The Synergy Project Magazine - October 2020

By: Dhruvin Kamani
Diwali (also:
Deepawali) is one of
India’s biggest festivals.
The word ‘Deepawali’
means rows of lighted
lamps. It’s also known as
the festival of lights. Not
only Hindus celebrate
this festival but people of
every religion celebrate
it with joy. During this
festival, people light up
their houses and shops
with Diyas (small cupshaped
oil lamps made of
baked clay). They worship
the Lord Ganesha for
welfare and prosperity
and Goddess Lakshmi
for wealth and wisdom.
Most noteworthy, the
festival signifies the
victory of light over
darkness. Another
meaning of the festival is
the triumph of good over
evil and knowledge over
ignorance. Consequently,
there are bright lights all
over the whole country
during Diwali. Diwali
brings peace to people.
Diwali brings spiritual
calmness to people.
This festival is
celebrated in the Hindu
month of Karthika Masam
which falls sometime
during October or
November. It’s celebrated
to mark the return of
Lord Rama after 14 years
of exile and his victory
over the Demon Ravana.
This day Lord Rama
returned to Ayodhya
along with his wife Sita.
Furthermore, Rama’s
brother Lakshmana and
Hanuman also came back
to Ayodhya victorious.
In most parts of
India, Diwali is celebrated
for five consecutive days.
The first day is Dhanteras.
Dhanteras, derived from
Dhan meaning wealth
and teras meaning
thirteenth. It marks the
thirteenth day of the dark
fortnight of Kartik and the
beginning of Diwali.
The second day is
Naraka Chaturdashi.
Naraka Chaturdashi also
known as Chhoti Diwali,
which coincides with the
fourteenth day of the
second fortnight of the
lunar month. The term
“chhoti” means little,
while “Naraka” means hell
and “Chaturdashi” means
“fourteenth”.
The third day is
Lakshmi Pujan. The third
day is the height of the
festival, and coincides
with the last day of the
dark fortnight of the
lunar month. This is when
Hindu, Jain and Sikh
temples and homes are
aglow with lights, thereby
making it the “festival of
lights”.
The fourth day
Annakut. The day after
Diwali is the first day of
the bright fortnight of
the luni-solar calendar.
It’s regionally called as
Annakut (heap of grain),
Padwa, Govardhan
puja, Bali Pratipada, Bali
Padyami, Kartik Shukla
Pratipada and other
names. According to
one tradition, the day
is associated with the
story of Bali’s defeat at
the hands of Vishnu. In
another interpretation,
it is thought to reference
the legend of Parvati
and her husband Shiva
playing a game of dyuta
(dice) on a board of
twelve squares and thirty
pieces, Parvati wins.
Shiva surrenders his shirt
and adornments to her,
rendering him naked.
According to Handelman
and Shulman, as quoted
by Pintchman, this legend
is a Hindu metaphor for
the cosmic process for
creation and dissolution
14 THE SYNERGY PROJECT MAGAZINE