Why Diwali is celebrated ? When asked this question, Everyone says in replies, that on this day lord Ram arrived at Ayodhya after Killing Ravana. Hence we celebrate this day with lighting up diyas,firecrackers and lights.
There might be few questions which people may ask such as ;
1.But very few people would know why lord Ganesh and
Goddess Lakshmi are worshiped?
2.Why Wriddhi and Siddhi worshiped together with lord Ganesha on Diwali eve?
3.Diwali is celebrated for what reasons?
So,In this blog we will share the reasons why we celebrate Diwali. So lets take a look at the overview of this festival and also decode some scientific aspects of it.
Diwali falls every year either in October or Novembe. It also depends on the cycle of the moon.It is Celebrated on the 15th lunar day in the month of Kartik/, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar.
1.Spiritual Reasons for celebrating Diwali
Return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya- After killing Ravana, Lord Ram returns back from his 14 year of exile.This day is celebrated as Diwali also for the victory of good over evil.And when he returned back to Ayodhya,people of Ayodhya welcomed his beloved king by lighting up diyas and they have decorated whole Ayodhya even better than one can imagine.This is the most popular reason for celebrating this festival.
2.Why Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped ?
Churning of ocean-
Everyone worship Goddess Lakshmi on the Diwali eve but very few knows the reason .During the Churning of the ocean goddess Lakshmi also appeared and hence this day is also celebrated as the birth of goddess Lakshmi and thereafter it is celebrated as laxmi puja and Dhanteras as the birth of dhanvantri an avatar of Lord Vishnu (Lord of medicine).
Lord Dhanvantari, the Hindu god of medicine and its is believed that Lord Dhanvantari incarnation of Lord Vishnu, brought Ayurveda and the nectar of immortality to mankind on this day.
It is said there was a king who was bestowed by a son who would die 1 day after his marriage. The king eventually gets his son married. His wife is made aware of the fact. She planned to save the life of her husband.It is said that Woman can do all sort of things in order to save life of his ,father husband and son. The night came Lord Yama was to come to take away her husband's life she decorates the whole house and surrounding with Mombatti,Mashal's and Diya.
She also keeps all her gold jewelries outside of the house in order to make surrounding more bright. Yama came in the form of a snake to kill her husband.But as she make the surrounding so bright the yama gets gets blind that time and then he goes away. In this way she managed to save her husband's life.
Thats's why a small lamp is kept burning outside the house in order to keep away Lord yama from entering the house.And the lamp is known as yama deepam.
Yami and yama :
Yami and Yama were twins who were extremely near one another. it's said aditi who is mother of yama and yami was unable to require the warmth of Sun God and thus leaves creating a just like her named chhaya. Sun God is unaware of this. at some point thanks to some argument chhaya curses yama is die. Thus he seems to be first mortal to die on earth eventually turning into a God. On being aware that Sun God curses chhaya from his palace. supported the curse yama eventually dies and goes to earth. it's said he comes once in a very year to fulfill yami which is widely known as bhaidoj as a reunion of brother and sister and cherish their unblemished and unconditional love.
Killing of Narakasur-
On this day Narakasur is killed by the hands of satyabhama and Lord Krishna brings back the lost earrings and crown of aditi to indra. This is celebrated as a victory over bad by good.
3.Importance of 5 Days of Diwali and its Significance
Many times people thinks that Diwali is a festival which is celebrated and last for one day. Diwali is celebrated for 5 days with and each day has its own spiritual importance.So, lets discuss each day with its importance.
Dhanteras :
Diwali begins with the first day known as ‘Dhanteras’ or the worship of wealth. Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped on this day and there is a custom to purchase something precious. People clean and decorate their homes.
Naraka Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali :
The second day is Naraka Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali. People wake up early and apply aromatic oils on them before taking a bath. This is said to remove all sins and impurities. They wear new clothes, offer Puja and enjoy by lighting diyas and bursting few crackers.According to Hindu mythology, on this day, Lord Krishna had defeated a demon king, Narakasur, who was the ruler of Pragjoytoshpur and had imprisoned 16,000 daughters of gods.
Lakshmi Puja :
The third day is the most important day as it is the main Diwali festival. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on this day which is better knows as Lakshmi Puja. Goddess Lakshmi who is the Goddess of Wealth and treasure enters homes and bless people with good fortune. Clay Diyas, candles and these days electric lights are placed around the house to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi.
Govardhan Puja or Parva :
The fourth day is celebrated as Govardhan Puja . On this day Lord Krishna defeated Indra by lifting up the Govardhan Mountain. People make a small hill like structure called as hillock, usually of cow dung.That symbolises Govardhan Mountain and worship it. On the other hand in the western states of India, this day marks as the New Year as per their calendar and is celebrated as Bestu Varas.
Bhai Dooj :
The fifth and last day is celebrated as Bhai Dooj. After defeating the evil king demon Narakasura, Lord Krishna visited his sister Subhadra. His sister Subhadra gave him a warm welcome by performing aarti ,and tilak cermony with sweets and flowers. Since then “Bhai Dooj" festival is celebrated .There after on this day sisters invite their brothers for performing tilak ceremony along with the aarti and pray for safety of each others.After that it is ritual to have saatvic meal and sweets. Sisters pray for their brother’s long and happy life while the brothers give gifts to their sisters.
Hence all these days have their own importance and in this way all these period called Diwali.It is celebrated across the country.
Most of the festivals are celebrated to signify the harvest season or when something new is born of the earth. Diwali also falls during the season of harvest of Kharif crops, which brings wealth in form of Lakshmi .
4.Other ancient reasons for Lighting during Diwali
Another reason, Diwali falls during winter, the time of year when it darkens early outside. On the day of Malagasy when Diwali is celebrated, it is utterly dark outside. Olden days there weren't any provisions for lights and surroundings were filled with forests.
In order to drive away this darkness oil lamps were lighted outside the houses. Since surrounded by forests there were animals which could stray along.
Rangolis were drawn outside houses to spread color and cheer. Also, the rice flour were used to draw rangolis in order to feed small ants and insects which strays out.
This light needs to be lighted inside our mind by ourselves to overcome obstacles and walk in the path of goodness.
5.Why Wriddhi and Siddhi worshiped together with lord Ganesha on Diwali
One day Lord Vishnu and Mata Lakshmi were having discussion in Vaikunthlok. Goddess Lakshmi was praising herself and smiling. Then Lord Vishnu asked the reason behind the self praise . Mata Lakshmi replied ; and said to Lord Vishnu that she is the most worship worthy in the world and by her grace, a person can get all the pleasures of this world. There were many Gods and deities but people worshiped me and seeks my blessings for all their happiness.
Lord Vishnu was hearing all this quietly then he smiled and said Devi,no doubt you are so worshiped everywhere ,whoever seeks you become happiest by your grace and blessings but till now you have not been blessed with motherhood.It is the most important thing in the entire universe.
The comment from Lord Vishnu made Goddess Lakshmi become sad and she went to Mata paravati to find the solution of this problem. She shared about her problems to Maa Parvati and After listening the problem of Goddess Lakhmi, Parvati asked her, “How can I help you?” Goddess Lakshmi said, “You are having two sons Ganesh and Kartikeya and if you could give me one of your son so that I could get the grace of motherhood. So, in this situation you can help me out.”
After listening to her problems Goddess Parvati said to her, “I'm having two sons Kartikeya and Ganesha. Kartikeya is having six mouths (Faces) and because of this he needs to be taken care of well all the time. My second son Ganesha is very naughty and so active,so it is necessary to keep eye on him all the time else he will ruin everything. How you can take care of my both sons because you also travels across many places time to time?
Goddess Lakshmi said to her, “I'll keep your sons close to my heart and will shower my all love on them either Kartikeya or Ganesha. I can take care both of them. All the servants of heaven will serve them day and night so please give me one of them as my adopted child.”
Maa Parvati knew the qualities of her both sons very well ,so she gave Lord Ganesha to Goddess Lakhmi as her adopted son. Goddess Lakshmi became very happy and said to Goddess Parvati, “From today onwards I'm giving my all accomplishments, luxury and prosperity to my son Ganesha. Also, Wriddhi and Siddhi Lord Brahma’s daughters are alike my daughters will be married soon to Ganesha.I already gave my words to Lord Bramha .
Then Lakshmi ji replied to Maa Parvati I will fulfill all the desires of Ganesha. In all the three lokas if any person shall not worship Lord Ganesha, I will be miles away from him. Even Before my worship Lord Ganesha’a worship will be a must. Who will not worship Shri Ganesha along with me, he cannot get Shree (Prosperity) or myself. By listening this Maa Parvati become too much happy and handed over her son Ganesh to Laxmi Ji.
So during Deepawali Poojan or Lakshmi Poojan, Ganesh Poojan is a must.This is the reason why Ganesh ji is worshipped together with Lakshmi ji and Wriddhi-Siddhi.
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