Dīpāvali

Dīpāvali, often called Diwali, is the great festival of lights. Its name means “a row of lamps”. It is kept in the month of Kārtika, around the new moon, usually in October or November. The Uttara Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa (Chapter 122) sets out the full meaning and rituals of the festival, and the Kārtika Māsa Māhātmya of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa gives a further detailed account.

The Padma Purāṇa covers all five days of the festival. They are: the lamp for Yama on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of Kārtika; the Naraka Caturdaśī bath on the 14th; the pūjā of Lakshmī and the game of dice between Śiva and Pārvatī on the new moon (amāvāsyā); the Govardhana pūjā and the pūjā of Bali on the first day of the bright fortnight (pratipad); and Yamadvitīyā, also called Bhāī Dūj, the festival of brothers and sisters, on the second day (dvitīyā). The festival also includes the Kaumudī festival, held on the moonlit night of the bright pratipad, and the pūjā of the asura king Bali and his companions.

13th Day of Dark Kārtika: A Lamp for Yama

On the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight of Kārtika (Dhanvantari Trayodaśī, sometimes called Yamadīpa), a lamp is offered to Yama, the deva of dharma and death. The lamp is turned to the south, which is Yama’s direction. Its purpose is to keep away untimely death and to honour the ruler of the departed. Offering light to Yama on this day recognises his rule over the passing of time and the cycle of life. It is understood as an offering that wins his goodwill and protects the household in the year ahead.

14th Day of Dark Kārtika: The Naraka Caturdaśī Bath

The fourteenth day of the dark fortnight is Naraka Caturdaśī. It remembers Bhagavān Kṛshṇa’s victory over the asura Naraka (Narakāsura). The prescribed practice is abhyaṅga snāna, a bath with oil rubbed on the body before sunrise. This bath removes pāpa and is said to give merit equal to freedom from the realms of naraka. It especially remembers the sixteen thousand women held captive by Narakāsura, whom Kṛshṇa set free on this day. The day marks naraka itself being overcome by divine grace.

New Moon of Kārtika: Lakshmī Pūjā and the Game of Dice

The new moon of Kārtika is the heart of Dīpāvali: the darkest night, lit up by lamps. Two sacred events happen on this night.

Lakshmī pūjā: The new-moon night of Kārtika is the most auspicious time for the pūjā of Bhagavatī Lakshmī. Lamps are lit all through the house and offered to Lakshmī, inviting her into homes made pure by the festival. Lighting up the darkness is the central act of the night: what is inauspicious is driven away by the light, which is the presence of Śrī (Lakshmī).

Śiva and Pārvatī’s game of dice: On the same night, Bhagavān Śiva and Bhagavatī Pārvatī play a game of dice, a divine event of great meaning. This game appears again and again in the sacred calendar of Śiva’s devotees, and the Dīpāvali new moon is one of its set occasions. Devotees who worship at Śiva temples on this night share in the joy of this divine play.

1st Day of Bright Kārtika: Govardhana Pūjā, Bali Pūjā and Kaumudī

The first day of the bright fortnight of Kārtika is one of the richest days of the festival.

Govardhana pūjā: Mount Govardhana is worshipped. This remembers how Bhagavān Kṛshṇa lifted Mount Govardhana to shelter the people of Vraja from the flooding rains sent by Indra. The day celebrates Kṛshṇa’s protection of the simple cowherd people and the starting of his own pūjā in place of Indra’s. The mountain is honoured as a direct form of Kṛshṇa.

Bali pūjā: The asura king Bali and his companions are worshipped on this day. Those honoured with him are his wife Vindhyāvalī and the asuras Kūshmāṇḍa, Maya, Jambhāru and Madhu. This pūjā remembers how Bhagavān Vāmana won the three worlds and sent Bali down to the lower worlds. It also remembers Bali’s loving surrender and the divine promise that he would be honoured with pūjā on this day.

Kaumudī festival: The night of the bright pratipad, lit by the newly growing moon, is the Kaumudī (“moonlight”) festival, a celebration of the moonlit autumn nights special to Kārtika. It celebrates the season itself and the beauty of divine creation in its autumn fullness.

2nd Day of Bright Kārtika: Yamadvitīyā or Bhāī Dūj

The second day of the bright fortnight of Kārtika is Yamadvitīyā, the day set apart for the bond between brothers and sisters. On this day Yama (Yamadharmarāja) visited his sister Yamī (the river Yamunā), and she honoured him with food and care. In memory of this divine bond, sisters welcome their brothers on Yamadvitīyā with a ritual: they feed them, put a tilaka (sacred mark) on their foreheads, and pray for their long life. This event set the pattern for the brother-sister bond as a sacred relationship of dharma, protected by the deva of death himself.

The Skanda Purāṇa Account

The Kārtika Māsa Māhātmya of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa gives the fullest account of the rituals of Dīpāvali as a festival lasting several days.

Vatsa Dvādaśī (12th day of dark Kārtika): Cows and calves are worshipped under a banyan tree. At sunset the nīrājana (waving of lamps) is performed. Signs are read from the colour of the lamp flames:

Yama Trayodaśī or Dhanteras (13th day of dark Kārtika): On this thirteenth day of the dark half (the text here names the month Āśvina), a Yama-dīpa, a lamp facing south, is offered early in the night along with offerings. This custom began when the infant son of Hemanaka was saved from early death on this tithi. Yama told his messengers:

“Any person who offers a lamp at his door on the thirteenth day in the dark half of Āśvina, reciting the names of Yama, Mṛtyu, Antaka, Vaivasvata, Kāla and the rest, should not be brought to me during the festival of light, even in case of premature death.”

The fourteen names of Yama are recited, and three handfuls of water with sesame seeds are offered for each name.

Naraka Caturdaśī or Dīpāvali (14th day of dark Kārtika): The oil bath in the last watch of the night is essential. The text says:

“There is Lakshmī in the oil and Gaṅgā in the water; he who takes this early morning bath on the fourteenth day does not see Yama’s region.”

The devotee stirs the water with a sprig of apāmārga (Achyranthes aspera), tumbī (pot gourd) or prapuṇṇāṭa, reciting a mantra nine times. After bathing, a lamp is offered to the sons of Mṛtyu (Death). The Yama-tarpaṇa is performed: fourteen offerings of water, one for each name of Yama. A lamp is also offered to Naraka.

Bali Pratipad (1st day of bright Kārtika): This is the day Bali gave Vishṇu, as Vāmana, three steps of earth over three days. After Bali was sent to Pātāla (the lower world), he asked Vishṇu:

“Let there be my rule on the earth for three days. Let Lakshmī remain in the houses of those who light lamps in my kingdom. Let darkness, the shadow of Lakshmī’s absence, fall on houses without lights.”

Vishṇu agreed and gave Bali three days of rule over the earth every year. So the pratipad day is especially sacred both to Vishṇu and to King Bali.

For the pūjā of Bali, a sacred diagram is drawn on the ground showing Bali in five colours with all his ornaments. Beside him is Vindhyāvalī, and around him are the Dānavas (a clan of asuras) Kushmāṇḍa, Maya, Jambha, Uru and Madhu. He has two arms and wears shining ear-rings and a crown. The mantra is:

“Obeisance to you, O King Bali, O lord, O son of Virocana, O enemy of the devas and future Indra; may this worship be accepted.”

After this pūjā comes the Govardhana festival (Govardhanotsava). Cows are decorated and are not milked, and bulls are not made to carry loads. Govardhana is worshipped with this mantra:

“O Govardhana, O supporter of the earth, O protector of herds of cows, lifted by Vishṇu’s arms, be the giver of crores of cows to me.”

The king watches contests of wrestlers, elephants, horses, bulls and buffaloes. An image of Mārgapālī, the devī who guards the roads, is fixed on pillars and trees in the east. A tug-of-war called Yashṭikākarshaṇa is held: a rope of kuśa grass is pulled between two equal teams at the temple gate or at a crossroads. If the team of the lower varṇa wins, it is a sign that the king will be victorious that year.

Playing dice for stakes is allowed on this day only and is forbidden at all other times. The reason: Śiva and Pārvatī once played dice for fun. Śiva lost and became sad, while Pārvatī was happy. For this reason the dice game stands for the ups and downs of the world and is allowed on this one day.

Yamadvitīyā (2nd day of bright Kārtika): Brothers visit their sisters and eat at the sister’s home. Long ago on this day Yamunā fed her brother Yama and honoured him in her house, and Yama freed the beings in naraka on that day.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 122
• Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Kārtika Māsa Māhātmya, Chapters 9–11