"Diwali (also called Deepavali) is the one Hindu festival that unites the whole of India. It is traditionally known as the "festival of lights", for the common practice is to light small oil lamps (called diyas) and place them around the home, in courtyards, gardens, verandas, on the walls built around the home and also on the roof tops. The celebration of the festival is customarily accompanied by the exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks. Diwali is an occasion for cheerfulness and togetherness. This is an occasion for young and the old, men and women, rich and poor - for everyone to celebrate. Irrespective of their religious and economic background, the festival is celebrated throughout the country to ward off the darkness and welcome light into life as light is always associated with hope for the future"
~ From "Rainbow Bridge"
From the very name of today's festival - Deepavali, it can be inferred that the Divine effulgence is manifest in it. Deepavali means "the array of lights." "Tamaso maa jyotir gamaya" (Lead me from darkness to light) is an Upanishadic prayer. This means that where there is darkness light is needed. What is this darkness? Sorrow is one form of darkness. Lack of peace is another. Disappointment is one form of darkness. Lack of enthusiasm is yet another. All these are different forms of darkness. To get rid of the darkness of sorrow, you have to light the lamp of happiness. To dispel the darkness of disease, you have to install the light of health. To get over the darkness of losses and failures, you have to usher in the light of prosperity.
~ Sai Baba
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