Tradition of Diwali Lamps

Diwali without diyas is an unimaginable scenario. Diyas form an indispensable part of the Diwali celebrations.

Deepavali literally means, a row of lights. Little, colorful diyas laid out in rows, till today, adorn every house on Deepavali day. Upholding the true values of life they teach us that even a single diya is capable of fighting darkness (read ignorance) and spreading light (read enlightenment).

While traditionally, people placed earthen lamps, filled with oil/ghee and a cotton wick, now modernity has taken over in many ways. Today people prefer colorful oil lamps, scented candles, decorative lights, and decorative diyas. These days, it is also a common sight to see, electric lights of different shapes and sizes shining during the cold nights of Diwali.

There are various legends of

Hindu mythology

that support this idea of lamp lighting. In North India, the legend speaks about the homecoming of Lord Rama after fourteen years of exile and thus people celebrate the return of their KING by lighting lamps in his honor.

In South India, another tale talks about Goddess Durga’s triumph over the devil Mahishasur.

Another popular ideology is that since Diwali falls on the Amavasya day, which is the no moon day, that day would be the best day to light innumerable lamps to wade off the darkness.

However, there is much more significance that is attached to the diya. We generally light the diya once every morning and in the evening, this is a regular ritual that signifies the surrendering of one’s soul to the Supreme Almighty.

The oil in the diya stands for greed, jealousy, hatred, and cruelty that human beings tend to engulf in their life. The cotton wick signifies the aatman. Thus, the diya signifies the ideology that once the aatman burns, that is, it fights through the problems of life, it emits light which denotes enlightenment.

The diya also represents the removal of darkness (ignorance) by spreading of light (knowledge).

The following mantra suggests the path that we should adopt to attain peace, calmness, and knowledge, thereby highlighting the importance of the diya (light):

Asato maa sad-gamaya (Lead us from Untruth to Truth)

Tamaso maa jyotir-gamaya (From Darkness to Light)

Mrityor-maa-mritan gamaya (From Death to Immortality)

Om shaanti shaanti shaanti (Om peace, peace)

Thus, don’t treat the Diwali diya just like a mere decorative showpiece. But treat it like a medium that helps you shed materialistic desires, helps you fight ignorance and leads you to the path of supreme spirituality.