, bursting crackers and fireworks.

The second day of the year is dedicated to the purity of love between a brother and a sister. On this day, Lord Yama, the God of Death, visited his sister Yamuna to see how she was doing. Delighted by his surprise visit, she treated him to a feast and made him feel very welcome. Seeing his sister so happy, Yama granted a boon to her. Full of sisterly love, she requested that he come and visit her every year. Though touched by her affection, Yama decided that this boon benefited him more than it did her. So, he requested her to ask yet another boon.

This time her request was, “If a brother and sister bathe in my waters on this day, on this spot (a bathing ghat in Mathura), then be kind to them (in death) and please make sure they are reunited in their next life as brother and sister.” Overcome with emotion and happy with the generosity of his sister, Yama granted her the boons and stated that those who drank the waters of this holy river will be spared the tortures of hell.

The fifth day after the New Year is very special to Hindus and Jains alike. This day is considered to be so auspicious that almost any work can be undertaken without fear of bad omens or unhappy results. This is also the day the Krishna lifted Mount Govardhan on the tip of a finger to protect the people of Vraj from the wrath of Indra. For seven days, rain, thunder and gales continuously battered Vraj, but, protected by Krishna, in his form as Govardhandharan, the people of Vraj escaped unharmed. Realising his great folly, Indra came to worship Krishna as 'Govinda' and begged His forgiveness (on the 11th day after New Year).

Vaishnavas celebrate the eighth day of the New Year as 'Gopastami'. On this day, the darling child of Yashoda left her tender care to become a 'Gopal', herding the cattle of Nada-baba. As protector and lord of cattle, Krishna's affection for this sacred animal is well-known. Indeed, Krishna regarded cows as more precious than all his heavenly jewels, and as a species worthy of greater respect than a mere animal. In fact, Krishna would not wear any shoes while herding his beloved cows, as He considered Himself their servant and so could not wear shoes when they (cows) did not. So legendary was Krishna's love for cows, that even emperor Akbar issued special imperial proclamations to protect cows in his beloved Vraj.

The eleventh day of the New Year is one of the most important days in the Hindu calendar. Apart from Lord Krishna's exploits as Govardhandharan, this is the day Lord Vishnu ascends to heaven after having spent the last four months in the nether regions to protect King Bali from all his woes. Vishnu is believed to fall into deep (meditative) sleep at the beginning of the monsoon and would awaken from his 'Yoga Nindra' (deep meditative sleep) at the end of the season. This day is variously celebrated as Deva-uthi-ekadashi or Prabodhini Ekadashi. Vishnu, having re-entered the heavenly realms, promptly marries his beloved goddess Tulasi (goddess of the sacred basil plant). Every year, this marriage anniversary is celebrated by ritually marrying Vishnu (usually represented by a shaligram) to the sacred Tulasi plant.

A great feast follows on the twelfth day and soon, the mid-autumn full moon graces the sky again. This is celebrated as Deva Diwali. The Diwali of the humans falls on the darkest day of the fortnight, while the God's Diwali falls on the day of the full moon. The heavens rejoice as their New Year begins and the eternal cycle of Time is renewed.