Acharya Tulsi
Every festival has its own tradition. The tradition may be social, religious or national. The history of certain festivals is similar. Some festivals are prevalent in the form of a myth. Every festival must have begun for a particular objective, but in course of time the original purpose is lost sight of, and it becomes a mere ritual. Those who follow the beaten track cannot even imagine when and how the festival cherished by them originated and how it developed later. ln today's scientific age, many festivals are celebrated whose significance is lost for ever and which have no relevance to the present.
Dipawali is the festival of light. Light within and without. One may or may not seek light within oneself, but outward light manifests itself in various colours on this occasion. Light is a symbol of joy. Thus, Dipawali is looked upon as a festival of joy. On the following day, the process of mutual goodwill continues with great enthusiasm. On meeting friends and relatives, the Sanatanis say "Rama-Shayama“, and the Jains say, "Jai Jinendra.“ “(Homage to Jinendra, the Knower"). Why do they greet one another like that? What do these words imply’? Many people have never cared to go into this.
Dipawali is also considered to be a festival of purfication. On this occasion, the dirt accumulated in the house, the shop, or the office during the year, is cleaned out, the utensils are polished, and figures drawn with coloured powder on the walls and floors of the house. And much else is done. However, besides this outward decoration, no living tradition exists of giving thought to the process of» life-purification. On the individual level, some persons undertake fasts, do jap, or dhyana, etc. But there is no established rite, such as the tradition of lighting lamps or that of whitewashing the house. Pyrotechnics seems to have supplanted the awaken- of light within and outward dusting and cleaning and formal relationships 'have replaced inner purification.
Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth, is worshipped on the Dipawali night. The objective is the acquisition of wealth and prosperity. Whether any individual has become prosperous as a result of this worship, is not known. But on this day many people keep the doors of their houses open so that if the goddess of wealth comes, she might not go back on finding the door closed. Those who begin their new ledgers on the Dipawali day, write on the first page:"O Goddess, give us wealth such as Gautam Swami had, and prosperity like that of Dhanna Shalibhadra. To worship Laxmi, Ganesh or any other god like that amounts to mere continuation of a meaningless ritual.
lf we consider the various concepts prevalent in connection with Depawali, it appears that the names of many great men are associated with it. According to a Jain tradition, the 24thTirthnakar Lord Mahavir is connected with it. The day of amavasya in the month of Kartik is the day of Lord Mahavir‘s liberation. The pitch dark of the amavasya night tallies with the dark hour of the Tirthanker’s final liberation. There was total darkness within and without. At such a time a flame bursts which lights the whole world. The talk of such illumination is not a matter of meretradition or imagination. It is solidly based on the Agamas. The fourth chapter of Sthanang Sutra mentions four occasions on which the whole world is lightened up:
- At the time of the birth of an Arhat
- At the time of an Arhat’s renunciation
- At the time of an Arhat’s enlightenment
- At the time of an Arhat’s final beatitude
Lord Mahavir attained final beatitude on the night of Amavasya in the month of Kartik. At that time, even the gods illuminated the entire sky with gems. All darkness was gone. The sky was radiant with a divine light and splendour. Human beings on earth imitated the gods. Instead of gems, they lighted diyas(earthen lamps). Even after a long period of 2500 years, long rows of gleaming diyas are found to give meaning to the word 'Dipawali' the festival of light. Although in the cities, electric bulbs have supplanted the charming earthen diyas and the pretty concept of lighting one diya with another, to place these lights on the parapets, and enthusiasm to illumine the mind along with the illumination of the house, have grown rather obsolete, still such a deal of tradition attaches to Dipawali that the festival has come to stay and must be celebrated any how.
Depawali is a symbol of cultural awareness. It is a source of good and pure entertainment. To that extent, the celebration of the festival remains significant. But has the great extravagance displayed on this occasion any virtue whatsoever? On the one hand, we have increasing poverty in the country-millions of people have to go without a full meal: on the other hand we have such exhibition of wealth: It constitutes in itself a great incongruity of life 2 Any display of fireworks is in- itself an extravagance. Also consider the enormous loss of property incurred in cases of fire on this occasion. People indulging in such a display are lowering the cultural importance of Dipawali. There is also the tradition of gambling on the occasion of Dipawali, which could not be said to be desirable from any point of—view.
It is wrong of man to seek momentary pleasure in displays of fire-works, and in gambling, etc. A still greater wrong is that no voice is being raised against this extravagance from any quarter. The newspapers, the radio, the T.V. are all silent on this issue. Even the voice of religious teachers and social reformers is quiescent. If a voice is heard today, it is that of politics. The rest is silence, an uneasy calm. There is need to explode this unnatural quietude and to speak aloud, the traditions obstructing social and national progress should be changed and such lamps lighted as would remove the darkness of the mind. Only such a Dipawali is relevant today and its will be relevant in the ages to come.
