It is called ‘The festival of lights’. Just got curious around the origin of this festival and did some digging and found out that Diwali is celebrated on a new moon day. The word Deepavali in Sanskrit means row of lamps. These facts got me wondering, festival of lights during the winter on a new moon day with rains round the corner….
Recently I have been assigned to a project (which is a collection of problems) and my main job is to do a root cause analysis and understand the cause of the issues… Extending it further thought of doing some further analysis to get a wider picture a high level overview.. (Phew!!! So much of corporate language.. this is what happens if you blog after a reallllly long time). Jokes apart, did some browsing and here are some more tit bits (most of which you guys will be already aware of) about this festival:
It’s the day celebrated as Goddess Lakshmi’s birthday
It’s the day when Rama returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile
It’s the day when Narakasura (as the name suggests a bad guy) was killed by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama and peace was established in the world
It’s the day when Krishna defeated Indra (remember the serial we used to see as kids in Doordarshan.. a small boy balancing the entire mountain in his little finger! Yup you got it right)
It’s the day when Pandavas returned after 13 years of exile
It’s the day when Lord Mahavira attained Nirvana
It’s the day when King Ashoka the great embraced Buddhism
It’s the day when Maharishi Dayananda, the founder of Arya Samaj attained Nirvana
The list goes on and on… looks like over the last several centuries, we have lots and lots of reasons to celebrate this day….
Can’t help but mention a line I read ‘while the story behind Deepavali varies from region to region the essence is the same, to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atma) or the underlying Reality of all things (Brahman)’
Quiet philosophical right!!!
Going back to the childhood days, I remember looking forward to this day only to wear the new clothes, eat yummy sweets and burst crackers not to mention the good cinemas you to get to watch in the TV (well today I can think of only one addition.. to this list.. a day off from work which means full day chit chatting with the family). But today after so many years, when I look back at the reason for celebrating this festivel.. just impressed as to how one day appeals to so many religions in so many different ways!
Diwali a day to celebrate greatness a day to be filled with positive energy and vibrance. This happens to be a very special Diwali for me... my first as a Mrs :) Looking forward to all the celebrations, sweets, movies, gifts and more importantly the wishes and blessings i will receive on this day!!!!
For many of you this is your first of its kind.. and for all others each time is as different as the first.. so
Happy Deepavali!!!
Wishing this Deepavali to be a landmark in each of your lives in the sweetest way possible,
