|
Diwali Lakshmi Kubera Homam on
28th October & 12 more Homas. Book your Archana
Diwali - The 5 Day Festival
Diwali, the most
colourful Hindu festival, is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the
month of Kartika (Amavasya or New Moon), which falls during
October/November. This year it is on the 28th October, 2008.
Diwali as we call it
today comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali meaning garland of
lights.
There are many legends
and important events associated with this highly auspicious day.
Hence it is said that any Pooja, mantra japa or stotra recital on
this day gives 100 times more benifits.
Actually it is a 5 day
festival with each day having its own mythological legend, customes
and rituals.
The Legends of Diwali
*The Goddess of wealth,
Lakshmi took refuge in the ocean of milk when the gods were sent
into exile. Lakshmi was reborn during the churning of the ocean
known as *Ksheera Sagara Manthan by the Devas and Rakshasas.
*Lord Vishnu rescued
Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali on this day.
*On the day before
Diwali, Lord Krishna killed the demon king Narakaasur and rescued
16,000 women from his captivity. The celebration of this freedom is
the Diwali - a victory festival.
*According to the great
epic 'Mahabharata', the Pandavas returned from their 12 years of
vanavas on this day and the people celebrated the day by lighting
lamps.
*According to the epic
'Ramayana', Lord Rama killed Ravana on the Dussara day and returned
to Ayodhya on this day and the people of Ayodhya celebrated the
occasion by decorating the entire city with lamps.
*The great king
Vikramaditya was coronated on the this day which started the Vikrama
era and the people of Ujjain celebrated it by lighting lamps.
*This is also the
nirvana or passing away day of the great Mahavira Jain. The lighting
of the lamps is a symbolic substitute for the light knowledge that
was extinguished with Mahavira's passing.
*Another myth traces the
origins of the festival to the annual "inspection tours" of goddess
Lakshmi. On this day Lakshmi goes around visiting her devotees and
sets up residence in the house she finds best spruced up and most
hospitable. Diwali is an occasion for cleaning, painting the
walls, decorating the floor with attractive rangoli designs.
*Diwali is also a
harvest festival and marks the start of the Lunar year. A lot of
people, especially the Gujaratis and the Marwaris, celebrate it as
the starting of the Hindu new year and close their old account books
and start writing the new year account books.
One of the rituals
traditionally associated with Diwali is gambling.
Buying new clothes,
exchange gifts and sweets with friends and neighbors, lighting of
lamps and candles and lots of fireworks and doing Lakshmi Pooja are
the most common rituals associated with Diwali.
More details
First Day – Dhanteras
Second Day – Naraka
Chaturdasi/Kali
Chaudas
Third Day – Diwali
Fourth Day -
Vishvakarma Pooja/Govardhan Pooja
Fifth Day - Bhaiya
Dooj
The legend of Diwali
gambling
Ganesha & Lakshmi
mantras for reciting
Ganesha & Lakshmi
Stotras for reciting
Email this page to a friend |
