Diwali: The festival of lights!

Diwali (or Deepavali) is one of the biggest and oldest festivals in India. It celebrates the day when the exiled King Rama returned to the kingdom with his beloved Sita after a historic battle with the demon Ramana who had abducted her. It essentially celebrates the victory of good (symbolised by the virtuous and moral Rama) over evil (the greedy, violent and self-centred Ramana). For this reason, all over India on Diwali day candles are lit (hence the name "festival of light") to make light prevail over anything dark. 

The festival is dedicated to goddess Lakshmi (whose incarnation is considered Sita, just as Rama is considered the incarnation of Vishnu, Lakshmi's consort). Lakshmi is the goddess of abundance, prosperity and beauty. She is the energy that makes things in life come seamlessly and flow harmoniously and favorably. She is luck, goodness, success, brilliance, fertility... She is the beauty around us and everything that makes life sweet. In nature it is the plants in bloom, the beautiful gardens and sounds, the colors of the sunrise, the birds singing... It is people with kindness, harmony, generosity, radiance, inner and outer beauty and richness. 

Legend has it that one day the wise Durvasa gave the god Indra a garland of beautifully scented flowers as a gift. Indra, in his arrogance, not only did not appreciate the gift but put it on his elephant, who was frightened, dropped the garland on the ground and then stepped on it. Lakshmi who saw all this was very distressed. Indra had despised the beauty of the gift which embodied her. Humiliated, she decided to leave the mundane worlds, and along with Lakshmi, the beauty left the earth. Gone was the glow of the sun, the birds stopped singing and people stopped falling in love and having children. The frightened gods had to do a gigantic task to bring her back, and only after centuries of effort did they succeed... 

On Diwali, they traditionally clean houses, light candles, open windows and make mandalas with rice and flowers. They connect through light to the element of fire, which brings the vitality needed as the weather cools and energy drops. They do what they can to stay awake... they throw fireworks from early morning until late at night and play loud music. Why? So that they don't forget to see Lakshmi everywhere!!! The flight of Lakshmi described in the story is a common pattern when she is offended. She doesn't complain or warn, she just disappears. It reminds us that the less we see beauty around us, the more it will be lost from our sight.

Diwali is a celebration of remembering to 'stay awake' and not forgetting our own sources of beauty. What are our own garlands in life?  The tree outside our window, a warm hug, the gift of a plate of food cooked with love, flowers blooming? Only then will we keep Lakshmi, the sense of abundance close to us and be filled with harmony and gratitude. For if we manage to find the beauty in a small fragrant garland, then in all likelihood, we will find it everywhere...