Diwali Celebrates inner cleansing and light

Diwali, which falls on the darkest new moon night of the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar, marks the victory of light over darkness.

The festival is celebrated by people of various faiths, but for Hindus , Jains and Sikhs, it commemorates historical of mythological events that symbolize the triumph of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. Before Diwali, people clean or decorate their homes and workplaces. On Diwali night they light lamps or candles in their homes and offer prayers, Usually invoking Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth .

These practices have become ritualized over time, but they have to the renewal or rejuvenation of the human soul in its journey through time.

The cleaning done prior to Diwali is an expressing of the leaning that the soul needs to undergo in order to hold the wealth of wisdom and virtues that God grants it. It is said that Goddess Lakshimi shuns places that are not clean , so people discard disused items lying around their homes and make sure that every corner of their dwelling is clean before Diwali.

While it may be possible to hoard material wealth in a grimy home, the real wealth of the soul, which is spiritual awareness and purity, cannot be held in an impure mind. A person whose mind is fouled seek wisdom or cultivate the finer qualities that divinize humans. Even if such a person is given not retain it for long, and will shed it just as soiled cloth repels water instead of absorbing it. The cleaner the mind, the more one is attracted to all that is good and noble, and it is such a mind that seeks enlightenment.

The multifarious lights that illumine homes during Diwali are a manifestation of the human yearning for the light of knowledge – to know and clearly understand all that life is about. Just as darkness inspires fear and causes sorrow in the form of mishaps, ignorance of one’s true identity leads to all human suffering, as body- consciousness gives rise to vices such as lust, anger , attachment and ego, which corrupt our thoughts and actions.

Several Schools of Indian philosophy share the belief that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure and eternal, called the soul. The celebration of Diwali refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling the darkness of ignorance,, which masks one’s true identity as an immortal, immanent beings.

The invocation of deities during this festival is meant to ensure a happy and prosperous future. But money alone does not Bering happiness, as a lot of affluent people already know. Happiness is the fruit of good actions, which in true flow form pure thoughts and feelings. Noble thinking will come naturally to us only if we have cleaned the mind and cultivated virtues such as love, kindness, purity and truth, which, like the fragrance of flowers, enrich human life and bring joy to relationships.

The deities worshipped during Diwali are physical representations of virtues. Goddess Lakshmi, the deity most commonly associated with the festival, is depicted seated on a louts flower, hooding a lotus blossom in tow of her four arms, while one palm is raised in blessing and another showers gold coins. The lotus is a symbol of purity, as the flower remains untouched by the mud in which it blooms. The blessings and the gold signify generosity and abundance.

It is such qualities we need to invoke during Diwali in order to enrich our lives, as without them no amount of material wealth can bring us happiness.