Dr. Pawan Kumar Singh. Director Management Development Institute Gurgaon, Haryana, India
Divali or Deepavali is a major Hindu festival of India that is now celebrated across the world by all with great enthusiasm. It is so much a festival of joy that Divali and Joyfulness may be taken as synonyms. The festival is celebrated on the moonless night of the month Kaarttik of Shaka calendar, the occasion falling somewhere in the pleasant season of the second half of the month of October or in the first half of the month of November. In a major part of India, people worship Goddess Lakshmi during the evening, offering their gratitude to the divine power bestowing prosperity. Lighting of a Diya or lamp is done everywhere inside and outside the house, as well as across all streets and corners. The legends say that after completing the period of exile in the forest, Lord Ram along with Sita and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya on this day. All of Ayodhya merged in festivity, and the tradition continues on Divali. In some parts of India, Divali is celebrated with certain variations, like in Bengal the Goddess Kali, depicting divine force of strength and fortitude, is worshipped during midnight of Divali.
From an elemental point of view, Divali is the festival of light. Light depicts the real and eternal state of being. The Sanyaas Upanishad (102) says – vidyā divā prakāśatvād avidyā rātriḥ– Vidyā (Knowledge of the Truth) is like light of a day and Avidyā (knowledge limited to mundane) is like night. Sage Kanaad says in Vaisheshik (5/2/19) – dravya-guṇa-karma-niṣpatti-vaidharmyād abhāvas- darkness is without characteristics of matter, nature, and action.
Hence, absence of light is darkness. In fact, darkness is an indicator of absence of light, unreal, and impermanence. The Brihadaaranyak Upanishad (1/3/28) states – asato mā sadgamaya, tamaso mā jyotirgamaya, mṛtyor mā’mṛtaṃ gamaya. This means – From the unreal lead me to the real! From darkness, lead me to light! From death, lead me to immortality! The sutra further states – tamaso mā jyotiḥ gamayeti mṛtyuḥ vai tamo jyotiḥ – from darkness lead me to light; the darkness, verily, is death, the light is immortality. The connection of Divali with light has yet a deeper connotation. It is not only that light to be lit in the external world. The inner being of the human self also needs to be lit. Patanjali says in Yoga Sutra (3/4-5) that the light of awareness and insight comes from the mastery of Sanyam i.e. integration of Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna and Samādhi – tat jayāt sanyamaḥ prajñālokaḥ Here the three states mentioned are the final three stages of the eight-fold path of meditation suggested by Patanjali. The first five stages are – Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, and Pratyāhāra. Thus, when we meditate and receive the ray of light of knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and equanimity, in fact we are celebrating Divali in its true sense. Interestingly, Divali is celebrated on a moonless night. It also has a deeper connotation. Moonless night is the darkest night of the month, preceded by fortnight of waning moon and succeeded by fortnight of waxing moon. The dark night provides a background of contrast, and with that canvas, the light of Diya (lamp or candle) blossoms in full glow. The scripture called Nyaaya by the Sage Gautam, and Ramcharitmanas of Tulasidas suggest that for understanding of a particular thing or concept, its opposite also should be thoroughly understood. Tulasidas declares him or her to be his preceptor who can explain about knowledge without explaining ignorance, can explain light without explaining darkness, and can explain Nirguna (Formless Absolute Truth) without explaining Saguna (God in Form) – jñāna kahe ajñāna binu, tama binu kahai prakāsa। nirguṇa kahai jo saguṇa binu, so guru tulasīdās (Dohaawali: 251). It means understanding and explaining a thing without knowing its opposite is almost an impossibility. Again, the point that the moonless night is ensconced in between the two fortnights of waning moon and waxing moon in that order, suggests a deeper insight. Tulasidas say in Dohaawali (372) – sama prakāsa tama pākha duhum̐ nāma bheda bidhi kīnha, sasi soṣaka poṣaka samujhi jaga jasa apajasa dīnha – during both the fortnights, bright and dark, duration of light and of darkness during nights is equal; however, one fortnight is called bright, because it nurtures the moon, while the other is called dark, because it depreciates the moon. This indicates interestingly that only the state or stage at which a person is not important but it is also important to understand in which direction the person is going, ascending in consciousness or descending in the quality of inner being.
The story of Lord Ram is also connected with the celebration of Divali. On the surface, it means that Ram went to exile from Ayodhya, but the deeper meaning is that Ayodhya went in exile out of Ram. Tulasidas writes in Ramcharitmanas (Ayodhyaakaand: 74/2) – avadha tahām̐ jaham̐ rāma nivāsū। taham̐im̐ divasu jaham̐ bhānu prakāsū – where Raam dwells, there is Awadha; and wherever is the light of the sun, there is day. It is not that the sun goes where day is, but the day follows the sun. Here Ram depicts the inner consciousness. When there is light in the consciousness, there is light in the inner as well as the outer world.
The spirit of Divali presents an opportunity to blossom for individuals and the society. This is an opportunity to celebrate the presence of deep-rooted hope. The festival indicates the bud converting to a fully glowing flower. Aatmapoojaa Upanishad states – cidādīptiḥ puṣpam – the light of heart is like flowers. When this flowering takes place, there is a rise in auspicious tendencies or Sattva Guṇa. Bhagavad Gita says (14/5-13) – sarvadvāreṣu dehe’sminprakāśa upajāyate, jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyādvivṛddhaṃ sattvamityuta – when light and discernment dawn in this body, as well as in the mind and senses, then one should know that Sattva is predominant.
Let Divali remind us that we need to progress and for progress there are some prerequisites which we should strive for. Dakshinaamoorti Upanishad (27) aptly summarizes – vairāgyatailasaṃpūrṇe bhaktivartisamanvite । prabodhapūrṇapātre tu jñaptidīpaṃ vilokayet– the Diya (Light) of Knowable is visible in the lamp having fuel of unattachment, wick of surrender, and container of Knowledge. Let the festival of Divali charge us with the very spirit of the festival on a daily basis!
EN 
NL