One of the hugely anticipated festivals in India is admittedly the festival of lights. A Hindu celebration that is extolled not just in India but across the globe. With time and advancement in technology, the trend in which we commemorate the gala has also evolved. Ornamented homes, the arrangement of snacks and sweets, trading regards, and Diwali gifts; is the classical exhilaration that unites people mutually. With the progressions in technology, tiresome duties like shopping for home decors, latest dresses and Diwali gifts for family, friends, and relatives have now grown easy; not just that, for your cherished ones living in various cities you can also send Diwali gifts in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, etc. and various other towns via online shopping. This is how we distinguish & commemorate Diwali in modern times.
However, today we will discuss four distinct legends and mythologies that twirl around the festival of lights. The chief days of the festival may fluctuate depending on the precincts and the legends prevailing in those areas.
The stories associated with the celebration are mentioned below;
The Ramayana Myth
Admittedly, this is the most well-known tale regarding Diwali. As per the whimsical story, we discover that ‘Prince Ram’ was ostracized for fourteen long and cruel years, followed by his spouse, ‘Sita’ & sibling ‘Laxman.’ Nevertheless, ‘Sita’ is taken captive by ‘Ravana,’ the emperor of ‘Lanka’ who cheats her in the appearance of a ‘Sadhu’ and brings ‘Sita’ to his kingdom with malicious intentions. Subsequently, ‘Ram’ along with his sibling ‘Laxman’ form a ‘Vaanar sena’ & pursue them to the nation of ‘Lanka.’ Then the famous battle takes place there, and ‘Ram’ successfully defeats ‘Ravana,’ and they retreat triumphantly to the state of ‘Ayodhya’ where they get a vivacious greeting.
The Fall of Narakasur
This is another tale, assumed to set the grounds of this magnificent festival. ‘Narakasur,’ who is the son of ‘Varaha’ (a different avatar of Lord Vishnu) & ‘Bhoomidevi,’ was the emperor of ‘Pragjothispura’ (south Nepal). According to the boon he benefited from, Narakasur owned unconquerable powers at his disposal and long life. Tipsy, with the tremendous power he held, Narakasur captured all the three realms and held 16000 women imprisoned. He formed great devastation in all three domains, to which ‘Lord Indra’ sought shelter in ‘Lord Krishna’ (a different form of Lord Vishnu). ‘Lord Krishna’ understands the complete matter and identifies that ‘Only a woman can kill Narakasur, so he takes wife ‘Satyabhama’ (‘Bhoomidevi’ reincarnated) along with him. ‘Lord Krishna’ first crushes ‘Mura,’ who was the general of ‘Narakasur’s’ troops. Therefore ‘Lord Krishna’ is also identified as ‘Murari.’ With the support of ‘Satyabhama,’ he conquers ‘Narakasur’ & delivers the 16000 women from bondage, and to revive their honor, marry’s all of them, hence receiving 16000 wives. It is also assumed that before ‘Narakasur’ perished, he requested a blessing where his death be commemorated with great delight on earth. Hence, the festival of Diwali is celebrated from then onwards each year.
The defeat of King Bali
King Bali was a remarkably powerful emperor who beat Lord Indra, who is the King of all devas, by which Lord Indra was extremely discouraged. Against this, ‘Aditi,’ mother of Lord Indra, met ‘Lord Vishnu’ and urged him to do something regarding the situation. Since King Bali was a demon, he couldn’t be a ruler of heaven. So Lord Vishnu assumed the form of ‘Vamana’ and requested three strides of land from the Demon King, to which the King consented, contemplating how tiny space he had been requested for. Subsequent to the agreement, Lord Vishnu unveiled himself in his ‘Trivikrama form’ and turned so huge that his initial step embraced the whole earth. The following step comprised the cosmos as a whole. The Demon King was a big follower of Lord Vishnu and a man of his word. When he was asked by Lord Vishnu, “Where do I place my third step?” the Demon King extended his head. Then Lord Vishnu descended on his head, and he was shoved into the underworld, and all devas were reestablished to their areas in heaven, respectively.
Lord Mahavir Achieves Nirvana
As per the Jain manuscripts, Lord Mahavir, the twenty-fourth & final ‘Tirthankara,’ and the mentor who taught the ‘Dharma,’ achieved ‘Nirvana’ (Moksha) on this propitious day. Following that, his spirit is assumed to have obtained the most purified form.