Dīpāvali is a Hindu festival celebrated through the lighting of lamps, bursting of crackers, offering puja and sharing delicacies. Celebrated to mark the return of Śrī Rāma to Ayodhya, it inspires a commitment to righteousness in the face of challenges at ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika and ādhyātmika levels.
Celebrating Dīpāvali
Dīpāvali, a festival celebrated across the globe, is observed as a festival of lights when Hindus illuminate their homes and streets with long rows and arrangements of earthen lamps. Many Purāṇic stories represent the origin of this festival, such as Bhagavān Rāma returning to Ayodhyā after his 14-year exile, the Pāṇḍavas returning home to Hastināpura, or Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s victory over the demon Narakāsura. Despite the diversity of these stories, they all carry a single message: the triumph of Dharma over Adharma after a great existential struggle, when a demon with extraordinary destructive power is vanquished.
The rise of Adharma is one of the characteristics of this age, the Kali Yuga. Adharma is characterized by ignorance (Avidyā), which leads to desire (Kāma), anger (Krodha), greed (Lobha), attachment (Moha), egoism (Mada), and jealousy (Mātsarya). The demons in Hindu Purāṇas represent the power of Adharma, rising to engulf the world with their darkness and violence, sowing chaos and fear among the people.
The colonial era was one such period of darkness, engulfing much of the world in unrestrained plunder, leaving vast regions subjugated, impoverished, dislocated, and illiterate. India suffered through two hundred years of this demon—the darkness of the colonial era. On August 15, 1947, it finally managed to throw off the colonizer and emerged from darkness into light. The two world wars fought in Europe in the last century were also periods of intense darkness and violence that descended onto the European continent. The Islamic invasions of India were another such age of wrath and darkness, devastating thousands of Hindu mandirs across the country. The Rāma Mandir in Ayodhyā, built to consecrate Bhagavān Rāma’s birthplace, lay in ruins for over five hundred years, a period of darkness so long and despairing. However, earlier this year, in 2024, the temple was re-inaugurated, symbolizing once again the triumph of Dharma over Adharma. These examples reveal malevolent demons of immense destructive power dominating vast swaths of history for long periods.
In our own time, a new demon has arisen: the demon of disinformation. Today, falsehood masquerades as truth, truth is distorted, and news is manipulated, obscuring the distinction between reality and illusion. We are passing to the younger generation a world where it is no longer clear what is true or false, forcing them to retreat into a personal world of their own ‘truths’ and to social networks of like-minded individuals. An epidemic of mental illness is now plaguing the world, with anxiety and depression, loss of confidence, and a lack of purpose. This new demon gains power when fanned by the flames of social media outrage (Krodha). The Upaniṣads declare “Satyameva Jayate”—Truth alone triumphs. Yet, falsehood has its day when it rules the world. Furthermore, the demon of corruption plagues many societies globally, where politicians seek power not for public good but for personal gain (Lobha). The battle between Dharma and Adharma is ever-present, whether we stand and fight for Dharma or disengage into our own private worlds.
Dīpāvali, therefore, holds great significance. At the manifest, physical realm—the Ādhibhautika level—it marks the end of an āsuric era of Adharma, filled with darkness, negativity, violence, fear, and sorrow, and the inauguration of a new era filled with hope, joy, positive energy, and the anticipation of peace and prosperity. The lamps pierce the darkness of the night and herald the dawn of a new day.
At the subtle, unmanifest psychic realm—the Ādhidaivika level—it invokes the Devas to bring us inner joy and transformation, burning away the inner negativity and despondency that often besiege us through the fire (Agni) of yoga. It calls on us to recommit to Dharma in its eternal struggle against Adharma. The lamps symbolically pierce the darkness of inner confusion and herald the dawn of a new understanding.
Finally, at the Ādhyātmika level, Dīpāvali represents the light of illumination—the fire of knowledge (Jñānāgni) that shatters the darkness of ignorance (Avidyā). The lamps symbolize the movement toward the knowledge of Brahman (Brahma Jñāna) and the establishment of the bliss of the Self (Brahmānanda).
On this Dīpāvali 2024, may we celebrate this ancient festival at all three levels of our being: the Ādhibhautika, the manifest physical level; the Ādhidaivika, the subtle psychic and divine level; and the Ādhyātmika, the unmanifest causal level, which is the source of truth, knowledge, fullness, and freedom.
Om Tat Sat.