Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest of all Hindu festivals. It's the festival of lights (deep = light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights) that's marked by four days of celebration, which literally illumines the country with its brilliance and dazzles all with its joy. Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali is separated by a different tradition, but what remains true and constant is the celebration of life, its enjoyment and goodness.

The Origin of Diwali Historically, the origin of Diwali can be traced back to ancient India, when it was probably an important harvest festival. However, there are various legends pointing to the origin of Diwali. Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. Whereas in Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Kali, the goddess of strength. Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, is also worshipped in most Hindu homes on this day. In Jainism, Deepawali has an added significance to the great event of Lord Mahavira attaining the eternal bliss of nirvana. Diwali also commemorates the return of Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshman from his fourteen year long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the Capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and burst crackers.

These Four Days Each day of Diwali has it's own tale, legend and myth to tell. The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. Amavasya, the second day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the tyrant Bali, and banished him to hell. Bali was allowed to return to earth once a year, to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance, and spread the radiance of love and wisdom. It is on the third day of Deepawali — Kartika Shudda Padyami that Bali steps out of hell and rules the earth according to the boon given by Lord Vishnu. The fourth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj) and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes.

The Significance of Lights & Firecrackers All the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story to tell. The illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity. According to one belief, the sound of fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state. Still another possible reason has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of insects and mosquitoes, found in plenty after the rains.

The Tradition of Gambling The tradition of gambling on Deepawali also has a legend behind it. It is believed that on this day, Goddess Parvati played dice with her husband Lord Shiva, and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuing year.

From Darkness Unto Light... In each legend, myth and story of Deepawali lies the significance of the victory of good over evil; and it is with each Deepawali and the lights that illuminate our homes and hearts, that this simple truth finds new reason and hope. From darkness unto light — the light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds, that which brings us closer to divinity.

During Diwali, lights illuminate every corner of India and the scent of incense sticks hangs in the air, mingled with the sounds of fire-crackers, joy, togetherness and hope. Outside India, Diwali is more than a Hindu festival, it's a celebration of South-Asian identities.

If you are away from the sights and sounds of Diwali, light a diya, sit quietly, shut your eyes, withdraw the senses, concentrate on this supreme light and illuminate the soul.

'Aarti' for the Festival of Lights

Diwali is also considered to be the Hindu New Year. It is the occasion when the whole Hindu community is drenched in the mood of celebrations & happiness. The reason is not one but many. It is mentioned in the Pauranik Granthas that Diwali brings along a very auspicious time period of the year.

Offering prayers to Deities relevant to the festival is common to almost all Indian festivals. On the festival of Diwali, Hindus offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi & Lord Ganesha with great devotion. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits every home on Diwali and brings along peace and prosperity to all. After the Sun sets, Lakshmi Pujan is performed in all homes. The appropriate Muhurat is calculated by Pandits following Astrological rules.

Items required for performing Diwali Puja include, uncooked rice, paan leaves, camphor, kumkum, sweets, dry fruits, gold or silver coins etc. Naivedya of traditional sweets is offered to the deities and then songs in praise of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha are sung with great fervor. Panchamitra made up of five ingredients milk, curd, ghee, sugar & honey is also an essential item in Puja. Five Diyas are placed before the idols of the deities.

Lord Ganesha is worshiped before commencing for any kind of work. As Diwali is the New Year for Hindus, offering prayers to Lord Ganesha becomes obvious. For Ganesha Puja, Ganesha Arti is sung. The deity is offered Motichoor Laddoos and the same laddoos become prasad for the puja.

Lakshmi Pujan is another important activity of the festive day of Diwali. Petals of various freshly picked flowers, especially Lotus are placed in the feet of the Goddess. Placing silver or gold coin soaked in Panchamitra is one of the important Lakshmi Puja rituals. Again as in Ganesha Puja, Lakshmi Arti is performed while showering flowers on the idol of Lakshmi. Lakshmi Puja holds a lot of importance for the Business community in India.

All these puja ritual are then followed by exchange of gifts ceremony. The religious aura changes into a fun & frolic one. Everyone fire crackers and enjoy good food. An atmosphere of jubilation is all around. Loved ones spend moments of happiness together and create fond memories to cherish life long

Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, is the most sought after Goddess of India. She is the ruler of the eight kinds of wealth. It is said that the household where she is not worshiped will never prosper. Dhana Lakshmi for wealth is the most worshiped. Vidya Lakshmi is worshiped for knowledge, Santana Lakshmi is worshiped for children, Vijaya Lakshmi is worshiped for victory in undertakings & court cases, Dhanya Lakshmi is worshiped by the farming community and Soubhagya Lakshmi is worshiped of marriage and happy married life. It is performed normally on a Thursday or Friday. The shodasopachara pooja is performed with the prescribed materials, 1008 Lakshmi Namavali and Sri Sooktam are recited. It will be done in your name with the specific sankalpa.

The name Kali derives from the Sanskrit root word Kal meaning time. Nothing escapes from time. Her Tibetan Buddhism counterpart is named Kala, a male figure. Of the Hindu goddesses, Goddess Kali Ma is the most misunderstood. The Encyclopedia Britannica is very mistaken in this quote, "Major Hindu goddess whose iconography, cult, and mythology commonly associate her with death, sexuality, violence, and, paradoxically in some of her later historical appearances, motherly love."

It is partially accurate to say the Goddess Kali Ma is a goddess of death. However, She brings the death of the ego as the delusional self-centered view of reality. Nowhere in the sriptures is She seen killing anything but demons nor is She associated exclusively with the process of human dying like Yama the Hindu god of death. Both Goddess Kali Ma and Shiva are said to inhabit cremation grounds and devotees often go to these places to meditate. The purpose is not to glorify death but to overcome the I-am-the-body idea. The cremation grounds reinforce the idea that the body is a temporary. Kali and Shiva are said to dwell in these places because it is our attachment to the body that gives rise to the ego. Kali and Shiva give liberation by dissolving the illusion of the ego. Thus we are the ever-existing I AM and not the impermanent body. This is emphasized by the scene in the cremation grounds.

Out of all the Devi forms, Kali is the most compassionate because She provides moksha or liberation to Her children. She is the counterpart of Shiva. They are the destroyers of unreality. When the ego sees Mother Kali it trembles with fear because the ego sees in Her its own eventual demise. An individual who is attached to his/her ego will not be able to receive the vision of Mother Kali and She will appear in a fear invoking or "wrathful" form. A mature soul who engages in spiritual practice to remove the illusion of the ego sees Mother Kali as very sweet, affectionate, and overflowing with incomprehensible love for Her children.

Ma Kali wears a garland made of 52 skulls and a skirt made of dismembered arms because the ego comes out of identification with the body. In fact, we are beings of spirit and not flesh. So liberation can only prevail when our attachment to the body comes to an end. Therefore, the skirt and garland are trophies worn by Her to represent the liberation of Her children from attachment to the finite body. In two of Her hands, She holds a sword and a freshly severed head that is dripping blood. This represents a great battle in which she defeated the demon Raktabija. Her black (or sometimes dark blue) skin represents the womb of the unmanifest from which all of creation is born and into which all of creation will eventually return. Goddess Kali Ma is depicted as standing on a white skinned Shiva who is lying beneath Her. His white skin is in contrast to Her black or sometimes dark blue skin. He is showing a blissful detached look on His face. Shiva is pure formless awareness sat-chit-ananda (being-consciousness-bliss) while She represents "form" eternally sustained by the underpinning of pure awareness.