Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara – What an amazing message behind this great festival! Bhooma Devi prays, “Even if my son dies and I suffer, the whole world should be happy (Loka Kshemam)”. Who will have this magnanimous thought? Sri Periyava explains all beautifully. Enjoy! Ram Ram.
Source: kAnchi mahAsvAmigaLin aruLvAkku v03-pp.136-140, Kanchi Periyava Forum
Compiler: VAnati A. TirunAvukkarasu
Translator: Saidevo
There are many books that do jnAnopadesham–teach about true knowledge. More than all of them, a visheSham–distinction has arisen for the bhagavad gitA.
At the next kShaNam–moment after this kShaNam when the bhagavad gitA upadesham takes place, no one knows whose hand is going to remain, whose head or life. It was a time when nothing could be said with certainty: if Arjuna is going to survive or even KRShNa is going to survive.
Even if we get two minutes before our soul departs, within that time we can get to understand jnAnam–true knowledge, and do-parishuddham–purify our Atman.
The jnAnopadesham took place because it was important to get jnAnam even if the soul is to depart (in a man); and that took place in raNakaLam–battlefield. That is why so much khyAti–high opinion and fame, for the gItA.
To that bhagavad gItA, dIpAvaLi is tambi–(Tam)younger brother. Just as bhagavad gItA is more renowned than all others, in the same way, the dIpAvaLi festival has attained more khyAti than all other festivals.
It is only dIpAvaLi that all our country over, is celebrated by people of all jAtis–castes and matas–religions.
Except the matas that came from other countries, even the people of the buddha, jaina matas, which were born in our country, celebrate the dIpAvaLi.
Whatever is the manner the festival is celebrated, to all those who reside in the North and South, the day of dIpAvaLi is one and the same.
In the desham–country known (today) as AssAm, in a nagaram–city called prAg-jyotiSha-puram, there was a man called Bauman. Only to him is the name NarakAsura.
He was indulging in akramam–evil deeds, towards people like strIs–women and sAdhus–sages.
Although he was one who had done aneka tapas–several penances, obtaining tAmasa varas–boons characterised by the quality of ignorance, he was doing-hiMsa–injuring, to everyone.
Building many forts such as the fort of agni–fire and the fort of vAyu–wind (for his protection), and doing mahA hiMsa–great injury, he remained as loka kaNTaka–one vexed by the world.
SvAmi himself (shrI KRShNa) took avatar, adopted many yuktis–artifices/devices, and did-saMhAra-of–destroyed him, although he had built up many bandobusts–safety measurements for him.
When the saMhAram took place, bhUmi devI who was his mother, did-prArthana–prayed to BhagavAn.
There is no greater shokam–sorrow than putra shokam–loss of son, for women.
If the bhartA–husband passes away, for many reasons such as–‘the saukaryas–comforts I had till now is gone; who would do-rakSha–protect me; in the absence of bhartA, it would not be possible for me to perform many things! and this would become like an apashakunam–bad omen!’,–much grief could pile up for strIs–women. For such duHkham–grief, some selfishness is (also) the reason.
But then in the viShayam–case of putra–son, it is not so. Depending on how much older the son gets, to that extent mAtA‘s–mother’s duHkha increases by his loss (if the son predeceases her).
NarakAsura has been ruling all along as the chakravartin–emperor of the world. Thus, one who has been doing rAjya paripAlanam–administration of country, as ekachakrAdhipati–single emperor, has been destroyed by BhagavAn–such duHkham–grief did not arise at that time in that mother.
Instead of thinking that her son was lost, thinking:
‘To him mokSham–liberation resulted at the hands of BhagavAn! To him was given the bhAgyam–fortune of seeing BhagavAn in person! Only by doing great tapas should BhagavAn be seen? With no such tapas he got this bhAgyam!’
She had been praying:
‘That my son is gone be on one side. By the duHkham of losing my son happening to me, no duHkham should arise for the people in the world. On this day my son was gone, everyone should celebrate it with sesame oil bath, wearing new clothes and with a good feast!’
Like BhagavAn did gItopadesham in the raNakaLam–battlefield, when this woman was weeping in putra shokam–grief due to loss of son, she has sought kShemam–welfare (for the world)!
‘All the people in the town are in welfare; all their sons are doing fine! Whereas our son is such!’–except that such thoughts would arise in us, ‘Let our son go astray. May the sons of people of the town be happy’–would such thinking come to us?
It has come for the mother of NarakAsura. That is why we celebrate dIpAvali.
Instead of dismissing it as some PurANa story, doing-rakShaNam–nourishing it, for generations together, people of our country have been celebrating the dIpAvaLi festival; what is the use?
What is the Atma lAbham–profit for the soul, we get by this paNDikai–(Tam) festival?
‘Because we suffer, may the others too suffer, may the world suffer’–such a thought should not come to us. We should develop the mental frame of thinking ‘may the world be in kShemam–welfare, even if we suffer’–This is the use of celebrating dIpAvaLi; this is the nIti–moral that the dIpAvaLi festival teaches us.
Our sukha-duHkhas–comfort and grief, are there forever. Instead of thinking about their volume, if by us to some extent saMtoSham–satisfaction, sukham–comfort would arise for the world, to get the mental frame of praying for it, is what the dIpAvaLi festival teaches us.
The text tulA mAsa mahAtmiyam in the adhyAyam–chapter it speaks about dIpAvaLi says taile lakShmIH jale gangA–goddess LakShmI resides in the sesame oil and goddess GangA in water.
That PurANam says that in places where the GangA river is not there, taking sesame oil bath in warm water at whatever place would fetch the puNyam–merit of doing gangA snAnam–bathing in the GangA river.
On this day of dIpAvaLi, instead of considering ‘this is our kaShTam–difficulty, our duHkham–sorrow’, let us do-prArthana–pray for the welfare of the world.
Categories: Deivathin Kural
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