Why do we celebrate Diwali? What is its importance in our life? How we can celebrate Diwali during COVID19? In this blog, I have tried to answer all these questions.
As we know Indians celebrate every festival with great happiness and fervor. And when it is Diwali then everybody from kids to old, everybody will be excited. This festival is celebrated with lots of sweets, gifts, lightings, and dazzling crackers. During this festival, there are lights of small diyas everywhere. People will be greeting each other. And small kids in new and fancy dresses.
This festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm in our country. People clean and paint their house well before Diwali for welcoming Goddess Lakshmi. Actually, Diwali is a 5-day festival.
- Dhanteras
- Chhoti Diwali or Naraka Chaturdashi
- Badi or Main Diwali
- Govardhan Puja and finally
- Bhai dooj
There is a religious story behind every festival. Like that for Diwali, there is a story behind it.
KALI PUJA – Celebrated 1 day before Diwali
Raktabeej, a Asur in mythology got boon from Lord Brahma. He has become immortal by this boon. If a drop of his blood will fall on earth, then a new Raktabeej will be born. Because of this he has become immortal and cannot be killed by anyone. He won every battle and become very powerful.
Raktabeej wants to rule all three worlds including Devaloka ( place of gods). He attacked devaloka and want to capture all gods and goddesses. To save themselves, all of them flee away from devaloka. Still after getting devaloka, Raktabeej didn’t stop.
To protect themselves from Raktabeej, all gods and goddesses pleaded to Goddess Parvati in mount Kailasha. After listening to the misdeeds of Raktabeej, Goddess Parvati decide to teach him lesson.
When following gods and goddesses, Raktabeej reached Kailasha. He was stunned by the beauty of the goddess Parvati, the shakti of universe. Raktabeej wants to win goddess Parvati. Immediately, Goddess Parvati attacked Raktabeej with her trident on his chest.
The stream of blood started oozing out of his body and fell on the ground. Once the blood fell on the ground, the Lord Brahma’s boon converts each blood into a Raktabeej. Like that hundreds and thousands of Raktabeej were forming from every strike of goddess Parvati on Raktabeej. On seeing this, Goddess Parvati got very angry.
The incarnation of goddess kali
She got so angry that her skin turns dark. Her eyes turned red like blood. Maa Parvati got into her most ferocious avatar. Her roar was shaking the whole universe. Even the earth was shaken by her roar. The roar was so destructive that it destroys the demons like a flame of fire destroys small insects.
The avatar eventually becomes Goddess Kali, the goddess of war. She appeared wearing a garland of skulls around her neck holding a sword of vengeance wearing a tiger skin. It was so ferocious and terrible that Raktabeej immediately lost consciousness and started running away. Maa kali roared and started running after Raktabeej.
Maa Kali stuck a powerful blow and started killing Asurs one by one. But with every strike, more of Raktabeej start getting born from each drop of blood. On seeing that Goddess Kali got angrier and more ferocious. Then Maa Kali cached the Raktabeej by his head and by a single blow of sword cut his head. After that, she kept the head on a plate so that not a single drop of blood falls on the ground. Then Maa Kali swallows the complete body along with the head of Raktabeej so that no blood falls on the ground. By this time, Maa Kali got much more ferocious and started laughing with such a ferocious sound that the complete earth started shaking.
Maa Kali anger kept on increasing and she started losing her control over her anger. The goddess ordeal caused an uproar in the Trilok. Everything getting destroyed. All the gods were worried and went to plead before Lord Shiva to stop Maa Kali. If the goddess’s anger is not pacified, then the whole universe will collapse.
To stop Maa Kali, Lord Shiva laid himself on the way of goddess kali like a dead body. The goddess of anger in her mind was not able to see and stumped on Lord Shiva. On realizing that she has stumped on her husband. She realized her mistake and got calm down. This ended the terror of Raktabeej and the anger of Maa Kali.
This day is celebrated as Kali Puja which is celebrated one day before Diwali. Naraka Chaturdashi is also celebrated in South Indian states, which marks the killing of Narkasur by Lord Krishna.
Diwali – The celebration of lights
Diwali-the celebration of lights was celebrated by the people of Ayodhya for return of their beloved king Lord Shree Ram with wife Sita and brother Lakshman after 14 years. Lord Ram has got the order from his father Dashratha for 14 years of Vanavasa i.e exile. During this period of vanavasa when they were staying in a ashrama. Then the sister of Demon King Ravan, Shurpanakha started loving Lord Ram. To marry Lord Ram she tried to kill his wife Goddess Sita. But she was stopped by Lakshman who snipped the nose of Shurpanakha.
Ashamed and angry Shurpanakha went to her brother the king of Lanka, Ravana and asked for revenge. On hearing this Ravana got very angry and pledged to take revenge. He disguised himself in the form of sadhu and with the help of Marichi (demon) who disguised as a deer, succeeded to capture Sita. Even Jatayu also tried to stop Ravana who was kidnapping Sita in his Pushpak Viman, got severely injured and ultimately got moksha.
Lord Ram and his brother Lakshman vowed to free the Sita from the capture of Ravana. Ram and his brother took the help of vanar sena and defeated Ravana. During this war, Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna, his son Meghanad and many more died and Lanka was destroyed. Later on, Vibhishan,brother of Ravana got the throne of Lanka.
After the war got over. Lord Ram with his wife Sita and brother Lakshaman returned back to Ayodhya. On hearing the news of their return, the people of Ayodhya decorated the complete city with earthen lights and showered flower on Lord Ram, Sita and brother Lakshman.
This day is celebrated throughout India with great fervor and excitement. Al the houses will be lighten up with earthen diyas,. Houses are decorated with flowers and lights. People do the Goddess Lakshmi puja on this day, whose incarnation was Maa Sita. People exchange sweets which is very auspicious and children fired crackers. The whole India lighten up during this festival, thats why this festival is also known as Festival of Lights.
What Diwali teaches us
Diwali and Naraka Chaturdashi shows the power of good over bad. The Diwali celebration marks the winning of good over powerful bad. Even Ravana is known to be most intelligent, strong warrior and undefeatable king got defeated by Lord Ram who was having a very small army in front of Ravana. People should never feel proud of their position and power.
Because power stays with them who respects it. The person who uses his power for goodness for society, the power will always increase. It deteriorates and destruct the person who uses his power in a bad way.
That’s why we should not use our power or money for harming others. It should always be used for betterment of society.
How do we celebrate Diwali during this Covid19
Covid 19 has affected every individual from poor to rich, from young to old, men, women, children everybody. It has challenged our immune system. On one side where it affected directly the people health. On another side, indirectly it has damaged the monetary power of people.
What we can do during this Diwali, is to again prove that good can win over bad. We can use our power of money and communication through social media to help the needy. During this Diwali, we can spread the light of happiness in the darkest home by our purchase from local shops and vendors.
Instead of going to a mall and collecting all imported cheap items. We can travel some miles, show the needy side of our society to our kids to help them. Instead of donation, we can buy the Diwali decoration and other items from small local vendors without bargaining with them. This will include them in the main society bloodline. No body should feel dejected during this Diwali. Instead of spending money on so much of sweets, if we are able to make simple healthy food and distribute to the needy. Then definitely the happiness on their face will lit your inside also.
We should celebrate Diwali with all colors, lights and other traditional practices. But we shouldnot forget why we are celebrating this festival. We can fill the colors and lights in others life also.
There are lot of ideas of Diwali with which we can go Local.
Please keep social distancing and stop and defeat novel corona virus.
You are most welcome for any comments and your beautiful thoughts. Hope by spreading this blog we can spread the light of love and happiness. Because even a small firefly also show the light in the dark. Our small help can glow light during this darkness of COVID 19.
#happyDiwali
#StopCOVID19
#SpreadHappiness
#SpreadLOVE
