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Friday, October 23, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Diwali's importance
Why and what is Diwali????
Leading us into Truth and Light, Diwali is celebrated on a nation-
wide scale on Naraka Chathurthasi day on the dawn of Ammavaasa
during the Hindu month of Aippasi (September/October) every
year. It symbolizes the age-old culture of our country which
teaches us to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to
drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali,
the festival of lights even today in this modern world projects
the rich and glorious past of our country and teaches us to uphold
the true values of life.
"Diwali" is the easy-to-pronounce form of Deepavalai. In Sanskrit
“Deepawali” is the marriage of two Sanskrit words- Deepa
meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. Indeed celebrating the
row of lights forms one of Diwali’s main attraction. Every home -
huts of the poor to the mansions of the rich are aglow with the
orange glow of twinkling diyas. Lighting these small earthen lamps
welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Multi-
colored Rangoli designs, floral decorations and fireworks lend
vivid, colorful imagery and grandeur to this festival which heralds
joy, mirth and happiness in the ensuring year.
This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the
regions of India and is looked upon in some parts of India as the
beginning of New Calendar or Financial Year. For those who
believe Diwali begins a new financial year tidy up their accounts
and are much more apt to hold grand pujas and devotional displays
for Goddess Lakshmi. As such the blessings of Lakshmi, the
celestial consort of Lord Vishnu are invoked with prayers. Even
countries like Kenya, Thailand, Trinidad, Siam and Malaya
celebrate this festival but in their own ways.
This Diwali festival, it is surmised dates back to that period when
perhaps history was not written, and in its progress through
centuries it lighted path of thousands to attain the ultimate good
and complete ecstasy. Diwali is very enthusiastically celebrated
for five continuous days and each day has its significance with a
number of myths, legends and beliefs.
Day 1: Dhanteras
The first day is called Dhanteras or Dhantrayodashi which falls
on the thirteenth day of the month of Kartik. The word "Dhan"
means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has
a great importance for the rich mercantile community of Western
India. Houses and business premises are renovated and
decorated. Entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional
motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of wealth and
prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints
are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the
houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights. Believing
this day to be auspicious women purchase some gold or silver or at
least one or two new utensils. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the
evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the
shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotiona l songs- in praise of
Goddess Lakshmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is
offered to
the Goddess. There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly
pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
In villages cattles are adorned and worshipped by farmers as
they form the main source of their income. In South India cows
are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the
incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned
and worshipped on this day.
A very interesting story about this day is of the sixteen year old
son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was doomed to die by a
snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular
fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to
sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins
in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and
lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on
telling stories and singing songs. When Yama the god of Death
arrived there in the guise of a serpent his eyes were suddenly
blinded by the dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not
enter the Prince's chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of
the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to
the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away.
Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of
death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the
day of Yamadeepdaan and lamps are kept burning throughout the
night in reverential adoration to Yama, the god of Death.
Day 2: Nakra-Chaturdashi
The second day is called Nakra-Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali falls
on the fourteenth day of the month of Kartik. It is on this day
that Lord Krishna returns from Pragyotishpur (Nepal) completing
a journey where he killed the demon king Narakasur, freed
16,000 daughters of the gods in the king’s harem and reclaimed
the Mother Goddess, Aditi’s earrings. To prove he was victorious
in killing the demon, Lord Krishna returned home with the king’s
blood smeared on his forehead. To cleanse the blood and restore
overall cleanliness, the womenfolk bathed the Lord in scented
oils. Since then, the custom of taking bath before sunrise is
customary in various parts of India, including Maharashtra and
Tamil Nadu.
Many people would wake up very early on the morning of Diwali to
start preparations, pujas and bathing rituals. It is common to
wake up as early as 4:30 am. There is a very interesting story
associated with why it is required to wake up at this time. When
I asked why people wake up so early, this is the following Diwali
story that was related to me:
"There was an evil person roaming a forest who needed to be
destroyed, but could only be destroyed by the powerful God,
Krishna. These evil beings were preventing all the people from
worshiping God (especially Shiva and Vishnu). So, Krishna was
asked to destroy this being named Nagaswaram. This being has
many powers. He can change his shape and size at will to trick all
the people. It is said that Krishna battled and finally killed
Nagaswaram at 4:30 the morning of Diwali, hence it is auspicious
to celebrate the 'new life' and the free life to worship God at
this time. It also brings very good luck to people to be dressed
and ready by sunrise. Some relate taking an oil bath to cleasing
yourself of the 'evil Nagaswaram'. After bathing with water, and
cleasing yourself of the evil Nagaswaram, you are free to pray to
God and live happily.
Immediately after Nagaswaram was destroyed, a new
troublesome beast was found roaming the forest. He was
Surabathman. He also had the power to change his shape and size.
Murugan, the son of Shiva and Parvathi and the brother of
Ganesha, was called to destroy this annoyance to mankind.
Murugan was very brave and strong, but Surabathman was not an
easy beast to beat. As Muragan chops of his head, a new head of
another beast will appear. Like this, six beastly heads appear and
are removed by Murugan until Surabathman' s "human" head is
seen and also destroyed. After this head is destroyed, Murugan is
victorious. It is said, it took six days from the day of Diwali for
Murugan to win this battle, one day for each head to be
decapitated. It is also for these six days that devotees of
Murugan will fast by either only drinking beverages (no alcohol) or
eating only tiffens for lunch and dinner (no non-vegetarian food
allowed). On the sixth day, Murugan devotees
will circle the temple 108 times and break their fast by having a
grand meal. Also, on the day immediately following the death of
Surabathman, Murugan marries his bride, Deivayannai. All these
festivities take place in temples or street processions. I actually
seen this re-enacted on the streets of Kanchipuram. It was a
spectacular sight!"
In South India that victory of the divine over the mundane is
celebrated in a very peculiar way. To re-enact the victory of Lord
Krishna some believers will break melons on the door step of their
homes, representing the head of the demon King. After smashing
the melon, people will smear their foreheads with a mixture of
kumkum powder and oil, which represents the blood Lord Krishna
smeared on his head. Continuing this ritual, many more, including
those who do not break melons, will take an oil bath using sesame
(gingerly) oil with cumin seeds and peppercorns, following up with
a more modern water and soap bath to restore moisture and a
sweet smell to the body.
In Maharashtra also, traditional early baths with oil and "Uptan"
(paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders are a must. All
through the ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers and
fireworks are there in order that the children enjoy bathing.
Afterwards steamed vermicelli with milk and sugar or puffed rice
with curd is served.
On Nakra-Chaturdashi day, people dedicate themselves to lighting
lamps and praying. On this day, people believe that the lighting of
lamps expels ignorance and heralds a future full of joy and
laughter. The story behind this holiday tradition revolves around
King Bali of the nether world. His mighty power had become a
threat to the gods. In order to curb his powers Lord Vishnu in
the guise of a small boy (batu waman) visited him and begged him
to give him as much land as he could cover with his three steps.
Known for his philanthropy, King Bali proudly granted him his wish.
That very moment that small boy transformed himself into the
all-powerful Lord Vishnu. With his first step Lord Vishnu covered
the entire heaven and with the second step he covered the earth.
Before taking the third and final step, Lord Vishnu asked Bali
where he should make his third step. Bali offered his head.
Putting his foot on his head, Vishnu pushed him down to the
underworld.
At the same time for his generosity Lord Vishnu gave him the
lamp of knowledge and allowed him to return to earth once a year
to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance and
spread the radiance of love and wisdom.
Day 3: Lakshmi Puja
The third day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day
of Lakshmi Puja which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of
Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of Chopada
Puja. On this very day sun enters the second course and passes
Libra which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this
design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of
account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day
falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.
The day of Lakshmi Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The
strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the
temples as man is invoking Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous holy
"pouring-in" of his heart. All of a sudden that impenetrable
darkness is pierced by innumerable rays of light for just a
moment and the next moment a blaze of light descends down to
earth from heaven as golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on
earth in all her celestial glory amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. A
living luminance of Universal Motherhood envelopes the entire
world in that blessed moment of fulfillment of a long-awaited
dream of the mortal. A sublime light of knowledge dawns upon
humanity and devotion of man finally conquers ignorance. This self
enlightenment is expressed through the twinkling lamps that
illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the abodes of the
poor. It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks through the
green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and showers her
blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. When the sun sets in
the evening and ceremonial worship is finished all the homemade
sweets are offered to the goddess as naivedya and distributed as
prasad (prasadam). Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged.
On this day gaily dressed men, women and children go to temples
and fairs, visit friends and relatives.
One of the most curious customs which characterizes this
festival of Diwali is the indulgence of gambling, especially on a
large scale in North India. It is believed that goddess Parvati
played dice with her husband, Lord Shiv on this day and she
decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper
throughout the ensuring year. This tradition of playing cards-
flush and rummy with stakes on this particular day continues even
today.
On this Diwali day, we light lamps to commemorate the sacred
memories of those great men who lived to brighten the lives of
millions of their fellow beings:
● Lord Shri Krishna around whom revolved the entire story of our
great epic Mahabharat and the philosopher, who preached
Karmayog through his Geeta to Arjun on the battlefield of
Kurukshetra, discarded his body.
● Bhagwan, Mahavir, the Jain prophet also attained nirvana on
this day.
● Swami Ramtirth, the beloved "Ram Badshah" of millions of
Indians was not only born on this day and took both sanyas and
samadhi on this day.
● Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj in 1875 in
Mumbai, with his superb yogic powers freed his soul from his
body and mingled with divinity on this auspicious day of Diwali.
Another very interesting story about this Diwali day is from the
Kathopanishad. In this story, a small boy called Nichiketa believed
that Yam, the god of Death was as black as the dark night of
amavasya. But when he met Yam in person he was puzzled seeing
Yam's calm countenance and dignified stature. Yam explained to
Nichiketa on this Diwali day of amavasya that by only passing
through the darkness of death, man sees the light of highest
wisdom. It is only then only his soul can escape from the bondage
of his mortal frame to mingle with the Supreme Power. It was
then that Nichiketa realized the importance of worldly life and
significance of death. All of Nichiketa's doubts were set to rest
and he whole-heartedly participated in Diwali celebrations.
Day 4: Padwa or Varshapratipada
It is the fourth day that marks the coronation of King
Vikramaditya, initiating Vikram-Samvat from this Padwa day.
Govardhan-Puja is also performed in the North on this day. As per
Vishnu-Puran the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in
honor of Lord Indira, worshiping him after the end of every
monsoon season. However, one particular year the young Krishna
stopped them from offering prayers to Lord Indira. This angered
Lord Indira, who responded by submerging Gokul underwater.
Krishna saved Gokul by lifting up the Govardhan Mountain and
holding it over the people as an umbrella. To commemorate this
day, people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build cow
dung hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them.
On this day in the temples of Mathura and Nathadwara, the
deities are given milk bath, dressed in shining attires with
ornaments of dazzling diamonds, pearls, rubies and other precious
stones. After the prayers are offered, the innumerable varieties
of delicious sweets are ceremoniously raised in the form of a
mountain (known as Annakoot) before the deities as bhog. Only
after this offering, devotees take prasad from the bhog.
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in every Hindu household and her
blessings sought for success and happiness. This day is looked
upon as the most auspicious day to start any new venture. In many
Hindu homes it is a custom for the wife to put the red tilak on
the forehead of her husband, garland him and do his aarthi with a
prayer for his long life. In appreciation of all the tender care
that the wife showers on him, the husband gives her a costly gift.
This Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and devotion between the
wife and husband. On this day newly-married daughters with
their husbands are invited for special meals and given presents.
In olden days brothers went to fetch their sisters from their in-
laws home for this important day.
Day 5: Bhayya- Duj
The fifth and final day of Diwali is known as Bhayya-Duj. It is
also known in Hindi as Bhav-Bij and in Marathi and Nepalese as
Bhai Tika.
Legend says Yamraj, the God of Death visited his sister Yami on
this particular day. She put the auspicious tilak on his forehead,
garlanded him and fed him with special dishes. Together, they ate
the sweets, talked and enjoyed themselves to their heart's
content. While parting Yamraj gave her a special gift as a token
of his love and in return Yami also gave him a lovely gift which she
had made with her own hands. That day Yamraj announced that
anyone who receives tilak from his sister will never be thrown.
That is why this day of Bhayyaduj is also known by the name of
Yama Dwitiya.
Since then this day is being observed as a symbol of love between
sisters and brothers. It became also imperative for the brother
to go to his sister's house to celebrate Bhayyaduj.
Leading us into Truth and Light, Diwali is celebrated on a nation-
wide scale on Naraka Chathurthasi day on the dawn of Ammavaasa
during the Hindu month of Aippasi (September/October) every
year. It symbolizes the age-old culture of our country which
teaches us to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to
drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali,
the festival of lights even today in this modern world projects
the rich and glorious past of our country and teaches us to uphold
the true values of life.
"Diwali" is the easy-to-pronounce form of Deepavalai. In Sanskrit
“Deepawali” is the marriage of two Sanskrit words- Deepa
meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. Indeed celebrating the
row of lights forms one of Diwali’s main attraction. Every home -
huts of the poor to the mansions of the rich are aglow with the
orange glow of twinkling diyas. Lighting these small earthen lamps
welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Multi-
colored Rangoli designs, floral decorations and fireworks lend
vivid, colorful imagery and grandeur to this festival which heralds
joy, mirth and happiness in the ensuring year.
This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the
regions of India and is looked upon in some parts of India as the
beginning of New Calendar or Financial Year. For those who
believe Diwali begins a new financial year tidy up their accounts
and are much more apt to hold grand pujas and devotional displays
for Goddess Lakshmi. As such the blessings of Lakshmi, the
celestial consort of Lord Vishnu are invoked with prayers. Even
countries like Kenya, Thailand, Trinidad, Siam and Malaya
celebrate this festival but in their own ways.
This Diwali festival, it is surmised dates back to that period when
perhaps history was not written, and in its progress through
centuries it lighted path of thousands to attain the ultimate good
and complete ecstasy. Diwali is very enthusiastically celebrated
for five continuous days and each day has its significance with a
number of myths, legends and beliefs.
Day 1: Dhanteras
The first day is called Dhanteras or Dhantrayodashi which falls
on the thirteenth day of the month of Kartik. The word "Dhan"
means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has
a great importance for the rich mercantile community of Western
India. Houses and business premises are renovated and
decorated. Entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional
motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of wealth and
prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints
are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the
houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights. Believing
this day to be auspicious women purchase some gold or silver or at
least one or two new utensils. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the
evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the
shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotiona l songs- in praise of
Goddess Lakshmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is
offered to
the Goddess. There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly
pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
In villages cattles are adorned and worshipped by farmers as
they form the main source of their income. In South India cows
are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the
incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned
and worshipped on this day.
A very interesting story about this day is of the sixteen year old
son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was doomed to die by a
snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular
fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to
sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins
in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and
lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on
telling stories and singing songs. When Yama the god of Death
arrived there in the guise of a serpent his eyes were suddenly
blinded by the dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not
enter the Prince's chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of
the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to
the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away.
Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of
death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the
day of Yamadeepdaan and lamps are kept burning throughout the
night in reverential adoration to Yama, the god of Death.
Day 2: Nakra-Chaturdashi
The second day is called Nakra-Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali falls
on the fourteenth day of the month of Kartik. It is on this day
that Lord Krishna returns from Pragyotishpur (Nepal) completing
a journey where he killed the demon king Narakasur, freed
16,000 daughters of the gods in the king’s harem and reclaimed
the Mother Goddess, Aditi’s earrings. To prove he was victorious
in killing the demon, Lord Krishna returned home with the king’s
blood smeared on his forehead. To cleanse the blood and restore
overall cleanliness, the womenfolk bathed the Lord in scented
oils. Since then, the custom of taking bath before sunrise is
customary in various parts of India, including Maharashtra and
Tamil Nadu.
Many people would wake up very early on the morning of Diwali to
start preparations, pujas and bathing rituals. It is common to
wake up as early as 4:30 am. There is a very interesting story
associated with why it is required to wake up at this time. When
I asked why people wake up so early, this is the following Diwali
story that was related to me:
"There was an evil person roaming a forest who needed to be
destroyed, but could only be destroyed by the powerful God,
Krishna. These evil beings were preventing all the people from
worshiping God (especially Shiva and Vishnu). So, Krishna was
asked to destroy this being named Nagaswaram. This being has
many powers. He can change his shape and size at will to trick all
the people. It is said that Krishna battled and finally killed
Nagaswaram at 4:30 the morning of Diwali, hence it is auspicious
to celebrate the 'new life' and the free life to worship God at
this time. It also brings very good luck to people to be dressed
and ready by sunrise. Some relate taking an oil bath to cleasing
yourself of the 'evil Nagaswaram'. After bathing with water, and
cleasing yourself of the evil Nagaswaram, you are free to pray to
God and live happily.
Immediately after Nagaswaram was destroyed, a new
troublesome beast was found roaming the forest. He was
Surabathman. He also had the power to change his shape and size.
Murugan, the son of Shiva and Parvathi and the brother of
Ganesha, was called to destroy this annoyance to mankind.
Murugan was very brave and strong, but Surabathman was not an
easy beast to beat. As Muragan chops of his head, a new head of
another beast will appear. Like this, six beastly heads appear and
are removed by Murugan until Surabathman' s "human" head is
seen and also destroyed. After this head is destroyed, Murugan is
victorious. It is said, it took six days from the day of Diwali for
Murugan to win this battle, one day for each head to be
decapitated. It is also for these six days that devotees of
Murugan will fast by either only drinking beverages (no alcohol) or
eating only tiffens for lunch and dinner (no non-vegetarian food
allowed). On the sixth day, Murugan devotees
will circle the temple 108 times and break their fast by having a
grand meal. Also, on the day immediately following the death of
Surabathman, Murugan marries his bride, Deivayannai. All these
festivities take place in temples or street processions. I actually
seen this re-enacted on the streets of Kanchipuram. It was a
spectacular sight!"
In South India that victory of the divine over the mundane is
celebrated in a very peculiar way. To re-enact the victory of Lord
Krishna some believers will break melons on the door step of their
homes, representing the head of the demon King. After smashing
the melon, people will smear their foreheads with a mixture of
kumkum powder and oil, which represents the blood Lord Krishna
smeared on his head. Continuing this ritual, many more, including
those who do not break melons, will take an oil bath using sesame
(gingerly) oil with cumin seeds and peppercorns, following up with
a more modern water and soap bath to restore moisture and a
sweet smell to the body.
In Maharashtra also, traditional early baths with oil and "Uptan"
(paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders are a must. All
through the ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers and
fireworks are there in order that the children enjoy bathing.
Afterwards steamed vermicelli with milk and sugar or puffed rice
with curd is served.
On Nakra-Chaturdashi day, people dedicate themselves to lighting
lamps and praying. On this day, people believe that the lighting of
lamps expels ignorance and heralds a future full of joy and
laughter. The story behind this holiday tradition revolves around
King Bali of the nether world. His mighty power had become a
threat to the gods. In order to curb his powers Lord Vishnu in
the guise of a small boy (batu waman) visited him and begged him
to give him as much land as he could cover with his three steps.
Known for his philanthropy, King Bali proudly granted him his wish.
That very moment that small boy transformed himself into the
all-powerful Lord Vishnu. With his first step Lord Vishnu covered
the entire heaven and with the second step he covered the earth.
Before taking the third and final step, Lord Vishnu asked Bali
where he should make his third step. Bali offered his head.
Putting his foot on his head, Vishnu pushed him down to the
underworld.
At the same time for his generosity Lord Vishnu gave him the
lamp of knowledge and allowed him to return to earth once a year
to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance and
spread the radiance of love and wisdom.
Day 3: Lakshmi Puja
The third day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day
of Lakshmi Puja which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of
Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of Chopada
Puja. On this very day sun enters the second course and passes
Libra which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this
design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of
account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day
falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.
The day of Lakshmi Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The
strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the
temples as man is invoking Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous holy
"pouring-in" of his heart. All of a sudden that impenetrable
darkness is pierced by innumerable rays of light for just a
moment and the next moment a blaze of light descends down to
earth from heaven as golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on
earth in all her celestial glory amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. A
living luminance of Universal Motherhood envelopes the entire
world in that blessed moment of fulfillment of a long-awaited
dream of the mortal. A sublime light of knowledge dawns upon
humanity and devotion of man finally conquers ignorance. This self
enlightenment is expressed through the twinkling lamps that
illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the abodes of the
poor. It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks through the
green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and showers her
blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. When the sun sets in
the evening and ceremonial worship is finished all the homemade
sweets are offered to the goddess as naivedya and distributed as
prasad (prasadam). Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged.
On this day gaily dressed men, women and children go to temples
and fairs, visit friends and relatives.
One of the most curious customs which characterizes this
festival of Diwali is the indulgence of gambling, especially on a
large scale in North India. It is believed that goddess Parvati
played dice with her husband, Lord Shiv on this day and she
decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper
throughout the ensuring year. This tradition of playing cards-
flush and rummy with stakes on this particular day continues even
today.
On this Diwali day, we light lamps to commemorate the sacred
memories of those great men who lived to brighten the lives of
millions of their fellow beings:
● Lord Shri Krishna around whom revolved the entire story of our
great epic Mahabharat and the philosopher, who preached
Karmayog through his Geeta to Arjun on the battlefield of
Kurukshetra, discarded his body.
● Bhagwan, Mahavir, the Jain prophet also attained nirvana on
this day.
● Swami Ramtirth, the beloved "Ram Badshah" of millions of
Indians was not only born on this day and took both sanyas and
samadhi on this day.
● Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj in 1875 in
Mumbai, with his superb yogic powers freed his soul from his
body and mingled with divinity on this auspicious day of Diwali.
Another very interesting story about this Diwali day is from the
Kathopanishad. In this story, a small boy called Nichiketa believed
that Yam, the god of Death was as black as the dark night of
amavasya. But when he met Yam in person he was puzzled seeing
Yam's calm countenance and dignified stature. Yam explained to
Nichiketa on this Diwali day of amavasya that by only passing
through the darkness of death, man sees the light of highest
wisdom. It is only then only his soul can escape from the bondage
of his mortal frame to mingle with the Supreme Power. It was
then that Nichiketa realized the importance of worldly life and
significance of death. All of Nichiketa's doubts were set to rest
and he whole-heartedly participated in Diwali celebrations.
Day 4: Padwa or Varshapratipada
It is the fourth day that marks the coronation of King
Vikramaditya, initiating Vikram-Samvat from this Padwa day.
Govardhan-Puja is also performed in the North on this day. As per
Vishnu-Puran the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in
honor of Lord Indira, worshiping him after the end of every
monsoon season. However, one particular year the young Krishna
stopped them from offering prayers to Lord Indira. This angered
Lord Indira, who responded by submerging Gokul underwater.
Krishna saved Gokul by lifting up the Govardhan Mountain and
holding it over the people as an umbrella. To commemorate this
day, people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build cow
dung hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them.
On this day in the temples of Mathura and Nathadwara, the
deities are given milk bath, dressed in shining attires with
ornaments of dazzling diamonds, pearls, rubies and other precious
stones. After the prayers are offered, the innumerable varieties
of delicious sweets are ceremoniously raised in the form of a
mountain (known as Annakoot) before the deities as bhog. Only
after this offering, devotees take prasad from the bhog.
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in every Hindu household and her
blessings sought for success and happiness. This day is looked
upon as the most auspicious day to start any new venture. In many
Hindu homes it is a custom for the wife to put the red tilak on
the forehead of her husband, garland him and do his aarthi with a
prayer for his long life. In appreciation of all the tender care
that the wife showers on him, the husband gives her a costly gift.
This Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and devotion between the
wife and husband. On this day newly-married daughters with
their husbands are invited for special meals and given presents.
In olden days brothers went to fetch their sisters from their in-
laws home for this important day.
Day 5: Bhayya- Duj
The fifth and final day of Diwali is known as Bhayya-Duj. It is
also known in Hindi as Bhav-Bij and in Marathi and Nepalese as
Bhai Tika.
Legend says Yamraj, the God of Death visited his sister Yami on
this particular day. She put the auspicious tilak on his forehead,
garlanded him and fed him with special dishes. Together, they ate
the sweets, talked and enjoyed themselves to their heart's
content. While parting Yamraj gave her a special gift as a token
of his love and in return Yami also gave him a lovely gift which she
had made with her own hands. That day Yamraj announced that
anyone who receives tilak from his sister will never be thrown.
That is why this day of Bhayyaduj is also known by the name of
Yama Dwitiya.
Since then this day is being observed as a symbol of love between
sisters and brothers. It became also imperative for the brother
to go to his sister's house to celebrate Bhayyaduj.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
IBM builds BARCODE reader for DNA
Imagine a world where medicine is guaranteed not to cause adverse reactions because it's designed for an individual's DNA.
Imagine a diet tailored to the precise speed of a person's metabolism. Using a little microelectronics, a little physics, and no small dose of biology, IBM has brought that futuristic world a little bit closer.
The DNA Transistor is a project fromIBM Research that aims to advance personalized medicine, by making it simpler (and much cheaper) to read an individual's unique DNA sequence — the special combination of proteins that makes you unlike anyone else.
The technology isn't finished yet, but its potential is tantalizin enough that IBM wanted to share it with the world. And the company claims researchers are making progress.
Essentially a bar code reader for genes, the DNA Transistor is part technique and part device. It consists of a 3-nanometer wide hole, known as a nanopore, in a silicon microchip. A sensor in the pore can read DNA and determine its unique makeup.
The challenge scientists face is controlling the rate at which a strand moves through that nanopore: A DNA molecule needs to spend enough time in it for the sequencing to work. By cycling voltages to the transistor's poles, IBM aims to move the DNA through the nanopore at a consistent rate one nucleotide (molecule of DNA) at a time.
The company's researchers are currently investigating various housings for the pore as well, honing the multilayer (metal and dielectric) nano-structures to move samples through more evenly.
“The technologies that make reading DNA fast, cheap and widely available have the potential to revolutionize bio-medical research and herald an era of personalized medicine,” said IBM research scientist Gustavo Stolovitzky. “Ultimately, it could improve the quality of medical care by identifying patients who will gain the greatest benefit from a particular medicine and those who are most at risk of adverse reaction.”
SOURCE:http://www.foxnews.com
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