DIVALI

Oct 26, 2011 News

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By Prem Persaud

Festivals reflect a people’s ideals and culture. Some are religious, some seasonal whilst others are historic, and it is seldom that there is a festival which reflects all in one: Divali is such a festival for it embodies the ideals and outlook of the Hindu in their religious, seasonal and historic spheres.
Divali–a corruption of the Sanskrit word- Deepavali, meaning “a row of lights” is celebrated by the entire Hindu world once a year. Although the origin of this grand festival is shrouded in obscurity and lost in antiquity, Divali nevertheless remains one of, if not the most, colourful of all festivals.
Some people maintain that Divali marks the day when the earth enters the winter solstice and heralds the beginning of the winter season. Divali is celebrated on the “AMAWASYA” or new moon of the lunar month of Kartik in the calendar. Divali is celebrated as New Year’s Day since it is held chronologically and geologically that the “ice age” was the first age of creation and as such it follows that the year should be reckoned from the beginning of the winter season.
Very many people conduct religious ceremonies at this time of the year to give thanks to the Almighty God for the bounty of harvests reaped immediately before the winter season. Our Western brethren also paid homage to the Goddess of Harvest, Ceres, as do the Indians to the Goddess Shri. Orthodox Hindus invariably perform the Lakshmi Puja which was initiated by globe-trotting Benias who had returned on this day laden with wealth from their prosperous mercantile sojourns in far-off lands.
It was on this historic occasion when after “Fourteen years of woe were ended, Rama now assumed his own, as they placed the weary wanderer on his father’s ancient throne.”
It was on this occasion which marked the victory of good over evil when Shri Ramchandra returned from his fourteen years exile, he having obeyed his father’s commend that:
“Seven long years and seven, my Rama, thou shalt in the jungle dwell,
Bark of trees shall be thy raiment, and thy home the hermit’s cell,”
And this he did faithfully so that his aged father Dasrath might keep his plighted word to his step-mother Kaikeyi. Rama’s return to fair Ayodhya was heralded by great pomp and pageantry and year after year to this day Hindus celebrate this occasion to commemorate the triumphant return of Rama to Ayodhya and the defeat of the evil force Ravana.
From house to house, mansions and edifices, cottages and temples could be seen lighted diyas filled with oil and cotton wicks. This had been the ceremonious customs handed down to us, and this makes us imagine and recognize the splendor with which Rama was received.
Lighting up plays an important part in the decorations of the Divali festival as it was the coronation of Ramchandra, and that is undoubtly why the occasion is called Divali or Deepavali- the festival of lights. Even the sage Valmiki in his immortal epic, the Ramayan tell us:
“Gay festoons of flowering creeper, home and street and dwelling line,     And in gold and glittering garment, let the gladdened city shine.”
Even though at this time when new shapes of lamps have been introduced, the custom nevertheless still exists, and Divali celebrations would be incomplete without diyas lighting away, becoming a happy era. On this day when we celebrate this festival of lights, it is my fervent desire that the light continues to burn within our breasts so that we may always maintain that warm and loving affection towards our fellow men. Let us keep the light burning.
For Arya Samajists in particular, the Divali has a special significance. Over one hundred and twenty years on Divali day, 1883, when the Divali lights were being kindled by the people of the world over, humanity’s great light flickered out in Maharishi Swami Dayananda Sarawattie of revered memory, the only rishi of modern times.
Dayananda was the rejuvenator of the Vedic religion which slumbered away for than 5,000 years, and he re-established the ideal of Brahmacharya and baffled the world when he said that that Vedas were wrongly interpreted so as to suit the interests of the selected few.
Above all, he gave back to the world the Vedas which is the only hope to salvation. He was outspoken against anything evil and criticized freely the things which should be remedied.
He was, however, poisoned by the servant, Jagganath, who was bribed to do so by Nanhi Jan.  Trulty, it was that as the Divali light were going up all over, a greater light in Maharishi Dayananda was passing away.
On this solemn occasion let us rededicate ourselves to the cause for which a great soul lived and died lest humanity shall pass away in slumber—and let us not prove unworthy of  the honour bestowed on us, the honour of being followers of the Great Vedic Religion—the Arya Samaj Movement.

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