Monday, October 31, 2011

REASONS TO CELEBRATE DIWALI

There are many fabulous and ancient reasons why Diwali is known as the festive season. There are many reasons to celebrate this great Festival of Lights.
MAA LAKSHMI’S BIRTHDAY
It is believed that the Goddess Lakshmi was born on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during Samudra-Manthan. The Hindu scriptures tell us that both Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) were corporeal (friends) at one time. For everlasting condition (Amaratva), they shook the ocean to pursue Amrat, the nectar of immortality in between host of heavenly spiritual objects came up. One of them was Goddess Lakshmi, the daughter of the king of the whitish ocean. She was then married to Lord Vishnu on the same darkest night of the year. Bright divas were lit and placed in rows to mark this holy occasion. Hindus celebrate the birth of the Goddess Lakshmi and her marriage to Lord Vishnu on Diwali and ask her blessings for the coming year.
VISHNU SAVED LAKSHMI
On Diwali day Lord Vishnu in his fifth manifestation as Vaman-Avtara saved Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali so this is another reason to worship Maa Lakshmi on Diwali.
KRISHNA KILLED NARKASUR
On the day previous Diwali, Lord Krishna killed the demon king Narakasur and rescued 16,000 women from his imprisonment. The celebration of this freedom went on for two days including the Diwali day as a victory festival.
THE RETURN OF PANDAVAS
According to the great epic ‘Mahabharata, Pandavas came out from their 12 years of deportation on Kartik Amavashya. They were defeated from Kauravas at the game of dice (gambling). Their subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the day by lighting the earthen lamps.
THE VICTORY OF RAMA
According to the great epic Ramayana, Lord Ram (the incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Treta Yug) conquered Lanka after killing the evil King Ravana and after passing fourteen years in exile returned to his capital Ayoddhya on a new moon day of Kartik with wife Sita and brother Lakshman. To celebrate the return of their beloved king, the people of Ayodhya bursted crackers, lit up their houses with earthen lamps (diyas), and decorated the entire city in the outstanding manner. Year after year this arrival of Lord Rama is recollected on Diwali with lights, fireworks, bursting of crackers and merriment. The festival is called Deepawali, or Diwali, from the rows (avali) of lamps (deepa) that the people of
Ayoddhya lit to welcome their King.
CORONATION OF VIKRAMADITYA
It is also said that Vikramaditya, the legendary Indian king well-known for his wisdom, courageous and high-mindedness was coroneted on the Diwali day following his victory over the Sakas in 56 BC. This was obvious by a grand celebration which is still sustained annually. One of the greatest Hindu monarchs, Vikramaditya ruled the greatest empire in the world from modern-day Thailand in the east to the borders of modern-day Saudi Arabia in the west. Diwali is celebrated apart from being a religious festival also has a historical association.
SPECIAL DAY FOR ARYA SAMAJ
On the new moon day of Kartik (Diwali day), Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism and the founder of Arya Samaj achieved his nirvana.
SPECIAL DAY FOR JAINS
Mahavir Tirthankar, the founder of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on Diwali day. Thus it is a special day for Jains.
SPECIAL DAY FOR SIKHS
The third Sikh Guru Amar Das established Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would gather to receive the Gurus blessings. In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind, who was detained by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was released from the Gwalior fort along with 52 kings.

THE POPE’S DIWALI SPEECH AND A SPECIAL DAY FOR CHRISTIAN
In 1999, Pope John Paul II performed a special Eucharist in an Indian church where the bench was decorated with Diwali lamps, the Pope had a ‘tilak’ marked on his forehead and his speech was rose with references to the festival of light. In that way it becomes special for Christians also.
GODDESS KALI
Goddess Kali also called Shyama Kali, is the first of the 10 avatars (incarnations) of Goddess Durga from Lord Shiva's cooperative. When all the gods lost their kingdom in a fight with the demons, Goddess Kali was born as Kal Bhoi Nashini from the forehead of Goddess Durga, a personification of Nari Shakti (female power). Kali was born to save heaven and earth from the increasing brutality of the demons. After killing all the devils, Kali lost her control and started killing anyone who came in her way which was stopped only when Lord Shiva interfered. The well-known picture of Maa Kali, with her tongue hanging out, actually depicts the moment when she steps on the Lord Shiva and regrets. That important day has been remembered to seek the blessings of the goddess in destroying evil both externally and internally to get happiness, health, wealth, and peace.
THE HARVEST FESTIVAL
Diwali is the harvest festival in India. The agricultural society of India celebrates this day for this reason. Diwali falls around the months of October or November, which is also known as the season of Kharif when the crop of fresh rice is widely available.
HINDU NEW YEAR DAY
Diwali recovers the festive mood of Hindus by depicting the arrival of the Hindu New Year. This day all the business men change their diaries, marking as a new economic year for their business endeavours.

No matter whatever is the reason, whatever be the legend, the festival of lights Diwali is celebrated with much enthusiasm and fervour in all over the India and abroad irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Let’s pray for all with love, care and with the light of diyas so that it can remove all the darkness from each and every heart for ever. We wish a very Happy Diwali to all of you. May this Diwali and New Year bring Happiness and Prosperity in all of your home and life.
About Author
Jyotishacharya Vinay Sheel Saxena "Bajrangi" “Bhagya Samhita wale” is a well known indian Vedic Astrologer Horoscope reader and Vastu expert and provides best vedic astrology solutions, vastu remedies, astrology forecast, Horoscope matching and other astrological solutions

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