Deepavali has much significance; from Ramayana we get the return of faith & goodwill after the absence for a period of time. Narkasura’s story gives us the significance of victory of good over evil & the removal of the spiritual darkness. The lights/lamps also signify victory of good over the evil within every human being.
A wonderful significant spiritual meaning of Deepavali is the awareness of the Inner Light in a human being. A very central feature in the Hindu Philosophy is the existence of the Atma, which is a pure, infinite & eternal part of any human; it has no death or birth, & can never die. Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light is us, which has the power to outshine all inner & outer darkness like obstacles, ignorance, & awakens the individual person to their true spiritual nature.
With the realisation of a human that he is part of an unchanging, universal, infinite, pure, & transcendental truth, he achieves universal compassion, unconditional love, & the awareness that everything is connected. This brings a joy, peace or happiness which nothing else can.
The custom of lighting diyas, signify a welcome to prosperity in the form of Lakshmi, and the fireworks are supposed to scare away evil spirits.
Yes it was a festival started by Hindus, yes Jains, Sikhs, & even Buddhists (in Nepal), who were all part of Hinduism before they changed into different religions, celebrate Deepavali.
But it is also true that many people in India celebrate Deepavali regardless of their faith or religion. There is no bar on who can celebrate Deepavali. People from any religion, caste, creed, age & gender can celebrate it, because it has more of a spiritual meaning than a religious meaning, & for most people, including Hindus, today it has more spiritual significance.
So whether you are Christian, Muslim, Orthodox, Jewish, Parsi, or anything, you are free to celebrate this great festival, thereby celebrating the inner you. There is no rule that you have to pray or worship a Hindu god or goddess, you can pray or worship your own god. But do light the lamp of brightness inside yourself.
A wonderful significant spiritual meaning of Deepavali is the awareness of the Inner Light in a human being. A very central feature in the Hindu Philosophy is the existence of the Atma, which is a pure, infinite & eternal part of any human; it has no death or birth, & can never die. Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light is us, which has the power to outshine all inner & outer darkness like obstacles, ignorance, & awakens the individual person to their true spiritual nature.
With the realisation of a human that he is part of an unchanging, universal, infinite, pure, & transcendental truth, he achieves universal compassion, unconditional love, & the awareness that everything is connected. This brings a joy, peace or happiness which nothing else can.
The custom of lighting diyas, signify a welcome to prosperity in the form of Lakshmi, and the fireworks are supposed to scare away evil spirits.
Yes it was a festival started by Hindus, yes Jains, Sikhs, & even Buddhists (in Nepal), who were all part of Hinduism before they changed into different religions, celebrate Deepavali.
But it is also true that many people in India celebrate Deepavali regardless of their faith or religion. There is no bar on who can celebrate Deepavali. People from any religion, caste, creed, age & gender can celebrate it, because it has more of a spiritual meaning than a religious meaning, & for most people, including Hindus, today it has more spiritual significance.
So whether you are Christian, Muslim, Orthodox, Jewish, Parsi, or anything, you are free to celebrate this great festival, thereby celebrating the inner you. There is no rule that you have to pray or worship a Hindu god or goddess, you can pray or worship your own god. But do light the lamp of brightness inside yourself.
