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Deepavali aka diwaliTuesday, November 3, 2015

(Deepavali) in Sanskrit means row of lights (Deepa) means Light (Avali means Row)

Deepabali (Odia) Deepaboli (Bengali)Deeyari (Sindhi)Tihar (Nepali)Deepavalli (Tamil, Assamese, Kannada, Malayalam, Konkani, Punjabi)Divali (Hindi, Gujerati)

Diwali (Anglicized version of Divali)

Whats in a name?

The people of Ayodhya welcome Rama & Sita home after 14 year exile

Return of the Pandavas to Hastinapura after 13 year exile following their defeat by Kauravas

The Wedding Anniversary of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi

Lord Krishnas warrier consort Sathyabama kills Narakasura

Lord Vishnu in HisVamana AvatarSubjugatesKing Bali

Legend of Kali Puja

Kali lost control while killing demons at the behest of Indra. Lord Shiva intervened to stop her.

Many reasons to celebrate Celebrate with family and friendsTriumph of good over evilLight dispelling darknessProgress and prosperityForgive and forgetRenewal, reaffirmation, hopeBusiness New YearHarvest celebrations

Globally in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Nepal, Mauritius, Guyana, Britain, USA, HindusJainsBuddhistsSikhs

Who celebrates Deepavali?

The five days of deepavaliDay 1DhanterasThe day pays homage to Lord Dhanwantari who is associated with Ayurveda and various healing practices for the good of mankind Day 2Narakasura ChaturdasiThe significance of this day is grounded in the story of Lord Krishna's overwhelming triumph over a ferocious demon Narakasura triumph of good over evilDay 3Lakshmi PujaLord Rama returned home from exile and was welcomed with a glittering row of lights radiating from every household. The Pandavas' return from the forest. Lakshmi puja is performed to honor the Goddess of wealth.Day 4Govardhan PujaLord Indra was provoked and tried to submerge the town of Gokul. Lord Krishna saved the people of Gokul from the wrath of Lord Indra by lifting the Govardhan Mountain to provide succor.Day 5Bhai DoojThis day marks the end of the Deepavali festival. It is dedicated to the strong bond of love between a brother and a sister based on the legend of Lord Yama and his sister Yami.

Rama Killing ravana, returning to ayodhya

Deepavali Legends: Lord Ramas Return to AyodhyaKing Dasaratha banished is eldest son Rama to 14 years exile to fulfil his promise to wife Kaikeyi, making way for her son Bharatha to become kingRama acceded without demur in order to uphold his fathers word of honorSita and Lakshmana joined Rama in exile, illustrating the duties of wife, brotherly love and devotionTo shun the advances of the demon Surpanaka, Rama cut off her nose and earsHer brother Ravana kidnapped Sita to wreak vengeance on RamaHanuman and his monkey army helped Rama rescue Sita and destroy the demon king RavanaRama, Sita and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya once the term of exile was completed

Deepavali Legends: Lord Ramas return To AyodhyaThe whole kingdom welcomed Rama, Sita and Lakshmanas return to AyodhyaHouses were cleaned, decorated with flowers and purified with incenseThe entire kingdom, and each building in it were lit with rows of oil lampsThe head of each family gathered everyone together, sprinkled sesame oil on their foreheads, gave them new clothes to wearPeople bathed with sesame oil, wore their new clothes, and prayed togetherFamilies prayed to Goddess Lakshmi for the future, prosperity, wealth and happinessFamilies and friends visited each other, shared sweets, celebrated the return of the royalsFire crackers were set off to commemorate the killing of the demon Ravana and the destruction of evilThus the festival of Deepavali was begun

Legends: killing of narakasura

Deepavali Legends: killing of NarakasuraSon of Goddess Bhoodevi, Naraka had a boon that he could only be killed by a womanHe acquired great powers through tantric means and terrorized all three lokasHe feared nobody, and nobody was exempt from his horrific acts, not even the devasWhen he ransacked Lord Indras kingdom and stole his mother Aditis earrings, Indra appealed to Lord Krishna for help in bringing Naraka to orderKrishnas wife Saytabama volunteered to help Krishna todefeat NarakaKrishna and Satyabama went to work, Krishna clearing the way by killing Narakas chief Mura (hence his name Murari) while Satyabama fired the shot that killed NarakaKrishna and Satyabama returned to their palace, smeared with the blood and detritus of war. Krishnas gopikas massaged him with scented oil to relieve the stress of fighting

Deepavali Legends: killing of NarakasuraEffigies of Naraka made of grass and firecrackers are made by menfolk and burned at 4 am (Brahmamuhurtham)Women massage men with scented oils before they bathe and wear new clothesPeople wear kajol on their eyes to ward off evil spiritsFamilies and friends gather together to eat sweets, set off fireworks and celebrate together

Legends: kali killing demons

Legends: Kali PujaDemons Shambu and Nishambu acquired great powers and wreaked havoc in the kingdom of Indra and Indra Himself.The devas appealed to Durga for help; Kali emerged from Durgas forehead to destroy the demonsKali got into a killing frenzy. She wore a garland made of the faces of those she killed. She eventually lost control, doing away with everyone who came her way. Lord Shiva threw himself under her feet to shock her into ceasing her killing spree.Recognizing who was underfoot, Kalis tongue rolls out and she steps off in repentance.Kali Puja is tantric, and is performed at midnight.Devotees seek protection against drought and war; they seek blessings of general happiness, health and prosperity.

Lakshmi emerging from ksheersagar

Legends: Birth of LakshmiSage Durvasa presented Lord Indra with a garland made of flowers that would never fadeIndra presented the garland to his elephant AiravatiDurvasa got angry when he saw Airavati trampling the garlandHe cursed Indra and indeed all the devas for the disrespect shown to himDemons took control and wreaked havoc with the devas who appealed to Lord Brahma for helpLord Brahma asked them to churn the milky ocean ksheersagar - for divine objects that would be of help in defeating the demonsLakshmi emerged and married Lord Vishnu immediatelyLakshmi visits her devotees and bestows gifts and blessings upon each of them To welcome the Goddess, devotees clean their houses, decorate them with lightsThey prepare sweet treats and delicacies as offerings to her

Vishnu vanquishing mahabali as vamana avatar

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Legends of deepavali: MahabaliKing Mahabali was an Asura king who was pious, generous and kindHe won many boons and became known for helping others, giving them everything and anything they asked forIn this he overstepped his limits as an Asura and became even more powerful than devasLord Indra impuned Vishnu to curb Mahabalis powers and restore balance in the universeWhen Mahabali was performing the Ashwameda yagam, Vishnu in the form of a vamana (dwarf) asked for a grant of land he could cover in 3 steps.Mahabali acceded readily, thinking that it would be no great bequestAssuming a giant form, Vamana (Vishnu) stepped from heaven to earth in the first step, from earth to the netherworld in the second step. A man of his word, Mahabali offered his head for Vamanas third step.With this Vamana banished Mahabali to the netherworld, but allowed him to return to his kingdom once a year to ensure the well-being of all his subjects

Lessons of mahabaliVamana taught Asura King Bali that pride should be abandoned for advancement in life, and that wealth should be appreciated as it can easily disappear. Vamana then took the form of Vishnu and was pleased by King Mahabali's determination to keep his promise, despite the curse of his spiritual master and losing his wealth. Vishnu named the King Mahabali since he was a Mahatma (great soul). Mahabali symbolizes ahankara, the three feet symbolizes the three planes of existence (Jagrat (Conscious), Sapna (Dream), and Sushupti (Dreamless) and final step is on his head which elevates from all three states and he attains moksha

Sikh Deepavali: Freeing of Guru Hargobind in 1616Emperor Jehangir jailed Guru Hargobind & 52 Hindu princes as anti-MuslimsJehangir offered to free Guru Hargobind who agreed on the condition that his fellow Hindu princes also be set freeThinking that it would be impossible for all 52 to do so, Jehangir said that any prince who could hold on to a piece of Guru Hargobinds cloak could leave with himThe Guruji designed a cloak with 52 tails one for each prince to hold on to and thereby secure his releaseThe Sikhs commemorate the freeing of Guru Hargobind every year

Sikh Deepavali: freeing of Guru Hargobind and 52 Hindu princes

Regional TraditionsWake up at 4am (Brahmamuhurtam) Men of the community gather to set fire to the effigy of Narakasura (Goa)Everyone lines up in front of the eldest family memberThe elder applies sesame oil on forehead, presents new clothesHot water handa is cleaned and decorated before boiling water for baths (Karnataka)Everyone bathes, dons new clothes, line up again in front of elderGet a spoonful of lehiyam and eat it (Tamil Nadu)The family performs Lakshmi PoojaKids rush outdoors to set off firecrackersFamily visits relatives and friends, shares sweets and other treats

Mala Sarat ChandraTuesday, November 3, 2015

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