Diwali & stories..
>> Friday, October 16, 2009
May this Diwali bring loads happiness, growth and success. Wish you and your family a HAPPY DIWALI. Have a safe and pollution free Diwali.Here is something about the origin of Diwali. Enjoy Reading..
The Origin of Diwali.
The origins of Diwali lie in ancient India as a festival celebrated after an important harvest. It was a good time for the cultivators to celebrate. The granaries were full at the end of a long monsoon, and winter was still to come. They paid off their debts, celebrated and started afresh.
Gradually, the cultivators became landowners and traders and Diwali became a time for them to change their annual accounting books. Their new year started with Diwali. This is the reason why Diwali is also the festival of Goddess Lakshmi, who personifies prosperity and wealth. Lakshmi pujas are held in most Hindu homes, especially in the north…
The legend of Dhanavantari: physician of gods
According to mythology he was the physician of the gods who is believed to have emerged with a pot of 'amrit' (nectar) during the 'samudra manthan' or the churning of the ocean, when the gods and the demons fought with each other. It is also believed that Lakshmi emerged from the churning of the ocean and, therefore, her worship forms a big part of the Diwali celebrations.
South India:
the myth of Narasimha In South India, the story linked to Diwali is that of Narasimha, the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu, who is known as the God of Preservation among the Hindu Trinity that is made up of Brahma (the God of Creation) and Shiva (the God of Destruction).
According to legend, Vishnu incarnates himself as Narasimha (man-lion) to rid the earth of an evil king Hiranyakshipu. The king had received a boon from Brahma that he could not be conquered by either god or human for the simple reason that he could be killed neither by beast nor man, neither inside nor outside, neither during the day nor at night.
When Hiranyakshipu's atrocities became unbearable, the gods turned to Vishnu for help. Vishnu reincarnated himself as Narasimha, half man and half lion and, therefore, neither man nor beast.
As Narasimha, he killed Hiranyakshipu with his claws at the threshold (which is neither inside nor outside), and just before daybreak (a time when it is neither day nor night). That way he managed to get around the boon given to the king.
Source: Pitara.com
