It doesn't matter which part of India you live in, you can be assured of the crackers that are going to burst this weekend. Everyone's excited in welcoming Diwali. This is a time when our houses are cleaned and decorated, crackers are burst with great fervor and joy and new clothes are worn by everyone. Our HR Manager, Bhawna Kumar, is particularly excited about Diwali since this is her favourite festival of the year. In a series of posts from today, she is going to share with us the story of Diwali; the way it's seen and celebrated around India.
What is Diwali?
Diwali is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartik (around November) on Amavas, or the new moon right after Dussehra. The name ‘Diwali’ is from the Sanskrit ‘Deepawali’ which means ‘row of lamps’ (also known as Deepawali), or ‘the festival of lights’ is perhaps the most popular of all Hindu festivals. Like most festivals, Diwali has its mythological and historical bedrock. Legend has it that Hanuman (the legendary monkey-god and prime devotee of Lord Rama, the god-hero of the great Hindu epic, the Ramayana) delivered the much awaited message of Rama’s return to Ayodhya (Rama’s kingdom) after 14 years in exile. The entire kingdom rejoiced upon hearing the news and Ayodhya was washed, cleansed and dressed up with lights and shimmering earthen lamps to welcome the Lord himself. Diwali is celebrated even today to commemorate this event. Today Diwali is also dedicated to Ganesha (the elephant-headed God of Wisdom and Prosperity) and Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth).
Goddess Lakshmi and Diwali
Story has it that at one time, the Gods were cursed to be weak in body and mind. To get rid of this, Brahma suggested that Amrit (or divine nectar) should be churned out from the depths of the ocean so that once consumed, it would increase their vigor and make them immortal. This being no mean task though, it required the efforts of the Demons (Asuras) as well, who the Gods had promised to share the nectar with. Lord Vishnu (the Hindu Preserver of the Universe) came up with a solution saying that Mount Meru could act as the churning stick, while Vasuki (the mythical serpent) could be used as the coil around Meru. But this churning turned out to be so phenomenal that it threatened to destroy the three worlds. So Lord Vishnu, took the guise of a turtle and used his back to stabilise the churning. Spectacular treasures arrived from the ocean and the first Goddess to come out was the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi. That's why people first pray to Goddess Lakshmi because if she comes to your house, all wealth, goodness and cheer will follow.
This day is devoted to Goddess Lakshmi as it is believed that she pays each house a visit on this day of the year. People hold a Lakshmi puja (prayer ceremony) in their homes. This day is especially significant for the merchant class, and quite understandably so. Traditionally this day marked the commencement of the new financial year and is still considered to do so by some people. In urban India, many business deals are finalised around this time and business houses give a Diwali bonus and gifts to their employees on the occasion. Lakshmi presides over all the ceremonies that are performed during Diwali.
So that is the significance of Diwali, in the next series of posts at our iXiGO blog, we'll look into the ways people celebrate Diwali and other interesting stories!
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