Lessons from Indian Wisdom: The True Significance of Diwali
17Nov, 2023
अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम्। (Rg Ved 1)
I honour the vital energy Agni placed inside me, which provides the light of intelligence and energy for all my efforts!
When Diwali was first created as the Festival of lights, our ancestors may not have realised that in the eons to come, we humans would move from natural lighting to artificial lighting to even facncy and super dazzling lights. This actually takes away the true spirit of Diwali because the celebration is of the humble Diya – the earthen lamp.. Why should one even take the effort to light these when one can simply but the garlands of lights operated by electricity or battery? Wouldn’t that be smarter and safer? Not really, when one looks deeper
Dipavali means ‘the rows of lights’. ‘Dipa’ is light or lamp; and ‘vali’ means creeper plant, taken together implies lines of lights all connected naturally. But will any light do? Not so. And how are they all connected? The humble diya – the little earthen vessel shaped by the kumbhar or potter matters. The five elements – earth, fire, sky, air, water are represented in this diya.
First, Earth element is represented by the composition of the diya, oil and cotton wick. Fire is the light of the diya itself. Sky element is light around the flame as also the space in which the diya lies, which is the space around earth. Air element is the oxygen diffused from air to wick causing it to burn. Water is the H2O molecules formed after the combustion of oil, by-product of burning. So, when we light the oil lamp on Diwali, we symbolically represent the constitution of the universe – right at our door step. Beautiful, isn’t it? There is more.
Secondly, lighting a lamp leads to annihilation of darkness. Dipavali or the festival of the line of lights is thus the celebration of the rise of Knowledge. It is also the celebration of the victory of the Sattvic or divine elements in us – over the Rajasic and Tamasic or baser elements which are the real Asuras and the Rakshasas, within us (not outside).
Thirdly, for the oil lamp to burn, its wick has to be soaked the oil and yet out of the oil. If the wick of the lamp is drowned in oil, it cannot bring the light. Life is also like a wick of the lamp, one has to be in the world and yet remain unconsumed by it. If one drowns in the materialism of the world, bringing joy and knowledge in life is not possible. Finally, the diya burns itself to provide light and joy to others. Similarly, Celebration is incomplete without seva towards others.
Lights are lit on this day not just to decorate homes, but also to communicate all these truths about life. If the diya represents the universe, then lighting the diya is brightening the universe through the path of Sattva – self knowledge and the path of seva, remaining unconsumed by the glitter and glamour which surrounds us
Dipavali is thus a socio – psychological context, wherein we contemplate in our own selves, the holy occasion of self-mastery, leading to the rise of all virtuous qualities, regarded as lustre or radiance emanating from Self-Knowledge.
In this auspicious setting of the five Elementes, here’s wishing you and your family Shubh Deepawali!
I honour the vital energy Agni placed inside me, which provides the light of intelligence and energy for all my efforts!
When Diwali was first created as the Festival of lights, our ancestors may not have realised that in the eons to come, we humans would move from natural lighting to artificial lighting to even facncy and super dazzling lights. This actually takes away the true spirit of Diwali because the celebration is of the humble Diya – the earthen lamp.. Why should one even take the effort to light these when one can simply but the garlands of lights operated by electricity or battery? Wouldn’t that be smarter and safer? Not really, when one looks deeper
Dipavali means ‘the rows of lights’. ‘Dipa’ is light or lamp; and ‘vali’ means creeper plant, taken together implies lines of lights all connected naturally. But will any light do? Not so. And how are they all connected? The humble diya – the little earthen vessel shaped by the kumbhar or potter matters. The five elements – earth, fire, sky, air, water are represented in this diya.
First, Earth element is represented by the composition of the diya, oil and cotton wick. Fire is the light of the diya itself. Sky element is light around the flame as also the space in which the diya lies, which is the space around earth. Air element is the oxygen diffused from air to wick causing it to burn. Water is the H2O molecules formed after the combustion of oil, by-product of burning. So, when we light the oil lamp on Diwali, we symbolically represent the constitution of the universe – right at our door step. Beautiful, isn’t it? There is more.
Secondly, lighting a lamp leads to annihilation of darkness. Dipavali or the festival of the line of lights is thus the celebration of the rise of Knowledge. It is also the celebration of the victory of the Sattvic or divine elements in us – over the Rajasic and Tamasic or baser elements which are the real Asuras and the Rakshasas, within us (not outside).
Thirdly, for the oil lamp to burn, its wick has to be soaked the oil and yet out of the oil. If the wick of the lamp is drowned in oil, it cannot bring the light. Life is also like a wick of the lamp, one has to be in the world and yet remain unconsumed by it. If one drowns in the materialism of the world, bringing joy and knowledge in life is not possible. Finally, the diya burns itself to provide light and joy to others. Similarly, Celebration is incomplete without seva towards others.
Lights are lit on this day not just to decorate homes, but also to communicate all these truths about life. If the diya represents the universe, then lighting the diya is brightening the universe through the path of Sattva – self knowledge and the path of seva, remaining unconsumed by the glitter and glamour which surrounds us
Dipavali is thus a socio – psychological context, wherein we contemplate in our own selves, the holy occasion of self-mastery, leading to the rise of all virtuous qualities, regarded as lustre or radiance emanating from Self-Knowledge.
In this auspicious setting of the five Elementes, here’s wishing you and your family Shubh Deepawali!