About Deepawali - The Social Significance

Deep means a lamp and avali means a row. The word literally means a row of lights. We normally think that Deepawali is about a lamplight, a deep. In fact, Deepawali is not about a single deep, it is about many. It is about a collective, an organization, a formation of lamps. It is about the relationship between one lamp and the rest of the lamps in the collective. The secret message of deepawali is hidden in its very name.

Let us begin with a short prayer that sums up the essence of this remarkable festival.

Deepawali Prayer

Om Asato Maa Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Maa Amritam Gamaya 

Sat means the truth and a-sat is its negation or falsehood. So the first line means: lead me from Falsehood to Truth. Tamas is darkness or ignorance. And jyoti is light. So the second line means: lead me from darkness or ignorance to light or knowledge. The third line means lead me from death (mtriyu) to immortality (amrita).

Deepawali is the festival of lights symbolizing the lighting of the lamp of knowledge and removing ignorance, in our lives, and in those of others. It is this deeper message of social consciousness behind the glamour of Deepawali that this article attempts to convey.

The Diya - Lamp

The central theme behind deepawali rests on the concept of the Diya, the lamp. In Hindu tradition Ishwar or God is the "Knowledge principle," the Reality, the source of all knowledge. The light enables one to see the reality that is ever present. When you enter a dark room full of furniture, you can see nothing even though it is all there. But as soon as you turn the light on you can see it all. Light makes you aware of the reality as it is. Light in the form of Agni is the eternal witness, the illuminator in whose presence all names and forms become visible and known. Thus Agni is synonymous with God or Knowledge. Agni is worshipped as Ishwar Itself.

Diwali is generally associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. But wealth does not only mean material wealth. It includes intellectual, cultural and spiritual wealth.

The diya is a symbol of the self. It is made of clay, which represents our body, has a cotton wick and oil. "Knowledge" is the lasting inner wealth - the greatest of all forms of wealth. That is what the flame in the diya signifies. Notice the flame of the diya always burns upwards – inspiring us towards higher ideals.

The wick in the diya represents our ego. Oil or ghee in lamp represents our "vasanas" or negative tendencies. As the lamp burns to produce light for all, the oil is slowly consumed and finally, the wick also burns out. So what does this mean? When lit by spiritual knowledge (i.e. the flame), the "vasanas" get slowly exhausted and the ego, too, finally perishes.

Only when we sacrifice ourselves for others like the lamp, by humbling ourselves, by ridding our ego, can we truly serve the society. The greatest lamp is the Sun, slowly but surely consuming itself so all the creatures on the Earth can live. The Sun only gives and asks for nothing. That is why it is called a Devata - the one who gives.

A Five Day Festival

Deepawali is a five day festival and each day is special. It is celebrated all over India from Kerala to Kashmir and Gujarat to Arunachal in slightly modified forms, but the essentials are the same. The five-day holiday season is for us to renew ourselves spiritually, rejoice with family and friends, reflect on the events of the past year and resolve for the future.

First Day - Dhanteras: The thirteenth day of the moon is dedicated to worship of Maha Lakshmi as Dhanwantari where she is worshipped as the Goddess of wealth alone; one diya is lit on this evening.

Second Day - Narak Chaudas: The fourteenth day of the moon is celebrated for the destruction of the rakshasa Narakasura by Bhagwan Sri Krishna. It is also called Choti Deepawali as 5 diyas are lit on this night.

Third Day Laxmi and Kali Pooja: Then follows Amaavasyaa, the new moon day, auspicious for offering prayers and gratitude to Laxmi, Ganesh and ancestors of the family and invoking their memories and blessings for treading the path of right conduct. Kali Pooja and Mahavir's enlightenment are also celebrated on this day.

Fourth Day is Bali Pratipada and Govardhan Pooja: The day when Bhagwan Sri Krsna lifted the Gobardhan mountain to save the people of Braj. On this day Bali was humbled by Vaman, an avatar of Sri Vishnu.

Fifth Day is Bhai Dooj and Kalam Dawat Pooja: The day when brothers and sisters renew their sacred relationship. It is also the day to close previous accounts and open new account books.

Preparation and Learning

Days preceding deepawali are a time for cleanup. We clean our homes, whitewash houses and offices and beautifully decorate them. Symbolically, this is also the time to rid the "cobwebs" from within us; all the negativity that is stored in the deep corners of our minds. We light up our homes to welcome "Lakshmi," goddess of prosperity who roams the earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean and brightly illuminated.

Significance of the Deepawali Pooja

The deepawali pooja is beautiful and very touching once we understand the meaning behind the ritual. The setup consists of one big Diya and two rows of 64 diyas each representing 64 Kalas (Faculties/Skills/Qua-lities). The big Diya represents Ishwar, the "Knowledge Principle." The first row of 64 diyas represents the individual along with all his or her traits. The second row represents the community. Once Laxmi and Ganesh have been invoked, we light the first row of diyas one by one from the main diya that is Ishwar. Thus, lighting the first row represents acquisition of the positive qualities by the individual self from Ishwar, the source. After all the 64 diyas in the first row are lit, the diyas in the second row are lit one by one from the corresponding diya in the first row. Lighting the second row from the first row represents the transference of those qualities to others. The significance is that not only do we need to acquire knowledge, skill, talents ourselves, but it is our duty to then pass it on to others in the family and the community. A single lamp can light a hundred others; sharing with others does not diminish knowledge.

Celebration

If there is one occasion that is all joy and all jubilation for one and all - the young and the old, men and women - in the entire Hindu world, it is Deepawali. Celebrated with vigor and gaiety by people of every segment, its magical and radiant touch creates an atmosphere of joy and festivity. Innumerable lamps are lit on the roofs and windowsills of the houses, thus giving an ethereal and almost divine look to the whole town. Even the humblest of huts will be lighted by a row of earthen lamps. Crackers resound and light up the earth and the sky. The faces of boys and girls flow with a rare charm in their dazzling hues and colors. Deepotsavas in temples and all sacred places of worship and on the banks of rivers symbolize the scattering of spiritual radiance all round from these holy centers. The radiant sight of everybody adorned with new and bright clothes, especially ladies decorated with the best of ornaments, captures the social mood at its happiest. And all this illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity, is to signify the removal of darkness (ignorance) with the lighting of a lamp (knowledge).

And, of course, children get gifts. However, it is the crackers and the fireworks that attract the children the most and form the highlight of the festival. There is great celebration and fun. Children light fireworks. Families exchange sweets, gifts with friends and relatives. It is celebrated in grand style by Hindus and others all over the world.

Social Significance - Assess and Re-focus

Deepawali is a "Maha Parva" meaning a great expression of social consciousness, for strengthening the social fabric. It is not an individual festival but a collective one in which every village, every town, every city, every state, every region, nay the entire country is connected and reverberates with the message of Deepawali.

It is celebrated on the darkest night of the year – Kartik Amavasya (New Moon). This contrast is deliberate: a reminder to all of us that even in the darkest moments of our lives, there is hope, there is reason to be thankful, to celebrate and be joyful.

Deepawali marks the beginning of the fiscal year. The calendar new year, on the other hand, is celebrated in April time frame in the form of Ugadi, Baisakhi and Varshapratipada.

Finance & Business: Deepawali promotes prosperity – sweets, clothing, fireworks, jewelry and grains. It marks the advent of a new season and the sowing of new crops.

The singular message of deepawali is to emulate the lamp, the diya. To purify our ego, like the lamp, in the service of the society.

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