Hi- I found this interesting and hence sharing. Not sure of the authenticity as it is from an email forward. Happy Deepavali to all MS ians
# Birthday of Goddess Laxmi the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi who is said to have risen during the Samudra manthan or churning of the ocean during which a host of divine celestial objects came up. Lakshmi the daughter of the king of the milky ocean arose on the new moon day or amaavasyaa of the Kartik month.Subsequently married to Lord Vishnu on the same darkest night of the year when brilliant lamps were illuminated and placed in rows to mark this holy occassion.
# The Legend of King Mahabali When Lord Vishnu in the guise of Vamana sought three feet of land from the generous demon king Bali the latter had to surrender his head as Vamana had conquered the earth and the sky in two strides. Lord Vishnu banishes Bali into the Pathala Loka by keeping his third stride on Bali's head. Later pleased by his generosity Lord Vishnu grants him a boon and he in turn requests the Lord to guard his palace at Pathala Loka.
Meanwhile the Goddess is unable to bear the separation and her grief affects the functioning of the entire universe. Brahma and Lord Shiva offer themselves as guards and plead with Bali to relieve Vishnu. So on the Amavasya day Lord Vishnu returns to his abode and Goddess Lakshmi is delighted. It is believed that those who worship Goddess Lakshmi on this day would be bestowed with riches.
# The Killing of Narakasura: The Bhagavata Purana tells us about Narakasura, an evil demon king who had managed to acquire awesome powers. Unrivalled in prowess, he conquered both the heavens and earth and was tyrannical in his reign. Addicted to power, he even stole the earrings of Aditi the heavenly mother goddess and usurped some of her territory. When Lord Vishnu was incarnated as Krishna in the Dwapara Yuga he killed Narakasura on the day preceding Diwali and rescued 16000 women whom the demon had imprisoned in his palace. The deliverance from the terrible Narakasura was celebrated with much grandeur, a tradition that continues to this day
Another version of the story credits Sathyabhama- wife of Lord Krishna as the one who eliminated Narakasura. It is said that Narakasura could only be killed by his mother Bhudevi and as Satyabhama was an incarnation of the same Bhudevi, she only could kill him. Before death, however, Narakasura realized his mistake and requested a boon from Satyabhama that everyone should celebrate his death with colorful lights.
# The Return of the Pandavas The great Hindu epic Mahabharata reveals that it was Kartik Amavashya (the new moon day of the Kartik month) when the Pandavas appeared from their 12 years of banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands of the Kauravas at the game of dice To celebrate the joyous occassion of their return the common people illuminated their state by lighting bright earthen lamps everywhere and the tradition continues to this day.
# The Victory of Rama The great Hindu epic Ramayana describes how Lord Ram conquered Lanka after vanquishing the evil King Ravana and after passing a period of of fourteen years in exile returned to his capital Ayodhya on a new moon day of Kartik .To celebrate the homecoming of their beloved king the people of Ayodhya burst crackers, lit up their houses with earthen lamps and decorated the entire city in the grandest manner. Year after year this homecoming of Lord Rama is commemorated on Diwali with lights, fireworks, bursting of crackers and merriment.
# Coronation of Vikramaditya It is also said that Vikramaditya the legendary Indian king famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity was coroneted on the Diwali day following his victory over the Sakas in 56 BC. This was marked by a grand celebration which is still maintained annually.
#The Enlightenment of Swami Dayananda Saraswati Diwali also marks the auspicious occasion when on a new moon day of Kartik Swami Dayananda Saraswati one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism attained his nirvana or enlightenment and became Maharshi Dayananda . In 1875 Maharshi Dayananda founded the Arya Samaj a Hindu reform movement to purify Hinduism of the many evils it became associated with at that era. Ctd in comments
