Diwali

It is s extremely important to keep the house spotlessly clean and pure on Diwali. Goddess Lakshmi likes cleanliness, and she will visit the cleanest house first. This is also the reason why the broom is worshipped on this day with offerings of haldi and kumkum (turmeric and vermilion). Lamps are lit in the evening to welcome the goddess. They are believed to light up Her path.



In Diwali pujan or Laxmi pooja mainly Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi in her three forms are worshipped.
Lord Ganesha -is worshipped at the beginning of every auspicious act as Vighnaharta; Goddess Lakshmi - is worshipped in her three forms - Mahalakshmi (the goddess of wealth and money), Mahasaraswati (the goddess of books and learning), and Mahakali; Kuber (the treasurer of the gods) is also worshipped.
On a raised platform spread a new cloth.
Place a handful of grains in the centre and, on this, place a kalash, lotta (pitcher). Fill three-fourth of the kalash with water and place a betel nut, a flower, a coin, and some rice grains in it. Arrange five kinds of leaves or mango leaves in the kalash .
Place a small dish on the kalash and fill it with rice grains. Draw a lotus with turmeric powder ( haldi ) over the rice grains and place the idol of goddess Lakshmi over it, along with coins.
In front of the kalash , on the right (South-West direction), place the idol of Ganesha. Also place ink and books related to your business or occupation on the platform.
Light a deepak (lamp) and the Agarbatti (incense sticks) begin the puja by offering haldi, kumkum , and flowers to the platform on which the kalash is placed.
Sprinkle this water on all puja utensils to purify them.
Make a Panchamitra with 5 ingredients of milk, curd, ghee(clarified butter), sugar & Honey.
Start with Ganesh Pujan (Ganeshji are a must for Diwali pujan. Ganeshji should be worshipped in all pujas before any other god or goddess. He is the Lord of Wisdom and the remover of obstacles.) by reciting Ganesh Mantras and Ganesh aarti. Offer a garland to the god. Offer flowers and make an offering of sweets, coconut and fruits.
Now invoke goddess Laxmi by reciting the Laxmi mantras.Then offer the flowers to the idol.
Place the idol of Lakshmi in a plate and bathe it with water, panchamrit and then with water containing some gold ornament or a pearl. Wipe the idol clean and place it back on the kalash . Alternately, you can just sprinkle water and panchamrit on the idol with a flower.
Offer sandal paste, haldi, kumkum, to the goddess. Offer a garland to the goddess. Offer flowers and make an offering of sweets, coconut and fruits.
Then worship the ink and business books. Open the first page of each book and write '' Shubha Labh '' on it and draw a Swastika in the clockwise direction.
Wash all your gold and silver coins with water, panchamrit and then with water
Make an offering of puffed rice and sweets to the Gods.

now read the following kathas



The Story of Rama and Sita:

In the north, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and the surrounding areas, Diwali is the day when King Rama`s coronation was celebrated in Ayodhya after his epic war with Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Lord Rama was a great warrior King who was exiled by his father Dashratha, the King of Ayodhya, along with his wife Sita and his younger brother Lakshman, on his wife's insistence. Lord Rama returned to his Kingdom Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, in which he put an end to the demon Ravana of Lanka, who was a great Pundit, highly learned but still evil dominated his mind. After this victory of Good over Evil, Rama returned to Ayodhya. In Ayodhya, the people welcomed them by lighting rows of clay lamps. So, it is an occasion in honor of Rama's victory over Ravana; of Truth's victory over Evil.

The Story of King Bali and Vamana Avatar(the Dwarf):

The other story concerns King Bali, who was a generous ruler. But he was also very ambitious. Some of the Gods pleaded Vishnu to check King Bali's power. Vishnu came to earth in the form of a Vamana(dwarf) dressed as priest. The dwarf approached King Bali and said "You are the ruler of the three worlds: the Earth, the world above the skies and the underworld. Would you give me the space that I could cover with three strides?" King Bali laughed. Surely a dwarf could not cover much ground, thought the King, who agreed to dwarf's request. At this point, the dwarf changed into Vishnu and his three strides covered the Earth, the Skies and the whole Universe! King Bali was send to the underworld. As part of Diwali celebrations, some Hindus remember King Bali.

The Story of Narakasura :

Another legend talks about the Demon named Narakasur who had managed to acquire such awesome powers that he began to terrorize the three worlds. He was killed and defeated by Lord Krishna. As a symbol of that victory Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with the demon king's blood. Krishna returned home early morning on the day of Narakachaturdashi. The womenfolk massaged scented oil on his body and gave him a bath to wash away the demon’s blood. Since then the custom of taking an oil bath before sunrise on this day has become a traditional practice especially in Maharashtra and in the South.

The Story of Goddess Lakshmi :

On this day Mother Lakshmi emerged from the ocean of milk called the Ksheer Sagar. She brought with Her wealth and prosperity for mankind. On that day, Lakshmi Pooja was performed to honour Her and as such, every year on Diwali day, Hindus perform Her prayer and worship. The making and distribution of various sweets and total vegetarian foods are the order of the day. This practice is alive and well to this very day. Many people believe that Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and good fortune, visit the homes of devotees on this day. Worship of Lakshmi is performed in the evening.
Finally, perform the aarti of laxmi and also om jaya jagadish hare aarthi

At the end distribute the prasad to all members present and then have some for yourself.
Now light the lamps and candles all around the house. No corner of the house should be left in darkness.
(Note : Donot light the diyas before puja.)

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