Diwali, What it is actually ? (part 1)

DIWALI


Diwali ! A day to rejoice! A day to be happy with exchanging sweets, delicious food and wearing new dresses! Bright lights everywhere and the sound of firecrackers, which drives people crazy sometimes. All their money has been burned out into ashes while bursting firecrackers.


But why should we celebrate this auspicious day? It is a long story. Let us find out how & why?

Once upon a time there lived a giant called Naragashur. Narag means hell and Ashur means giant. So he was a giant of hell. He did many harms to the civilians as well as to the sages. All people cried to the Lord for relief. The Lord incarnated and one fine evening, the Lord killed the giant. People came out of their houses with joy holding torches in their hands. So it became a tradition and it has been followed by the generations and that is why every year they celebrate this festival which is called Diwali.


The question is, if people wanted to celebrate a day because of the death of a giant, then the whole lifetime will not be enough for a person to celebrate because there are so many similar stories in the Puranas like Hiranya, Ravan, Kamsa, Bagava, Idumba, Andakashur, Jalandashur, Hiranyatcha, Tirunavartha and so on, who were killed by god's incarnations. So, the festival Diwali has nothing to do with the death of Naragashur. Kandapurana part VII ?Upadeshkanda says about an auspicious day, which is called Diwali.


This word is a combination of two words. Deep, which means light and Awali, means line. Lights in a line. During the month of Oct-Nov a day before the new moon, people take holy bath early in the morning. They keep a heap of paddy and place a pot and upon that with holy grass which is called dharba (a type of hyssop) and worship the god Shiva with fasting and prayer. Some people fast for 21 days. On the day of new moon they complete their fasting and put on new clothes, eat sweets and food. On this day they should not eat non- - vegetarian food. Those who eat such food will go to hell. This is what the great man Thirumuruga Kirubananda Variayar says. (Variyar Virundhu-page 84-87)


But what people experience today? There are lights around them, but inwardly they are immersed in darkness. They think that the giant (Satan) was killed but they do not understand that the giant still live in them and keep them under bondage like debts, sorrow, sickness, hatred, poverty etc.


The puranic stories were written to make people understand that God has to come in flesh to release the people from the bondage of this giant who is called Satan. But who is this Satan? Who is the incarnation of god who manifested in flesh? The Giant is sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, evil thoughts, theft, murder, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, slander, arrogance, folly, homosexual, smoking, chewing panparak, drugs, watching blue films, reading filthy stories, bribery, and so on. Such kind of giant still lives in the minds of people and spoils everyone?s life and also the lives of his kin and kids and the society.


The giant is also called the darkness of the world. He has blinded the minds of people so that they cannot see the light of the good news of the real God who came in flesh who is the image of God.