Festival Of Enlightment

Anupam Srivastava deconstructs Diwali as a celebration of man attaining enlightenment and not merely the victory of good over evil as considered by most

- Anupam Srivastava

Each year, Diwali is celebrated with much hope in India. Hindus believe that by worshipping Goddess Lakshmi in all earnestness on this auspicious day, they will be able to invite good fortune and abundance in their lives and banish scarcity forever.

The religious significance of Diwali varies regionally within India. The festival is associated with a diversity of deities, traditions, and symbolism as well as with diverse local harvest festivals, that fuse into one pan-Hindu festival with a shared spiritual significance.

One tradition links the festival to legends in the Hindu epic Ramayan, where Diwali is the day Vishnu’s avatar Ram, Lakshmi’s avatar Sita, Shesha’s avatar Lakshman, and Shiva’s avatar Hanuman reached Ayodhya after a 14-year period in exile, with Ram’s army of ‘good’ having defeated the demon king Ravana’s army of ‘evil,’ in the Treta Yuga.

As per another popular tradition, in the Dwapar Yuga, Lord Krishna killed the Demon Narakasur, who was the evil king of Pragjyotishapur (a place near present-day Assam) and released 16000 girls captured by him. Diwali is also celebrated as the symbol of the triumph of good over evil after Lord Krishna defeated Narakasur. The day before Diwali is celebrated as Naraka Chaturdasi, the day on which Narakasur was killed by Lord Krishna.

What is Diwali?

Mythical tales shared on Diwali vary widely depending on the region, yet all share a common focus on righteousness, self-inquiry, and the importance of knowledge, which is the path to overcome the ‘darkness of ignorance.’ The retelling of these myths is a reminder of the Hindu belief that good ultimately triumphs over evil.