Text 876554 (121 lines)
From:     Jayadhvaja Swami
Date:     01-Nov-97 22:11 SWT
To:       (Krsna) Katha [528]
Subject:  Diwali
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	Colorful rangoli adorns the doorway of homes Diwali  or
Deepawali, literally 'an array of lamps', is the festival of lights and
is celebrated on the darkest night of Kartik. It is perhaps the most
important festival in India.The festival, it has now crossed the bounds
of religion and is celebrated by all in India with fervor and gaiety.
This day is a public holiday all over India. Diwali is also perhaps the
oldest festival still celebrated today and is mentioned in the Ramayana.
 The celebrations include the lighting of lamps and candles, and the
bursting of crackers. Friends and neighbors exchange special sweets.
People buy new clothes and in fact, in certain communities, it is
absolutely essential to wear new clothes on this day.      Diwali in
India is equivalent  to christmas in the West. Therefore it is India
Festiva Market places are gaily decorated on Diwali  Dhanteras in honor
of Dhanvantari, the physician of the demigods. He  has emerged with a pot
of amrita during the samudra manthan. People bathe early in the morning
and observe a fast, which is broken only after sunset with sweetmeats,
puri and other delicacies.On Dhanteras, new kitchen utensils are bought
and kept at the place	Diwali New kitchen utensils are bought on
Dhanteras of worship. The buying of utensils,according to one theory is,
relates to the Lila of Dhanvantari emerging from the ocean with a pot in
his hand. Since he is also the physician of the demigods,


	Crackers light up the moon-less Diwali night ,Diwali also the
time when people get the festival bonus to their salaries. It marks the
beginning of the new year for a large majority of Hindus, especially the
trader community.      Preparations for the festival begin many days
prior to Diwali. It is time for a thorough cleaning of the house, for the
belief is that Lakshmi will enter clean and nicely decorated houses. The
scientific reason is that the monsoon is a time for insects and fungus to
breed.With the end of the monsoon, homes need to be cleaned and painted,
and belongings aired and dried before the onset of winter. The festival
itself extends over about a week even though the most important day is
the new moon day.



 Oil diyas are lit to welcome Lakshmi  cleanliness and hygiene are
essential to this festival.      The day before Diwali is celebrated  as
Choti Diwali or 'small Diwali'. It is Diwali on a smaller scale, with
fewer lights lit and fewer crackers burst.      The morning after Choti
Diwali, the   women of the house make beautiful,colored rangolis in the
door way and  courtyard. Tiny footprints made out
of Diwali rice paste are a special feature of the rangoli
made for Diwali. They signify the  footprints of Lakshmi, as she enters
the house. In Hindu homes, Diwali celebrations involve a  puja toLakshmi
and also to Rama in the evening. Songs in honour of Rama  sare sung and
arati is performed.
 Oil or ghee diyas are also lit. The demigods are offered kheel, batashe
and khilone and various sweetmeats. After the puja, the diyas are placed
in and around the house: in the doorway, near the Tulasi plant, the
backyard, every room and the back and front gates. After this,crackers
are burst, and people meet friends and neighbors to exchange good wishes
and sweets.      Since Diwali falls on the new moon night, lamps are lit
to brighten this moonless night.

	 Lakshmi will not enter a dark house. The lamps also welcome home
the spirits of dead ancestors, who are believed to visit on this
auspicious night. In addition, the light frightens away any evil spirit
that might be wandering about near the house on this night. In
Orissa,lamps are lit to light up the dark path that	Diwali
celebrates the return of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana to Ayodhya after a 14
year exile	Diwali the spirits of ancestors take back to heaven. In
modern times, ghee diyas have been replaced by wax candles and coloured
electric bulbs. In many areas,there is a competition of sorts among
neighbors as everyone tries to have the brightest lights.      The origin
of Diwali can be traced back to ancient India, when it was probably an
important harvesting season. It was thus extremely important to the
largely pastoral Vaishya community. Their granaries were full,and the
weather was good, at the end of the long monsoon and before the arduous
winter. It was therefore a good time to celebrate. The Vaishya community
began their new year with this happy occassion, after paying their debts
and clearing their ledgers.

 Diwali marks the killing of Narkasura at the hands of Krishna and
therefore forms a major part o fDiwali celebrations. Being associated
with the goddess of wealth and fortune,Diwali is specially important to
the Vaishya community. Most tradesmen close their old ledgers and
dealings and start afresh with new ledgers
after		DiwaliDiwali. This day, with its emphasis on money,
is also considered lucky for gambling. Giving social sanction to advice,
a popular saying states that one who does not gamble on this day will be
born a donkey in his next birth. Casinos and local gambling houses do
brisk business during the Diwali week. In most homes, people invite their
friends and relatives over to play cards.      Another reason for the
celebration of Diwali is that it marks the killing of the evil Narkasura
at the hands of Krishna.Naraka abducted16,000 women. Krishna killed him
and rescued these women whom he later  married. Naraka is the
personification of hell and is believed to be the monsoon during which
all activities come to a standstill.

	 Sumptuous Diwali sweets are available in markets  ,  though
Diwali is equally important in the south and the north, the celebrations
are markedly different. InSouth India, the story widely associated with
Diwali is that of Narasimha, the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu ,
Hiranyakshipu was an evil demon king. He was unjust and cruel to his
people. However he  was almost invincible, having extracted a boon from
Brahma that he would be killed neither by beast nor man, neither inside
nor outside, neither during the day nor at night. When his atrocities
became unbearable, the demigods sought Vishnu's help. Assuming his fifth
incarnation of Narasimha, the man-lion,Vishnu killed Hiranyakshipu with
his claws in the courtyard just before daybreak, hence steering clear of
the boundaries of the boon.      For this reason in the south, people
light diyas in their houses on the day preceding Diwali. The next day
begins early. First is the  bath, which begins with an oil massage of the
hair and body. This is absolutely essential on this day. Its importance
probably refers to cleaning oneself thoroughly after the monsoon months.



 Sisters apply  tilak to their brothers on Bhai Duja corporations of
bigger cities also organize buckets and tankers of water at strategic
locations.      The second day after Diwali is celebrated as Bhai Duja
when sistersDiwali apply tilak to their brothers and pray for their long
and happy life. Originally was only for married women. Since they
celebrated Diwali with their in-laws,this festival allowed them to come
tot heir parents' home during this auspicious time. They got some time to
meet the family and to rest after the hectic activity of the preceding
week.And it gave their parents an opportunity to give them gifts, an
opportunity they did not often get. Nowadays however,among many
communities Bhai Duja is observed by both married and unmarried sisters.
(Text 876554) ----------------------------------------------