HINDU TEMPLE  OF KENTUCKY

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DEEPAVALI or Diwali means "a row of lights". It falls on the last two days of the dark half of Kartik (October-November). For some it is a three-day festival. It commences with the Dhan-Teras, on the 13th day of the dark half of Kartik, followed the next day by the Narak Chaudas the 14th day, and by Deepavali proper on the 15th day.

There are various alleged origins attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura.

In South India people take an oil bath in the morning and wear new clothes. They partake of sweetmeats. They light fireworks which are regarded as the effigies of Narakasura who was Killed on this day. They greet one another, asking, "Have you had your Ganges bath?" which actually refers to the oil bath that morning as it is regarded as purifying as a bath in the holy Ganges.

Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings about unity. It instills charity in the hearts of people. Everyone buys new clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their employees.

Waking up during the Brahmamuhurta (at 4 a.m.) is a great blessing from the standpoint of health, ethical discipline, efficiency in work and spiritual advancement. It is on Deepavali that everyone wakes up early in the morning. The sages who instituted this custom must have cherished the hope that their descendents would realise its benefits and make it a regular habit in their lives.

In a happy mood of great rejoicing village folk move about freely, mixing with one another without any reserve, all enmity forgotten. People embrace one another with love. Deepwali is a great unifying force. Those with keen inner spiritual ears will clearly hear the voice of the saga "O Children of God! unite, and love all". The vibrations produced by the greetings of love which fill the atmosphere are powerful enough to bring about a change of heart in every man and woman in the world. Alas! That heart has considerably hardened, and only a continuous celebration of Deepavali in our homes can rekindle in us the urgent need of turning away from the ruinous path of hatred.
 
THE LEGEND
 
The celebration of Deepavali has a mythological significance. As one version of the legend goes, Narakasura, a monster, ruled the kingdom of Pradyoshapuram. His arrogance and anarchic temperament was evident in his crooked behavior. He was a trouble-maker to the gods and the pious sages and would disturb their penance or create havoc during the rituals. To prove his power, Narakasura usurped some territory of Aditi, the king of Suraloka and a relative of Satyabhama, Lord Krishna's wife. Not only this, he carried away 16000 women and imprisoned them in his palace. Vexed with this harassment, the gods led by Indra approached Lord Krishna and pleaded with him to protect them from the demon "Narakasura".

On coming to know about this, Satyabhama was enraged by Narakasura's malevolence towards women, and she appealed to Krishna to give her the golden chance to destroy Narakasura. The legend also says that Narakasura was given a curse that he would be killed by a woman. Krishna granted Satyabhama a boon to fight with Narakasura.

With Krishna as the charioteer, Satyabhama entered the battle field. During the war, Krishna swooned for a while, a preordained divinely act adopted to empower Satyabhama to kill the demon, Narakasura. After Narakasura was beheaded, the imprisoned women were released, and Krishna accepted to marry them.

The killing of Narakasura was a victory of good over evil. It is interesting to note that Bhudevi, mother of the slain Narakasura, declared that his death should not be a day of mourning but an occasion to celebrate and rejoice. Since then, Deepavali is being celebrated by people every year with joyous celebrations with lot of fun and frolic, and fire works.

 
THE STORY
 

India is a land of festivals. Deepavali or Diwali is the Festival of Lights and is celebrated with fervour and gaiety. The festival is celebrated by young and old, rich and poor, all alike throughout the country to ward off the darkness and welcome the lights into their lives. This festival symbolises the unity in diversity as every state celebrates in its own special ways.

The celebration of the four-day festival commences on Aswayuja Bahula Chaturdasi and would conclude on Kartika Shudda Vijiya. The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. According to puranas Naraka, the son of Bhudevi,acquired immense power as a blessing from Lord Brahma after a severe penance. He soon unleashed a reign of terror in the kingdom of Kamarupa, harassing the lestial beings with his invincible might. Unable to bear the tyranny of the demon, the celestial beings pleaded with Lord Krishna to save them from his torture.

But Naraka could not be easily killed as he had a boon that he could face death only at the hands of his mother Bhudevi. So, Krishna asks his wife Satyabhama, the reincarnation of Bhudevi, to be his charioteer in the battle with Naraka.

When Krishna feigns unconciousness after being hit by an arrow of Naraka, Satyabhama takes the bow and aims the arrow at Naraka and kills him instantly. Later Lord Krishna reminds her of the boon she had sought as Bhudevi. The slaying of the Naraka by Sathyabhama could also be taken to interpret that parents should not hesitate to punish their children when they stray on to the wrong path. The message of Naraka Chaturdasi is that the good of the society should always prevail over one's own personal bonds.

The second day is Amavasya when Lakshmi puja is performed and is believed that on this day Goddess Lakshmi would be in her benevolant mood and would fulfill all the wishes of her devotees. One version says that it was on this day Goddess Lakshmi emerged from Kshira Sagara when the Gods and demons were churning the sagara for Amrutha Bhandam.

Another version is that when Lord Vishnu in the guise of Vamana, sought three feet of land from the very generous king Bali Chakravarthy, Bali had to surrender his head as Vamana had conquered the earth and the sky in His two strides. Lord Vishnu banishes Bali into the Pathala Loka by keeping his third stride on Bali's head. Later, pleased by his generosity, Lord Vishnu grants him a boon and he inturn requests the Lord to guard his palace at Patha Loka.

Meanwhile, the Goddess is unable to bear the separation and her grief affects the functioning of the entire universe. Brahma and Lord Shiva offer themselves as guards and plead with Bali to relieve Vishnu. So, on the Amavasya day Lord Vishnu returns to his abode and Goddess Lakshmi is delighted. That is the reason it is believed that those who worship Goddess Lakshmi on this day would be bestowed with all the riches.

The third day is "Kartika Shudda Padyami" and it is only on this day that Bali would come out of Pathala Loka and rule Bhuloka as per the boon given by Lord Vishnu. Hence, it is also known as "Bali Padyami".

The fourth day is referred to as "Yama Dvitiya" and on this day the sisters invite their brothers to their homes.

However, in the northern part of India it is celebrated as the return of Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana from his 14 years of exile after killing Ravana. To commemorate his return to Ayodhya, his subjects illuminated the kingdom and bursted crackers. For the Gujaratis, Marwaris and other business community Diwali marks the worship of Goddess Lakshmi and also the begining of the new financial year.

 

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