All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Sharpshot Nature .Com 02341-tod-041364 Pumpkin

Pumpkin

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2022-10-31 02341-tod-041364 Pumpkin

Canon PowerShot – ƒ/5 1/50 12.369mm ISO125 – Ada, MN

Source: Sharpshot Nature .Com 02341-tod-041364 Pumpkin

Let’s Light A Diya This Diwali  – Kaushal Kishore

 

Diwali, the festival of lights, shines as one of India’s most vibrant and cherished celebrations. Also known as Deepavali, it fills the world with a sense of joy, hope, and victory, symbolising the spiritual triumph of light over darkness, goodness over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

This festival commemorates Lord Rama’s return to his kingdom of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile and his victory over Ravana in Lanka. Just yesterday, Ayodhya’s banks along the Saryu River glowed with the light of 2.8 million earthen lamps (diyas) 🪔 as part of the Diwali festivities.

Diwali also marks the day when Lord Krishna was supposed to have slain the demon Narakasur, one who was causing hell to everyone. People celebrated the occasion by lighting lamps in every house. Crackers are burst to ward off evil forces.

Diwali’s vibrant traditions include:

1. Lighting diyas, candles, and fireworks to dispel darkness.

2. Decorating homes with colorful rangolis, flowers, and lights.

3. Exchanging gifts, sweets, and warm wishes.

4. Worshiping deities, especially Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits houses to bless her devotees with prosperity.

5. Family gatherings, feasts, and cultural events.

The celebration is not only about lighting lamps outside; it is about kindling an inner light. A person doesn’t need to seek light from elsewhere. By simply dispelling the darkness they’ve let gather within, light will naturally arise.

Diwali symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. This is why we offer prayers—

असतो मा सद्गमय ।

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।

मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय ।

asato mā sadgamaya

tamasomā jyotir gamaya

mrityormāamritam gamaya

Lead me from the unreal to the real

Lead me from darkness to light

Lead me from death to immortality

Diwali, the festival of Diyas🪔🪔 celebrates the spirit of giving, as “Diya🪔” in Hindi means “to give.” And what greater gift can we offer than to say“I accept you as you are.”

Let us light a Diya🪔 to bring warmth and brightness to lives around us, and a Diya 🪔 for those in need of its light.

So here is a poem:

Let’s Light A Diya This Diwali 

Let’s light a Diya to illuminate the depths within,

And another to revive what once had been…

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Let’s light a Diya to blur the boundary of yours and mine,

And a Diya that promises dawn after sun’s decline…

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Let’s illuminate a Diya for homes lacking light’s embrace,

And another for Diya vendors, unable to light their own space…

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Let’s kindle a Diya for soldiers on distant lands,

And a Diya for those who serve with unseen hands…

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Let’s light a Diya for the weary, their courage torn apart,

And a guiding light for the lost, to mend the heart…

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Like a lone flame or a firefly’s gleam in night’s cloak,

Let’s scatter light where darkness may provoke…

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May this festival of lights fill our lives and the world with joy and celebration.

Wish you all a very Happy Diwali

🪔🎇🪔🙏🪔✨🪔

–Kaushal Kishore

Source: Let’s Light A Diya This Diwali  – Kaushal Kishore