DHANTERAS
(the First day) - Dhantrayodashi - The first festival
to mark Diwali.Diwali has always been a festival with more
social than religious connotations. It is a personal, people-oriented
festival when enmities are forgotten and families and friends
meet. In modern metros like Mumbai and Pune, innumerable communities
with their diverse cultures and customs mingle together to
make Diwali a memorable occasion for all.However, there are
many customs and traditions associated with the festival.
For example, gambling is one of the large-scale customs associated
with this festival, especially in north India. It is believed
that goddess Parvati played dice with her husband, Lord Shiva
on this day. She decreed that whoever gambled on Diwali night
would prosper throughout the year.
The day before the Diwali marks the first day of celebration
and is called Dhan Teras or Dhantrayodashi, which falls
on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin. The word "Dhan"
means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival
has a great importance for the rich mercantile community of
Western India. Houses and Business premises are renovated
and decorated. Entrances are made colourful with lovely traditional
motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess
of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival,
small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder
all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the
nights. Believing this day to be auspicious, women purchase
some gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils.
In villages cattle are adorned and worshipped by farmers as
they form the main source of their income. Cows are offered
special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation
of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped
on this day.A very interesting story about this day is of
the sixteen-year-old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope
he was doomed to die by snakebite on the fourth day of his
marriage. On that particular fourth day of his marriage his
young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments
and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance
of her husband's chamber and lighted innumerable lamps all
over the place. She went on telling stories and singing songs.
When Yama, the god of Death arrived there in the guise of
a Serpent his eyes got blinded by that dazzle of those brilliant
lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber. So he
climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and
sat there whole night listening to the melodious songs. In
the morning he quietly went away. Thus the young wife saved
her husband from the clutches of death. Since then this day
of Dhan teras came to be known as the day of "Yamadeepdaan"
and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential
adoration to Yama, the god of Death.
Day of Narakasur Vadh (Killing of
the Demon-King)
The story goes that after defeating Lord Indra, the
demon King Narakasur grabbed the magnificent earrings
of Aditi, the mother goddess and imprisoned 16,000 daughters
of the Gods and saints in his harem.According to the legends,
Narakasur, the son of Bhudevi, acquired immense power as a
blessing from Lord Brahma after a severe penance. Thus Narakasur
could not be easily killed as he had a boon that he could
face death only at the hands of his mother Bhudevi. So, Krishna
asks his wife Satyabhama, the reincarnation of Bhudevi, to
be his charioteer in the battle with Naraka. When Krishna
feigns unconciousness after being hit by an arrow of Naraka,
Satyabhama takes the bow and aims the arrow at Naraka and
kills him instantly.
Lord Krishna along with Satyabhama killed the
demon and released the damsels the day before Narakachaturdashi.
He also succeeded in recovering the stolen earrings. Jubilant
in victory, Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with the demon
king's blood. When he returned home early on Narakachaturdashi,
the womenfolk massaged scented oil into his body and gave
him a good bath to wash away accumulated filth. And hence
the traditional practice of taking a bath before sunrise with
oil and 'ubtan' (paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders.
In South India too, this story finds its way into local rituals.
People wake up before sunrise and prepare 'blood' by mixing
kumkum in oil. After breaking a bitter fruit representing
the head of the demon king, they apply that mixture on their
foreheads. They then have an oil bath using sandalwood paste.
In northern India, especially in Punjab, Diwali is dedicated
to the worship of Lord Rama.
In Bengal, Kali/Durga, the goddess of strength, is worshipped.
This reverence is called 'Kali Chaudas' or 'Kal Chaturdasi'.
It is believed that on this day Kali killed the wicked Raktavija.
Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, the symbol of
auspiciousness and wisdom, is also worshipped in most Hindu
homes on this day.
Interestingly, Kerala is probably the only Indian state where
even Hindus do not celebrate Diwali. The major festival there
is Onam.
Lakshmi Pooja-
Lakshmi Pooja is the third day of Diwali celebrations. It
is an important festival related to Diwali, which is entirely
devoted to the propitiation of Goddess Lakshmi. This day is
also known by the name of "Chopada-Pooja". On this
day, Sun enters his second course and passes Libra, which
is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this design
of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of account
books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day falls
on an amavasya day, it is regarded as the most auspicious.
The day of Lakshmi-Pooja falls on the dark night of Amavasya.
The strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from
the temples as men and women invoke Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous
holy "pouring-in" of their hearts. It is believed
that golden-footed Deepa-Lakshmi descends down to earth from
heaven piercing the darkness with a blaze of light.
Tiny lamps of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of
evil spirits and Self-enlightenment is expressed. These twinkling
lamps illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the
lowly abodes of the poor. It is believed that on this day
Lakshmi walks through the green fields and loiters through
the bye-lanes and showers her blessings on man for plenty
and prosperity. When the Sun sets in the evening and ceremonial
worship is finished, all the homemade sweets are offered to
the goddess as "NAIVEDYA" and distributed
as "PRASAD". Feasts are arranged and gifts
are exchanged on this day. Gayly dressed men, women and children
go to temples and fairs, visit friends and relatives. Everything
is gay, gold and glitter!
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