Diipavali, is a Festival of Lights. The ancient history of Diipavali was the celebration of the victory of Satyabhama, the wife of Krsna, who saved her kingdom (in his absence) from the evil ruler Narakasura who tried to invade her kingdom while Krnsa was absent. The courageous queen led the troops in a surprise attack on the evening of the new moon and won. Upon her victorious return, the villagers lit the path with lamps made of clay.
However, the true spiritual essence of Diipavali is the internal victory of light over darkness. Light dispels the darkness of ignorance and allows us to find our true path. On the spiritual path, the moment of initiation is called Diiksa – and the first part of the word comes from “Diipani” meaning torchlight because initiation shines a light on the spiritual path and shows us how to move forward.
Here is a song written by the spiritual master Shrii Shrii Annandamurtii for Diipavali, which we will sing together at Morningstar on Thursday. In this song, the mantra is referred to as symbolically – talking about how the Beloved comes into the mind with rhythm, dance and song.