The word “Diwali” means an arrangement or a row of lights. Traditionally, Diwali is celebrated on the darkest night of the year, when the necessity and the beauty of lights can be truly appreciated. Light is a symbol in the world’s religions for God, truth, and wisdom.
Given the antiquity of India, the diversity of its religious traditions, and the interaction among these, it should not surprise us to know that many religious communities celebrate Diwali. Each one offers a distinctive reason for the celebration that enriches its meaning. For every community, however, Diwali celebrates and affirms hope and the triumph of goodness and justice over evil and injustice. These values define the meaning of Diwali.
For the Jains, Diwali is celebrated as the joyous day on which Mahavir, the great Jain teacher, attained the eternal joy of liberation or nirvana. It is an occasion for rejoicing and gratitude for a life spent in rigorous religious search, realization, and teaching centered on non-violence.
For the Sikhs, Diwali is a “day of freedom,” marking the release of the sixth Sikh Guru, Hargobind, from prison by the Mughal Emperor Jehangir. Guru Hargobind refused to accept his freedom unless the emperor also released detained Hindu leaders. He is celebrated as one who saw his own religious freedom as inseparable from the freedom of others.
Even within the Hindu community, there is a confluence of many traditions connected with Diwali. Some celebrate Diwali as ushering in the New Year, while others commemorate the triumph of Krishna over the evil Narakasura. The most widely shared tradition, especially in North India, associates Diwali with the celebration and rejoicing over the return of Rama to his home in Ayodhya after an exile of 14 years and his defeat of the tyrant Ravana.
Rama was forced into exile due to the greed of his stepmother, who wanted her own son to occupy the throne of Ayodhya. The citizens of Ayodhya joyfully welcomed Rama home by lighting thousands of earthen lamps—continuing a tradition followed by almost one billion Hindus across Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas, and Europe. Hindus worship Rama as an embodiment of God on earth.
However, the meaning of Diwali is not limited to the celebration of Rama’s return from exile, and we must look beyond this event. In his 15th-century version of the Ramayana—the life story of Rama—the poet Tulasidasa reveals that Rama’s return ushered in a new human community in which all enjoyed peace and prosperity.
Tulasidasa beautifully describes four important features of this new community, which have profound contemporary relevance:
1. Poverty was overcome, and no one suffered from a lack of life’s necessities.
2. Illiteracy was overcome, with opportunities for learning available to everyone.
3. Diseases were overcome, with no one dying prematurely, and all living healthy lives.
4. Violence and hate were overcome, with relationships characterized by love and service.
It is easy and tempting to think that Rama, as the embodiment of God on earth, brought about this transformation miraculously. If this were true, we could celebrate Diwali as an isolated event and wait passively until it returns next year.
However, such a view does not accurately represent Rama’s nature or his mode of action. Throughout the Ramayana, Tulasidasa portrays Rama as seeking the help of human beings and fulfilling his purposes only through their cooperation. He asks Valmiki for assistance in finding a place to build a home; he looks to forest dwellers for guidance; he befriends Sugriva and his supporters to locate his beloved Sita; he sends Hanuman across the ocean to find and comfort Sita; and he builds a bridge to Sri Lanka with the help of many, including even the animals of the earth.
This leads us to two important and challenging theological conclusions.
First, a human community that aspires to be free from poverty, illiteracy, disease, and violence aligns itself with God’s purpose. This is the kind of community Rama wills and governed after his return. Therefore, one cannot truly love Rama and remain indifferent to human suffering or the nature of their community.
Second, God’s purposes are accomplished through and with human cooperation. We hold a vital role and responsibility in making this ideal community a reality. It will not be realized without our active commitment and cooperation.
We cannot celebrate Diwali as the return of Rama without being concerned about ongoing issues like poverty, illiteracy, disease, and violence in our world. If God’s purpose is fulfilled through us, then this work requires our cooperation with one another.
Our hope is not in solitary effort but in working alongside others, as Rama did. While we may not all agree on the precise paths to overcome these challenges, reaching consensus on these shared goals is a significant step toward common life and religious understanding.
If working with others to overcome poverty, illiteracy, disease, and violence defines what it means to be political, then contemporary Hindus bear a deep religious responsibility to be politically engaged. At the heart of this engagement must be a concern for the well-being of all.
Hindus worldwide—whether in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, or the Caribbean—should be known for their commitment to overcoming suffering rooted in poverty, illiteracy, disease, and violence. This commitment should become synonymous with Hindu identity, both in self-understanding and in the eyes of others.
Mahatma Gandhi famously said that politics concerns the well-being of human communities and that anything concerning human well-being must involve the person of religious commitment. Gandhi was deeply inspired by Rama’s life and especially by the nature of the community established after Rama’s return from exile. He dedicated his life to working alongside others to realize this vision.
Unfortunately, religious traditions today are often known more for what they oppose than what they stand for. Religious identities can become defined by negativity rather than positivity.
We must ensure that the positive dimensions of our commitments shine brighter than the negative. Let us celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, with joy and hope. But each celebration should also serve as a reminder and renewal of our profound obligations to bring the lights of prosperity, knowledge, health, and peace to our communities, nations, and the world.
Diwali does not end when the lights go out.
https://nycreligion.info/diwali-oct-18-oct-22-846-am-oped-celebration-should-not-end-when-the-lights-go-out/
