Diwali celebrations are fixed for the ‘Amavasya night ‘(New Moon) of the month of Kartika but this Amavasya is not a mathematically counted day.
It is the outcome of the planetary position.
The Zodiac is divided into twelve parts with signs namely, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
The cycle of the Sun’s movement across these signs is the basis for determining Diwali and Holi, the other popular festival of India.
Diwali occurs on the day when the Sun transits from Virgo, the sixth sign, into Libra, the seventh, a planetary position on the night of Kartika Amavasya.
The latter half of the planetary year begins from this Amavasya.
The planetary position on this day determines the prospects of individuals born under this sign and of the societies and nations through the succeeding 12 months. Linked to the arrival of crops which bestow people with buying capacity, Diwali has special meaning for traders.
Therefore, come business communities maintain their books of account from one Diwali to the next.
The Rituals
Lakshmi is unanimously revered as the presiding deity of Diwali.
The Goddess is believed to determine the riches, prosperity, fertility and well-being of people.
In its Gautami-Mahatmya part, the Brahma-Purana perceives her as God’s grace, grace of penance and yajna, one who gives prosperity, fame, popularity, learning, happiness, salvation, forbearance, accomplishment of all desires, quiescence, and all faculties of mind. She is manifest in water, earth, space, light and darkness.
Hence, Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped thrice in Diwali rituals.
Analogous to ‘Kala-Ratri,’ the first night after the Great Deluge when the process of recreation commenced, Diwali begins its rituals with the joint worship of Lakshmi and Ganesh, one representing the primordial energy and the other who channels it into creative process by controlling detriments.
Remover of Obstacles
The image of Ganesh, when accompanied by his consorts Riddhi and Siddhi, has greater auspices.
While Ganesh checks negatives, Riddhi and Siddhi operate and produce results.
This joint worship of Lakshmi-Ganesh is followed by the worship of the nine planets, 64 Yoginis (the manifest forms of primordial energy), 16 mothers, knowledge of architecture, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Then Lakshmi is worshipped independently without Ganesh.
Different from primordial energy, she is now worshipped as the Goddess of riches and abundance.
Hence, before she is worshipped, scriptures prescribe worship of ‘Yaksha Kuber’, the custodian of riches.
Finally, after one has worshipped the means of livelihood, rituals and knowledge, Lakshmi is worshipped again, and this time with the recitation of hymns thrice, three offerings and bowing the head thrice, all symbolic of the belief that the Goddess pervades all three worlds and prayers should reach them all.
Nitin Kumar is the Editor of exoticindia.com. The above article has been reproduced with his permission. Exotic India 2012 ©
