IN its literal sense, ‘Deepaawali’ means ‘a row of lights’—the festival of lights. It is however more popularly referred to as ‘Diwali’. The focus of Deepaawali encompasses ‘Divya’ –divine, spiritual or inner light. It is not only a simple festival of physical light, but an opportunity to unravel or realise the Light Divine within.

The celebration of Diwali is of five days—two days before and two after. It focuses on the adoration of God as the Universal Goddess in the name Lakshmee. ‘Lakshmee’ means impeccable, good fortune, auspiciousness. She represents wealth, light, beauty, compassion, peace, prosperity, purity. The Hindus adore her to be blessed with wealth, not necessarily material, but wealth of virtues. They worship her so that their lives can become pure, thereby craving a path for God’s Realisation.
Diwali falls on the darkest night of the year, and small clay lamps called ‘Diyas’ are lit to remove the darkness. It is the very attempt to make life luminous, carving an opportunity for inner analysis and reflection.
The ‘Diya’ symbolises the quest for inner purity and enlightenment. It is the goal of man to live in light and practise truth. Light is nothing other than a symbol of Divinity. In fact, it is recognised as a gift of God. It is a replica of all that is positive, while darkness manifests what is negative. Hence the lighting of diyas— the celebration of Diwali- symbolises the destruction of all negative forces—wickedness, bigotry, injustice, oppression, fear and suffering. In short, the story of Diwali surrounds the significance of victory of good over evil. It creates the avenue for new hopes, and higher reason to live; it allows us to reflect our real identities; and rekindle the awareness of inner light. Thus the prayer: “Tamaso maa jyotir gamaya—Oh Lord! Lead me form darkness unto Light”.
Diwali sends the message of brotherly love and harmony; universal peace and happiness. The popular Hindu prayer asks: “Oh God! Let there be good to all. Let all be free from sickness and sufferings. Let all be happy and fearless, with sympathy for each other and success everywhere. Let the King protect the people so they may be prosperous. Let the bipeds and the quadrupeds be prosperous. Let there be peace in the God and the three worlds, and may we and all other beings have peace. You encourage godliness and establish peace amongst the people. Let there be peace to my friend as well as my foe.” “Oh God, Let us be saved together; let us be raised together. Let us be united and strengthened together. May we never envy each other.”
Diwali asks of us to recognise God in all by using our hands to serve the weak and needy—the poor, sick, hungry, naked and unsheltered. It is a call for us to foster the sense of humanity and regard for the needy. While we work and enjoy our lives to the fullest, we must also think of those in need. While we get wholesome food, some don’t; while we enjoy good places to rest, some don’t and as such we must always be willing to help. To give a helping hand is part of human life. Selfishness destroys us. It destroys our very human nature causing us to behave like brutes among our fellow humans.
When we serve the weak amongst us; when we give all love, care and attention to them, we learn not to believe in an unseen God, but we come to the realisation that the very God is in all. Service to man is service to God. This is real worship. It is the gist of worship to be pure and do good to others. Moreover, he who sees God in the former (poor, weak, diseased) really worships God; and if he sees God only at his altar, only in images, then his worship is but preliminary.

It is said in the scriptures that those who serve their fellow man are the greatest of servants. This era is termed “Karma Bhumi”—the place of actions that not only brings happiness to oneself, but to all.

Spirituality is purity, God is absolute purity, merging with that purity is the goal. We must always strive for purity and be willing to help all those that come our way as much as we can. Through this, the heart becomes pure (Chitta-shuddhi), and then the Great One, God who is residing in all will become manifest. This is the ultimate end of man’s life.
Diwali calls for us to cease all selfishness, wickedness and other evil tendencies in order to realise our true self. It is selfishness which blocks our hearts and causes us to view ourselves to be very narrow, perverted, low and crude. Just as how we cannot see ourselves in a mirror covered with dust, so also with the Soul, our real self cannot be seen if the heart and mind are clouded with selfishness and wickedness.

Diwali is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill, and a religiously sanctioned celebration of the simple and some not-so-simple joys of life. It is a time of spiritual power and introspection. It is a time for us to identify the negative forces within and seek ways for their destruction, so that we may live in peace, harmony, brotherly love and truth. We will commit fewer mistakes and seek to cultivate good habits and virtues.