The Spiritual Significance of Diwali

Diwali is India’s biggest festival. When people think about Diwali their hearts get illuminated by thousands of lights. Diwali is a word that conjugates two separate words- ‘Deep’ and ‘avali’. ‘Deep’ means lamp and ‘avali’ means row. Diwali is all about lights and beautiful fireworks. We lit candles or diyas at every corner of our places (homes, offices, gardens, etc.) to vanquish the dark forces around us.

Diwali by no means has arrived just as a simple occasion. Though today almost every part of India celebrates Diwali and almost everyone is familiar with the idea that Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil, many are not clear of the full spiritual significance of Diwali, which can help us celebrate this festival with greater joy and a sense of spiritual strength.

Mythology Behind Diwali

Diwali signifies the annihilation of evil by goodness. Different parts of the country celebrate different mythological origins of the festival. Somewhere it is celebrated as the auspicious wedding of the goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu. Bengalis whereas celebrate Diwali by worshiping goddess Kali who is known to have killed thousands of Ashuras and rejuvenated the seeds of peace and happiness on the holy earth. The south Indians have yet another mythological tale that they relate with Diwali. They believe that by taking an early morning oil bath on the specific day they can purify their minds and souls. According to them, Sri Krishna killed Narakasure and therefore the day is celebrated as Diwali. But the famous of all the mythological tales is the story of Lord Rama. It says that Lord Rama was exiled from his homeland ‘Ayodhya’ for 14 years by his step mother Kaikayi. The day when he returned to ‘Ayodhya’ after killing the demon ‘Ravana’ and rescuing his beloved wife Sita from Ravana’s captivation, people of Ayodhya decorated the city by lighting ‘diyas’ and candles due to the immense happiness and joy that was filled in their heart after a decade of darkness. That day became their ultimate reason of celebration and hence Diwali came to the existence.

Things that Diwali teaches us

• After every storm, there comes a peaceful stretch. Therefore, while people are dealing with the disturbances and distortions in their lives, they must not forget that there is a serene morning waiting for them just after the bad time ends.
• Goodness can never be defeated by wickedness. A dark night might seem to be deadly and tricky but a single ray of light is enough to conquer it.
• Forgiveness is the biggest sign of goodness. Where there is forgiveness, there is the way of restoring kindness and peace.
• Unity is the ultimate strength. No matter how difficult the situation is, if unity is there among the people’s heart there can be nothing that can stop the situation from getting better.
• Prosperity and success comes to everyone’s life. People should be patient and should keep faith on the generosity of the God.
• There is nothing that can replace the power of self-realization. People should not only illuminate their surroundings but also their inner soul.

Diwali has a lot of spiritual significance which everybody should know and follow all their life. The power of goodness has always been unbounded and undefeatable. The spirit of Diwali celebration should be to get inner strength so that people can fight the social evils and stigmas. It’s high time that we seek lessons from such influential and significant festivals like Diwali.