|
______________________________________________________________________________
|
“Spiritual
hunger is common to all; but tastes differ.
There are different forms of God to suit all tastes.” - Swami
Yogaswarupananda, of the Divine Life Society, a Vedanta-based foundation in Rishikesh.
|
Each
religion, by the help of more or less myth which it takes more
or less seriously, proposes some method of fortifying the human soul and enabling it to make its peace with its destiny.
-George
Santayana |
For
free information on Hinduism and Hinduism Resources, Buddhism, Jainism,
Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, several translations of ancient Hindu,
Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Zoroastrian and spiritual scriptures, history of
Hinduism and related religions, articles on spiritualism, symbolism,
saints and gurus of India, temples, self development, health and self
help articles, web resources, and much more, click
here.
Time
spent laughing is time spent with the Gods. - Japanese Proverb
|
|
The
Festival of Lights is for All
BY
Gyan
Rajhans P.
Eng.
Why
do we celebrate Diwali? It’s not just the festive mood in the
air that makes you happy, or just that it's a good time to enjoy
before the advent of winter. There are 10 mythical and historical
reasons why Diwali is a great time to celebrate. And there are
good reasons not just for Hindus but also for all others to
celebrate this great Festival of Lights. |
1.Goddess
Lakshmi’s Birthday: The
Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi
incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa)
of the Kartik month during the
churning of the ocean (samudra-manthan),
hence the association of Diwali with Lakshmi.
2.
Vishnu Rescued Lakshmi: On
this very day (Diwali day), Lord Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as Vaman-avtaara
rescued Lakshmi from the prison
of King Bali and this is another reason of worshipping Ma Lakshmi
on Diwali.
3.
Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On
the day preceding Diwali, Lord Krishna killed the demon king Narakaasur
and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity. The celebration of this
freedom went on for two days including the Diwali day as a victory
festival.
4.
The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great epic ‘Mahabharata’,
it was ‘Kartik Amaavashyaa’
when the Pandavas appeared from
their 12 years of banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands of
the Kauravas at the game of
dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the day by
lighting the earthen lamps.
5.
The Victory of Rama: According to the epic ‘Ramayana’, it was the
new moon day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Ma Sita
and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya
after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya
decorated the entire city with the earthen lamps and illuminated it like
never before.
6.
Coronation of Vikramaditya: One
of the greatest Hindu King Vikramaditya
was coroneted on the Diwali day, hence Diwali became a historical event as
well.
7.
Special Day for the Arya Samaj:
It was the new moon day of Kartik
(Diwali day) when Maharshi
Dayananda, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism and the founder
of Arya Samaj attained his
nirvana.
8.
Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir
Tirthankar, considered to be the founder of modern Jainism also
attained his nirvana on Diwali day.
9.
Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar
Das institutionalized 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 held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir,
was released from the Gwalior
fort along with 52 kings.
10.
The Pope’s Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John Paul II performed a
special Eucharist in an Indian church where the altar was decorated with
Diwali lamps, the Pope had a ‘tilak’
marked on his forehead and his speech was bristled with references to the
festival of light.
Previous
Columns
________________
Gyan
Rajhans, an internationally recognized health & safety professional
has been broadcasting the only non-commercial Vedic religion radio
program in North America since 1981 & worldwide web cast on www.bhajanawali.com
since 1999. Mr. Rajhans has published extensively on religious and
spiritual matters. Some articles are available on the Bhajanawali web
site. He has translated Sri Mad Bhagvad Gita in English for the younger
generation. Mr. Rajhans has been conferred various titles, including that
of Rishi by Hindu Prarthana Samaj of Toronto Hindu Ratna
by Hindu Federation of Toronto. He received an award for 2005 in the Internet category -
Opinion - for his Spirituality columns in South Asian Outlook e-Monthly,
from Canadian Journalists' and
Writers' Club (CEJWC), now re-named as Canadian
Ethnic Media Association.
|
