Why do we celebrate Diwali? It’s not just the festive mood in the air
that makes you happy, or just that it's a good time to enjoy before the
advent of winter. There are 10 mythical and historical reasons why
Diwali is a great time to celebrate. And there are good reasons not just
for Hindus but also for all others to celebrate this great Festival of
Lights.
1.Goddess Lakshmi’s Birthday: The Goddess of wealth,
Lakshmi incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month
during the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthan), hence the
association of Diwali with Lakshmi.
2. Vishnu Rescued Lakshmi: On this very day (Diwali day), Lord
Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as Vaman-avtaara rescued Lakshmi from
the prison of King Bali and this is another reason of worshipping Ma
Larkshmi on Diwali.
3. Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On the day preceding Diwali, Lord
Krishna killed the demon king Narakaasur and rescued 16,000 women from
his captivity. The celebration of this freedom went on for two days
including the Diwali day as a victory festival.
4. The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great epic
‘Mahabharata’, it was ‘Kartik Amavashya’ when the Pandavas appeared from
their 12 years of banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands
of the Kauravas at the game of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved
the Pandavas celebrated the day by lighting the earthen lamps.
5. The Victory of Rama: According to the epic ‘Ramayana’, it
was the new moon day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Ma Sita and Lakshman
returned to Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The
citizens of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with the earthen lamps and
illuminated it like never before.
6. Coronation of Vikramaditya: One of the greatest Hindu King Vikramaditya was coroneted on the Diwali day, hence Diwali became a historical event as well.
7. Special Day for the Arya Samaj: It was the new moon day of
Kartik (Diwali day) when Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest
reformers of Hinduism and the founder of Arya Samaj attained his
nirvana.
8. Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, considered to be the founder of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on Diwali day.
9. Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar Das
institutionalized Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would gather
to receive the Gurus blessings. In 1577, the foundation stone of the
Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh
Guru Hargobind, who was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir, was
released from the Gwalior fort along with 52 kings.
10. The Pope’s Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John Paul II
performed a special Eucharist in an Indian church where the altar was
decorated with Diwali lamps, the Pope had a ‘tilak’ marked on his
forehead and his speech was bristled with references to the festival of
light.