DEEPAVALI - PART 2

Festival of Lights - Part 2

On the night of the fourteenth day of the new moon (chaturdasi) in the month of Tulam, it is believed that the waters of the holy river Ganga are present in all the waters like lakes, rivers, ponds and wells and taking a bath in the waters on the late night and early morning of the next day (Brahma muhurtham) will give the benefit of taking bath in the sacred river itself.  This is the day of deepavali when we start the day with this customary bath with oil applied on our heads as it considered to be very auspicious and mangala snanam.
There are many stories and beliefs behind this festival of lights which is celebrated in different ways across the country.  In the south the people get up early in the morning of the day after Chaturdasi which is called Naraka Chaturdasi and take the ceremonial bath in their houses as Ganga is supposed to be present in all the waters during this period.  They then wear new clothes and light rows of lamps (Deepa – Avali) to herald the festival. While the children enjoy with bursting crackers, the elders perform prayers for the welfare of their families and partake of sweets to bring in sweetness into their lives.
It is believed that Narakasura, the son of Bhumi Devi and Lord Varaha moorthi turned demonic and tortured all mankind, devas and other beings. He took captive 16000 princesses and held them captive in a mystic place guarded by a three headed asura called Mura. He also insulted the mother of Devas, devi Aditi and plucked her ear rings from her ears and took them along with the hundred white elephants in the stable of Devendra.  Not able to bear his atrocities, his own mother Bhuma Devi cursed him that his death would be only from her own hands.  In Dwaraka Lord Krishna was approached by Devendra, the king of gods to help in destroying the scourge and Lord Krishna readily agreed. He took with him his consort Sathyabama an incarnation of Bhumi Devi and traveling on the celestial mount Garuda, soon they entered Prakjyothisha pura (now called Assam) the kingdom of Naraka.  Krishna destroyed the demon Mura and was hailed as Murari. Narakasura fought valiantly and felled Krishna to the ground with the power of his mighty arrows.  Sathyabama entered the battle and discharged an arrow that pierced the heart of Naraka, her own son. Realising that his end was drawing near, Narakasura saw his parents Lord Varaha murthi and Bhumi Devi in the divine couple Krishna and Sathyabama and pleaded for forgiveness for his sins. He requested for a boon that the day of his annihilation to be celebrated in the world with great rejoicing by lighting lamps and bursting of crackers to remind the world that all evil will meet its end one day and to urge the people to start on a clean slate from then on as their accumulated sins would vanish on taking a holy dip in the waters of the Ganga who would be present in all the waters of the world at this time.
Yet another story recalls the return of Sri Rama to Ayodhya after his exile for fourteen long years with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana and the welcome given by the residents of Ayodhya by lighting rows of lamps on the balconies of their houses. Sri Rama, the light of Mankind is venerated as the harbinger of peace, prosperity and the establisher of dharmic rule and hence the day he returned back is celebrated as the festival of lights.
In Bengal, though Deepavali is not celebrated as in the rest of the country, on the night of Amavasya, Kali puja is performed. It is a tantric ritual invoking the power of the supreme in its raw form. Maha Kali is the supreme unbridled energy which manifests itself to the seeker according to his/her level of spiritual attainment. If a man with a base intent worships Kali, she grants his desires but no more. Once his desires are satiated he falls back. The more nobler our intention is the higher will we be taken by the Devi of the dark hue.  She is dark in her form, but full of effulgence within. She is unclothed (digambara) but puts all her creations under many layers of ignorance. She has ten feet indicating that she covers all the ten directions. She has a protruding tongue to take in all our karmic vasanas. She stands on the prostrate form of Lord Shiva as a representation of kinetic energy risen from the Potential energy of Shiva. She is the origin of everything in this universe and the ultimate cause and effect, but very much misunderstood as her worship is of a purely tantric form involving the 5 Makaras and hence associated with bigots, black magic and evil whereas in truth it is worship of a very high order where the devotee, his devotion and finally the deity merge into one.  Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa has established this in his life time and the Kali shrine at Dakshineswaram stands testimony to this truth. 
Goddess Annapurna is the presiding deity of Varanasi or Kasi. She sits on her throne with a pot full of sweet rice and a golden ladle and fills the bowl of anyone who approaches her with fulfillment not only of the material requirements, but making him full  and wholesome (Poornam) in every respect. Her story is quite interesting. Once during a verbal duel between Herself and Her consort Lord Shiva, Devi was hurt by Shiva labeling all the material creation as illusion and hence decided to withdraw into Herself. Removed of the basic shakti, the creation withered away and the universe craved for sustenance in the form of food (Annam). Not being able to bear Her children suffer the divine mother started serving them with her own hands and in the long queue that formed to take alms from Her, stood the Lord with his biksha bowl. On the day of Deepavali those in Kasi can have the delightful darshan of Matha Annapoorani in all Her golden splendour and Her garbrgraham is  filled up with sweets of all kinds for the devotees to partake as Prasad. She who is always Poorna and is the life of Shankara gives the poornathvam to Her devotee in the form of knowledge of the self and steadfastness to remain in that state (Gnana and Vairagya).