Diwali message from Sudarshan Bandu – President of the Estcourt Hindu Cultural Society

One of the most loved, enchanting and popular celebrations amongst the Hindus is the Festival of Lights – Diwali also called Deepavali. This festival does not only unify the Hindus of all castes and nationalities, but in reality blankets the whole world with the feeling and thoughts of goodwill, love, brotherhood and charity.

This festival with its sanctity, splendour, rejoicing and festivity has tremendous significance because Deepavali is a celebration of light and life. The external ethics of Deepavali heralding in happiness, stability and security, peace and prosperity, is profoundly meaningful to our world. The festival marks the victory of good over evil, of light over darkness, from untruth to truth from ignorance to knowledge and from bondage to liberty. The emancipation of man symbolically represented in the vanquishing of Ravana by Lord Rama is symbolic of the triumph of good over evil.

Diwali commemorates the home coming of goodwill and faith of Lord Rama after a 14-year long exile. In joyous celebration of the return of their King, the people of Ayodhya, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas and by bursting fireworks. The celebration is marked by illumination everywhere with rows of lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil, within every human being, the triumph of light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance.

The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolises our vaasanas or negative tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the vaasanas get slowly exhausted and the ego too, finally perishes. Whilst the upward movement of the flame beckons man to pursue the road to progress and urges him to ascend spiritually through sacrifice and service to mankind. The clay lamp burning with ease and grace equally brilliant whether in a hut or bungalow imparts the lesson that all humans are born equal, irrespective of their colour or creed. The lamp is a reminder for the upliftment of the individual, free of linguistic, social, cultural, religious, political and other dividing influences that separates us from one another.

The significant spiritual meaning is the awareness of the inner light. “The celebration of Diwali is the victory of good over evil” refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance, the ignorance that masks ones true nature not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awaking comes universal compassion, love and the awareness of oneness of all things. This brings Ananda (inner joy or peace).
May the festival of lights continue to transcend barriers in the true spirit of Lord Rama and mother Sitha and that this auspicious occasion will be celebrated with joy, fervour and gaiety by the young and old, rich and poor in a symbolic gesture of overcoming darkness with light and out flanking evil with goodness of human kind. May the fullness of God permeate in our very being so that we dispel all hatred, jealousy and negativity within us so we could achieve unity in diversity, reconciliation, nation building and peace.

Let us pray and hope that the light of Deepavali will illuminate our hearts and rekindle the divine spiritual spark within us. In the life of Lord Rama each facet of human personality is seen projected to absolute perfection.
Therefore one must be imbued with a definite conviction about the supremacy of moral principles, ethical values and spiritual ideals. These ought to guide ones day to day actions and serve as a powerful means for the culture of the human personality. Let us all strive to imbibe and possess the virtuous qualities that are extolled in the Ramayana and exemplified in the life of Lord Rama.

On behalf of the officials and members of the Estcourt Hindu Cultural Society, may I take this opportunity of conveying my heartfelt wishes to all Hindus for a prosperous and joyous Diwali, may the loving Lord light up the lives of all human beings with peace, prosperity, harmony and happiness.