Celebrating Festival Of Lights-Deepavali

Deepavali is around the corner.India is  gearing up to celebrate the biggest festival,the  festival of lights.How we celebrate it!People wear new clothes, send wishes to loved ones,exchange  sweets with friends and family,light a row of lamps in their home,fire crackers.Oh what a great day!By the way are we missing something here??!!.You ask many people that why we are celebrating deepavali.Their answer will be ‘I don’t know!’ or they give improper reasons.What is the point celeberating the festival without knowing its importance.

Deepavali (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvali), which translates into row of lamps (in Sanskrit). It involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas) (or Deep in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. The primary reason behind celebrating deepavali is,  Lord Krishna killed narakassura,the evil demon and freed the people.Periyazhwar praising the killing of narakassura in his poem Periyazhwar thirumozhi.

கிழக்கில் குடிமன்னர் * கேடிலாதரை *

அழிப்பான் நினைந்திடு * அவ்வாழியதனால்*

விழிக்குமளவில்*வேரறுத்தானை*

(Periyazhwar thirumozhi 4-3-3)

Meaning:

Pragjothishapuram was a town on the eastern side, where Demon Naraka was ruling. Due to the boons obtained for their welfare and in the background of their own might, they were considered as free from danger.

Some people have different reasons for celebrating it.Let the reasons be alone with them.As a mark of victory and freedom, in ancient days people lit up the lights to show the darkness(narakassura) was gone. Nowadays we forgot the reason behind deepavali.What we know is deepavali is the day to fire the crackers.We succumbed to the materialistic life.Many of us don’t know how crackers came into the  context.Firing crackers is never been  part of the customary.In the name of festival we are spoiling our environment.The sacred books of Hindus never asked to fire crackers. One important activity those who celebrate deepavali must to do is,go to Lord Krishna’s temple,thank him for freeing the people from the  demons and pray him to continue to show his mercy.How many of us doing it?The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to God for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valour and fame.The only reason to celebrate festivals in India is to rejoice and  relive the  glorious past.Teach descendants about orgin and history of deepavali,If you don’t teach them,after 25 years,they will say,we are celebrating  deepavali because US president Mr.Barack Hussein Obama Came India for the first time on 2010.(Note:He is coming to India during deepavali).

So folks,the fact of the matter is there is no reason to fire crackers in deepavali.Celebrate a cracker less deepavali.Have a great deepavali!Enjoy the festival!.