Last evening - 25 November

When I got home yesterday evening, I saw houses with the led lights on their balconies.
First I thought these Diwali lights, then I saw some houses which did not have lights during Diwali now had lights.
Ok, the lights must be for Guru Nanak - i thought.

I have a Sikh family staying near my house, so I wanted to see if they had lights on. No, their house was like any other day.

Then I figured out, yesterday was Tripuri Purnima.

It said that gods goes to sleep for four months,this is the day when they wake. This is why the Autumn Durga Puja is a akal (untimely) puja.

This is also the day when the Gods celebrate Diwali, as this day Shiva had destroyed Tripura with one single arrow. That is another story.

Some say this is the day Kartikeya killed Tarakasura.

In the south here, people will visit Shiva temples, light up their houses and read the Skanda Purana, which the people here called Kathika Puranam.

Deepawali - Day Three of Diwali

There are legends of Deepawali, Legends assocaiated with Kali killing Raktabija, Kali's birth, birth of Lakshmi, marriage of Lakshmi and so on.

Marriage of Lakshmi - Frpm the eighth canto of Shrimad Bhagwad Puran


Goddess Ramaa (Rama or Ramah) appeared , who was the goddess of wealth. Her appearance was a splendour of a thousand bolts of lightning.  Men, gods, and demons at once paid her their worshipful tributes for they knew that a pleased goddess brought mountains of gold and fortune to the devotees. They sought her Grace and glance, for she sparkled with heavenly comeliness, youth, noble conduct, and beautiful complexion. Though she was young, she was mother goddess. Every one of them showered gifts on her, for her grace assured humongous returns. Indra brought her the most beautiful throne.  Ganges was not far behind; she brought what is most sacred to all—that is herself in gold jar for her ablutions. Mother Earth was competing with others and brought herbs for her ablutions.  The cows were thumping and chomping grass to get her out of the way quickly, because they were impatient to get an audience with mother goddess. They brought the most precious products necessary for sacrifice: milk, curds, ghee , cow dung and urine. Spring moved in front of the line with grace, beauty and vernal colours and gave Her leaves, buds, flowers and fruits—a basket of cheer and smiles. The Rishis brought what they knew best: procedures, protocols, rules, injunctions, regulations, and rites that She should  follow in her ablutions. The  Gandharvas (celestial  musicians) next in line saw their chance to goad the Rishis out of their way with their musical instruments, started singing and dancing before their time and drummed the Rishis out of the audience hall; the mother goddess received them with enchanting smiles. The Apsaras came along dancing and singing and enjoyed a second-time audience with Rama. Suddenly there were flashes, the earth shook, the musicians were thrown off balance, thunderclaps came from sky, and yes, clouds were paying respects to the gracious goddess. Drums , conches, flutes and lutes made a tumultuous entry.  Earth was wobbling and spinning with tremors and wondered when they will stop the racket. Then came the lumbering elephants; they were the guardians of the four quarters. The Brahmanas knew it was time to chant the hymns. The elephants drew up the sacred Ganges water into their trunks and bathed Sri (Rama) who held a lotus in one of her hands. The ocean from which she emerged gave her two yellow silk shawls, the color and material that Vishnu liked most. Varuna, the god of water, gave her Vaijayanti, a garland of flowers, swarming with drunk bees, some of which were literally drowning in the nectar. Visvakarma, a Lord of created beings and divine architect of the universe gave her many beautiful rare ornaments.  Sarasvati, the goddess of learning and speech gave her a necklace of pearls. Brahma, the creator, gave her a lotus flower; the Nagas, the serpent-demons, chose a pair of earrings for gifting her.

   A swarm of black bees came out of nowhere and buzzed around a wreath of lotus flowers in the hand of Sri. Her face showed no weariness; it lit up with a smile playing on her lips, earrings caressing her tender cheeks. She moved about like a vine in the gentle wind. There was a gentle and sweet aroma in the air, there was no mistaking it was sandal paste, soon the aroma was becoming more intense and there it was painted on the breasts of Sri, which were round and symmetrical embracing each other gently. There was saffron too keeping company with the sandal paste. Her torso soon tapered into a slender waist which moved like a vine in the wind. As she passed in a motionless grace, her anklets jingled and she moved like a shining golden creeper among the Ghandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, Siddhas, poets, and gods with the splendor of lightning, eyeing them all the time all around without giving a clue that their every being was scrutinized and put to test. She was looking for a consort who was free from any blemish, who is eternal, and whose virtues are beyond reproach.

Thoughts and emotions were jostling in her mind; externally she was cool as the fresh spring water. This ascetic, what a laugh, has no control over his anger. Look at this sage; he is wise, though it (his wisdom) is not free from attachment.   Her choice was Lord Vishnu. He grants Mukti; his virtues are eternal; he is beyond the gunas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas; everyone desires him, but he is disinterested.  Lakshmi  placed a wreath of newly blossomed lotuses, swarming with inebriated black bees, on the shoulders of the Lord and stood by his side with utmost charm, beauty, poise, bashfulness, and divinity, casting glance on the Lord and waiting for his approval. Her eyes bloomed with smiles; the smile of the lotus blossoms, which were one of his favourites, was no match for divine and bashful smiles of Lakshmi. She was the Mother of the three worlds and the treasure house of riches, seeking the bosom of the Lord of the three worlds. Was this match made in heaven?  Just by casting benign glances the Mother of creation protected the three worlds and their kings.  Soon after garlanding Him, Mahalakshmi took her abode on the chest of Paramatma as all Devas were looking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many Buddhists in India mark anniversary of the Emperor Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism around the time of Diwali. Followers of Jainism believe this to be the day Mahavira attained Nirvana.  at Pavapuri (present day Bihar) on Oct. 15, 527 BCE.

Bandi Chhorh Divas is something that the Sikhs celebrate. On this day, the sixth Sikh Guru (Guru Har Gobind) returned from detention in the Gwalior Fort.

Gurudwara Bandi Chor is built at the place where the Guru stayed during his detention. Jahangir advised Wazir Khan to bring Guru Hargobind in his court at Delhi with great honour. Jahangir had realised that he was wrong for allowing the torture and killing of Guru Arjan Dev , who had not committed any crime or offence. Wanting to exonerate himself of any guilt in the death he indicted the crime on Chandu Shah and other officers. So in order to show his innocence he wanted to meet Guru Hargobind. On meeting with the Emperor, the Guru wasted no time in telling Jahangir that there was no such thing as a bad convergance of the stars.
The Sikhs celebrate this day as Bandi Chhorr Divas i.e., "the day of release of detainees". So in the evening, illuminations are done with "Deeye" (earthen oil lamps), candles and fireworks.
The celebrations are held both in the Gurdwaras and in homes.

Its ending of warm season and beginning of winter. Nature sets itself to darkness representing situations of challenges in life that is neither in your control and  not conducive. This is the time Deepawali is celebrated by lighting lots of lamps symbolizing inner awareness and bliss enlightening our lives with brightness of wisdom.
It is every individuals journey from darkness, ignorance towards brightness, wisdom.
Our prayers for a prosperous and healthy Deepawali for all of you who are so close to us helping in our journey towards Wisdom.

In each legend, myth and story of Deepawali lies the significance of the victory of good over evil; and it is with each Deepawali and the lights that illuminate our homes and hearts, that this simple truth finds new reason and hope. From darkness unto light — the light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds, that which brings us closer to divinity. During Diwali, lights illuminate every corner of India and the scent of incense sticks hangs in the air, mingled with the sounds of fire-crackers, joy, togetherness and hope. Diwali is celebrated around the globe. Outside India, it is more than a Hindu festival, it's a celebration of South-Asian identities. If you are away from the sights and sounds of Diwali, light a diya, sit quietly, shut your eyes, withdraw the senses, concentrate on this supreme light and illuminate the soul.

Birth of Kali- Other stories

Apart from the Devi Mahatmayam which talks about Kali coming and killing Chanda and Munda, she also appears in other scriptures.

She, as Mahakali, appears in the begining of Devi Mahatmayam. She is the one who has all under her spell (Maya). And it is to her that the Gods pray so that Vishnu can kill Madhu and Kaitava.

She is the first of the ten Mahavidyas.

The Goddess makes an appearance in the Shiva Purana in a ferocious form. When Sati sacrificed herself, angered Shiva, on hearing this news plucked a lock of his matted hair and dashed it onto the ground. From this hair were born Veerbhadra and MahaKali.

Shiva Puran talks about another take about how Kali was born. This goes back to the tale of the asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha, who have been mentioned in the Devi Mahatmayam. They had a boon that would be killed by a form of Parvati, who was not born from the womb and who had no desires. If the asuras ever looked at this being with passion and desire, they would meet their doom in her hands.

Sitting on the Mandrachal hill one day, Shiva one day told Parvati that her complexion had darkened in the sun, and called her Kali (dark). Parvati then shed this form, Kali, which remained with Shiva and while she became Gauri and killed the demons.

Linga Puran has a different story. There lived a demon named Daruk. He had acquired divine powers by the virtue of his penance. He started tormenting the deitiesand rishis. All the deities went to Lord Shiva and requested him to give protection from  Daruk. Lord Shiva then requested Parvati to help the deities. One part of Parvati's consciousness entered into the body of Lord Shiva. But, the deities were not aware of this happening. Goddess Parvati then attained her physical form with the help of poison stored in the throat of Lord Shiva. The effet of poison had made her complexion dark. Lord Shiva then brought her out from within his body through his third eye.

The deities became frightened after seeing her terrific appearance. She was none other than Goddess Kali. Goddess Kali then killed Daruk with the permission of Parvati. But, even after the death of Daruk, her anger did not subside and the whole world was ablaze due to her anger. Lord Shiva then incarnated as a small child and started crying as if he was hungry. Goddess Kali could not decipher the illusions of Shiva and thought that the child was crying because of hunger. She started feeding the child her breast-milk. In the process of sucking milk, Shiva also sucked out her anger. A similar tale is told about Tarapith, which is located in West Bengal. In Tarapith, they say Shiva became unconscious when he swallowed the poison coming from the cosmic ocean, and became unconscious. The divine mother, then breast fed Shiva, in the form of Tara.

After her anger had subsided Goddess Kali became unconscious. Lord Shiva then performed his famous dance--Tandav  to bring Kali back to consciousness. When Kali regained her consciousness she found Shiva dancing. She too started dancing and this is the reason why she is also called Yogini.

Below is the Adya Stotra, composed by Annada Thakur, who founded the Adya Peeth in Dakshineshwar, West Bengal.

Adya Stotra

Killing of Narakasura - Kalika Puran

There is a version of the killing of Narakasura which is detailed in the Kalika Purana. Kalika Purana talks about Kamakhya, the goddess of Assam. 

It is said that when Vishnu, in his incarnation as the boar, had rescued the earth, a child was born from the union. The time was bad and the child born was destined to be evil. He was born from the earth and was found by King Janaka of Mithila. Janaka brought up the boy. When the boy was sixteen, he was taken to Pragjyotishpur where the presiding deity, Kamakhya (picture below) was worshipped. Shiva secretly lived in that place. 

Naraka was advised to reside in the kingdom and rule justly. He was asked to worship Kamakhya and be kind to all holy saints. He was also told that the day Kamakhya vanished from his land, his death would follow.

Sage Vashishtha used to worship in the Sandhyachal hills that lay in the kingdom of Narakasura. One day, he came to visit the shrine of the Mother Goddess. Naraka was not ken on anyone else worshiping the goddess and  expressed his grudge towards the goddess and prevented the sage from visiting the goddess. Consequently, Sage Vashishtha cursed him that the goddess would no longer stay in his kingdom. Narakasura was no longer favored by the goddess.

 Naraka then , in course of time, attacked and stole the ear rings of Aditi, the mother of the Devas,

One night, Naraka observed Goddess Kamakhya dancing in her temple. He was stunned by the beauty of the Goddess, and losing his senses, he approached her and asked to marry him. She laughed at him and told that it will happen if Naraka constructs temple, tank, and stair case from the foot of Nilachal hill to her place, before the cock crow  He started the task and almost completed it. Vishnu appeared in the form a rooster and started crowing, signifying starting of the day. Naraka became frustrated, and stopped. In the mean while the day really came. Naraka failed to reach the goal and got angry on  Kamakhya. Kamakhya disappeared .

In the meantime, Bhudevi, Naraka's mother, who was pained by the sufferings Naraka was causing, started praying to the Gods for his end. Krishna agreed to end Naraka with the blessings of Kalika.

Sri Krishna went with Satyabhama to kíll Narakasura. In the fight that ensure, with the blessings of Kamakhya, Krishna killed Narakasura. When Krishna was about to kill Naraka, the asura saw Kali standing there, sometimes appearing as Krishna, sometimes as Kamakhya.

Seeing her son fall, Bhudevi appeared before Krishna, lamenting the death of her son. She then handed over the earrings of Aditi, that had been stolen by Naraka, to Krishna. Krishna consoled her, saying she herself had prayed for Naraka's end.


Kamakhya is pictured as a  goddess with twelve arms and six heads of varying colors, representing a powerful goddess who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. She is ornately dressed, typically wearing a red sari.

She holds in each of her ten hands a lotus, trident, sword, bell, discus, bow, arrows, club or scepter, goad, and shield. In of her remaining hands, she holds a bowl, and the other hand is for blessings.

She is seated upon a lotus, which emerges from the navel of Lord Shiva, who in turn lies atop a lion.
To each side of her sit Brahma and Vishnu, who are each seated upon a lotus, as well.

Ramayan in other sacred texts

I am coming across references to the Ramayana in many other texts.
Srimad Bhagwad Purana has a reference to Rama and killing of Ravana. This book takes it further and talks about descendants of Rama.

Then there is Devi Bhagwad Purana. This Purana talks about Devi and her greatness. This Purana incidentally also has Ramayana here.This also talks about how Rama performed Navaratri and worshiped the Goddess.

This story of Rama praying to the Goddess does not find a mention in the Valmiki Ramayana, but is there Krittibasi Ramayan, the Bengali version of the epic.

This also gets to think about Ramayana. As this is mentioned in the various texts, was Ramayana something that had happened.

Also, who was Veda Vyasa, the author of Mahabharata and the Puranas? Was this a person  or a group of people, who knew the Vedas and had mastered them (A-Bhayas), thus getting a title Veda Vyasa?

No clue.

Its good to read and trying to understand and at the most, enjoy them.