DIPAWALI: RADIANCE AND HAPPINESS WITHIN US

DIPAWALI: RADIANCE AND HAPPINESS WITHIN US

During our many visits to Chandigarh in my childhood, I remember Mr P.H. Vaishnav- a close family friend and then a serving IAS officer- would always mention that the best Diwali celebrations in the country were at the Golden Temple, Amritsar.

With childlike enthusiasm he used to describe how the temple was lit in a captivating manner, fireworks illuminated the sky while simultaneously mellifluous and soulful music of the Granthis reverberated through the holy precincts. For the devout, a tourist or even an ordinary person spending quality time on the premises, it is an experience of outward and inward cleanliness, a lesson in humility, almost merging with the Divine.

Let us pause and recall the pristine lyrics of the talismanic song by Simon and Garfunkel:

‘Hello Darkness, my old friend

I’ve come to talk with you again

Because a vision is softly creeping

Left its seeds while was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains within the sounds of silence’

The message and import of this haunting song, with indelible lyrics is the trajectory from darkness to light, from cacophony to symphony. Diwali is all about purging darkness and gloom-ridden thoughts from our inner core, emerging triumphant and victorious by developing robust minds and developing the intrinsic quality of silence within our self.

Mother Earth has bestowed upon us five seasons: spring, summer, monsoon, autumn and winter. Humans, if they do not disturb the balance of nature through wanton acts of capriciousness, the climate does not change and we are a witness to the five seasons in all their splendour.

Each season paves way for the next and interestingly, each is associated with certain festivals. Spring is replaced by scorching summer, followed by torrential rains which give way to gentle autumn, culminating in winter. Thus the cycle continues. Mother Earth pines for this cyclic progression to reveal her myriad forms, her true self.

In India, we celebrate spring with various regional New Year’s Days, Ram Navami and Holi. Summer is associated with Buddha Purnima, Mahavir Jayanti and festivals such as the Thrissur Poornam and the Sikkim Summer Festival, to name a few. Monsoon has its share of several important festivals like Ramadan, Eid, Janmashtami and Rath Yatras. Autumn singularly stands for Durga Puja, Dusshera and Dipawali. Winter is of course marked by Saraswati Puja, Pongal, Bihu and Christmas. The list is endless. India is replete with innumerable festivals. The sanctity and solemnity of the festival is maintained only if an individual does not carouse and over-indulge.

As per the Ramayana, Diwali is celebrated to mark Lord Rama’s triumphant and joyous return to Ayodhya after vanquishing the ten-headed hydra monster Ravana. The ten heads of the rakshasa are symbolic of the antipathetic elements in our minds such as lust, anger, attachment, greed, pride, jealousy, selfishness, injustice, cruelty and ego. Though an erudite scholar and an ardent Shiv-bhakta, Ravana could not overcome these ill-disposed feelings and emotions. Rama on the other hand stands for the light and radiance within us.  

Through the regular practice and sadhana of the rhythmic breathing technique of Sudarshan Kriya and Ram Meditation, the heart, mind and soul of the practitioner are suffused with a luminosity that shimmers through all the dark clouds of pessimism. The seeker then is bestowed with efficacious thoughts and a positive approach to life. 

Pluralism is the credo of our culture and traditions of several religions embrace our land. The country celebrates innumerable festivals of various faiths through which the devout get connected to the maker.

Hindus celebrate Holi, Dusshera and Dipawali with tremendous fervour and gaiety. Unfortunately, there is the unholy spectre of carousing at the festivals rather than celebrating them with solemnity and propriety. Drunkenness, playing of cards, hooliganism, committing acts of disrepute tend to sully the purity and significance of these festivals. This mars the majesty of the occasion.

Dipawali is another name for happiness. There are certain fundamental and cardinal principles to ensure joy. Every moment that humans spend on the planet need to be joyful and spread a big smile.

 Sage Patanjali has expounded on certain tenets to remain happy. These include Ahimsa(non-violence), Satyam(truthfulness), Astheya (not craving for something not in our possession), Brahmacharya (observing beyond the mere physical form) and Aparigraha (not accepting what people give us, for instance invectives or barbs). This leads us to a state of detachment.

This is akin to a Zen like state where humans are not left hanging between the Scylla and Charybdis of avarice, covetousness and craving. In such a monk like state, humans transcend trivia and are in a state of bliss with illumined hearts. And an emblazoned and embellished heart spreads the true sparkles of Diwali.

Sage Patanjali further elaborates on some pointers of inner development. These include Saucha (maintenance of cleanliness), Santosha (being contended irrespective of situation and events- not to be subsumed by events), Tapas (or deep penance), Swadhyaya (observing the mind and feeling how it operates, how it responds to different situations) and finally Ishwara Pranidhana (surrender to the Divine will). 

Diwali is an occasion to celebrate the victory of light over darkness, awareness over ignorance, an occasion to celebrate life and let happiness, peace and joy into our lives and of those around us- so goes the oft repeated lines. 

We say this to each other with great fervour. But let us ponder and think, do we really mean and practice it? Perhaps in a corner, a Zen Master may be crouching and murmuring, ‘Is it so?’

By practising the cardinal principles as elucidated by Sage Patanjali in entirety and completeness, seekers, the devout and commoners can maintain equanimity. And equanimity is another name for ecstasy and contentment within us. This inner contentment is reflected in the radiating lights of Diwali, verily a true celebration of the festival of lights.