By Himanshu Setya

What is Diwali?

Diwali is one of the most popular festivals in Hindu culture. It celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. It is celebrated over a 5 day period, with Diwali being the third day of the festivities.

In Sanskrit, Diwali means, “Row of Lighted Lamps.”

Story behind Diwali

Diwali marks the day Shri Ram, the 7th avatar of Vishnu, returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Laxman after 14 years of exile.

During his exile, Shri Ram fought with and defeated many demons, including the demon King Ravan.

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Diwali is celebrated over a 5 day period, and each day has its own significance.

First Day - Dhanteras

Dhanteras, also known as Dhantrayodashi, is the first day of the Diwali celebrations. In Sanskrit, Dhan means, “wealth.” Dhanteras engages themes such as cleansing, renewal, and the securing of auspiciousness in the form of Laxmi. Kubera Laxmi Puja is done on Dhanteras, to worship Kuber and Laxmi, the God and Goddess of wealth, respectively. On this day, buying metal objects is considered to be good luck.

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Second Day - Narak Chaturdashi

The festival of Narak Chaturdashi or popularly known as “Choti Diwali” falls on the second day of the five-day long Diwali celebrations. This festival commemorates the victory of Lord Krishna over Narakasur, the Demon King.This festival is also celebrated as 'Kali Chaudas' in Gujarat, Rajasthan and a few parts of Maharashtra. Kali Chaudas also worships Maha Kali or Shakti, who symbolises strength to fight evil. Hanuman Jayanti or the birthday of Lord Hanuman is also celebrated on this day.

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Third Day - Diwali

The third day is the main day of the festival. Laxmi Pujan is done in the evening during a subh muhurat(auspicious time), and proper aartis and bhajans are recited. It is believed that on this day Goddess Laxmi enters the home and blesses devotees with good fortune and wealth on this day. People light diyas and open all the doors and windows in their house to welcome Goddess Laxmi into their home. Lord Ganesh is also worshipped on Diwali.

Fourth Day - Govardhan Puja/ Annakut

The fourth day is the day of the Govardhan Puja. Govardhan Puja commemorates the incident when Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill to provide shelter to the villagers of Vrindavan from torrential rains. Lord Krishna held the mountain for 7 days on his little finger. Finally, Lord Indra had to bow to the might of Lord Krishna and stop the rain. This pooja marks the victory of Lord Krishna over the arrogance of Lord Indra. After this women of Vrindavan cooked 56 dishes for Lord Krishna. It is believed that Lord Krishna took 8 meals in a day. As he had stood there for seven days without any food, the women decided to make up for it with a lavish Chappan bhog (a meal consisting 56 items like halwa, ladoos, mishri and peda). This Puja is also called Annakut (meaning heap of grains).

Fifth Day- Bhai Dooj

The fifth and last day of the festival is Bhai Dooj. Bhai Dooj is made up of two words namely- "Bhai" meaning brother and "Dooj" meaning the second day after the new moon which is a day of its celebration.It is also celebrated as "Yama Dwitiya" in the southern parts of India.

On this day, brothers visit their sisters and perform a tilak ceremony. In this ceremony, sisters apply a teeka of rice and vermilion on the brother’s forehead, followed by aarti. Sisters pray for the long lives of their brothers, while the brothers promise to protect their sisters.

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Fifth Day - Bhai Dooj

There are few Hindu mythological based stories related to the origin of this auspicious day. According to the one legend, Lord Krishna visited his sister, Subhadra after killing demon Narkasur. Her sister gave a warm welcome to him and made the occasion really special through flowers and sweets. Subhadra also applied the ceremonial "tilak" on the forehead of her brother, Krishna and hence the festival of "Bhai Dooj" was born from there.

Another legend revolves around the story of Yama, the God of Death and his sister Yamuna. It is believed that he met his beloved sister on Dwitheya, the second day after the new moon and thus the occasion began to be celebrated as "Yamadwitheya" across the country from that day.

Core Value

Diwali is all about spending time with friends and family, exchanging sweets and gifts with each other, and lighting Diyas and do fireworks.

But Beyond the lights, the sweets, the fireworks- Diwali is also a time to reflect on life and make changes, Give and Forgive, Unite and Unify, Prosper and Progress and Illuminate your inner self.

WISH YOU ALL A SAFE, HAPPY

AND PROSPEROUS DIWALI

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