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Diwali
The Mythological Aspect :
The tradition of celebrating fairs and festivals runs almost
through out the year, in this country of festivities. It is the
gayest of the festivals; an occasion of great excitement and
rejoicing. The original form of Diwali comes from the word
"DEEPAWALI" which means "row of lights".
Hindus believe that there is one God, one Supreme Being, called
Brahman. Hindus also believe that Brahma can be pictured and
thought about in many different forms. This is why Hindus
worship Brahman through many Gods and Goddesses. The festival of
Diwali has exciting stories about some of these Gods and
Goddesses. Hindus believe that the God Vishnu preserves and
protects the world with his goodness. Whenever the power of evil
increases in the world, Hindus believes that Vishnu comes down
to earth in a different form to challenge and defeat evil. These
forms are called Avataras. Krishna and Rama are the popular
Avataras of Vishnu. Gods are accompanied by Goddesses, who are
sometimes called Shakti, meaning energy or power. Diwali
celebrations are especially a time for telling stories about
Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi, and about Krishna, Rama and his
wife Sita.
The Story of Rama and Sita :
Lord Rama was the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was a
great warrior King who was exiled by his father Dashratha, the
King of Ayodhya, along with his wife Sita and his younger
brother Lakshman, on his wife's insistence. Lord Rama returned
to his Kingdom Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, in which he put
an end to the demon Ravana of Sri Lanka, who was a great Pundit,
highly learned but still evil dominated his mind. It was the
devil in Ravana, which encouraged him to capture Sita. Ravana
imprisoned her and forced her to marry him but she never agreed
to this. Lord Rama with the help of Hanuman, Sugreev and Bali
and their "vannar sena" attacked Lanka and after a
fierce battle, got Sitaji released from the clutches of Ravana.
After this victory of Good over Evil, Rama returned to Ayodhya.
In Ayodhya, the people welcomed them by lighting rows of clay
lamps. Great celebrations were held and everyone was happy for
Rama to be the King of Ayodhya. So, it is an occasion in honour
of Rama's victory over Ravana; of Truth.
The Story of King Bali and the
Dwarf :
The other story concerns King Bali, who was a generous ruler. But he was also very ambitious. Some of the Gods pleaded Vishnu to check King Bali's power. Vishnu came to earth in the form of a dwarf dressed as priest. The dwarf approached King Bali and said "You are the ruler of the three worlds: the Earth, the world above the skies and the underworld. Would you give me the space that I could cover with three strides?" King Bali laughed. Surely a dwarf could not cover much ground, thought the King, who agreed to dwarf's request. At this point, the dwarf changed into Vishnu and his three strides covered the Earth, the Skies and the whole Universe! King Bali was send to the underworld.
As part of Diwali celebrations, some Hindus remember King Bali |
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The Defeat of Narkasur by Lord
Krishna :
Lord Vishnu in his 8th incarnation as Krishna destroyed the demon Narkasura, who was causing great unhappiness amongst the people of the world. Narkasura was believed to be a demon of filth, covered in dirt. He was giant who was often good but who, at times, behaved very badly. He used to kidnap beautiful young women and force them to live with him. It is said that his misfortune fell on some 16000 women. Eventually, their cries for rescue were heard by Vishnu, who came in the form of Krishna. First, Krishna had to fight with a five-headed monster who guarded the demon's home. Then before the demon Narkasura was destroyed, Krishna granted him one last request, because of the good deeds he had done. Narkasura hoped that his death might bring joy to others. So, before being killed, he cried, " Let this day be celebrated as a day of feasting in the World!" Krishna granted his request and the women were freed. For Hindus, this story is a reminder that good can still come out of evil.
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