Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
November 5, 2010
Take me from darkness
to Light - that’s exactly what the festival of lights, Deepavali or Diwali signifies. The term
Deepavali literally means an array of lights. It is the day wherein we have to put in efforts to dispel
the darkness created by our bad qualities by lighting the light of good qualities and celebrate the actual
Deepavali within.
DC ashram was all lit up for the festival. The ashram building was well decorated by the devotees with
festival lights. At night it gave the feeling that the ashram building was wearing a beautiful golden
necklace. Little lamps were lit all over, inside the ashram. Devotees, in festival apparel, were all
joyful and enthusiastic about the celebration.
On Friday, the 5th of November, 2010, the celebrations began at 7:30 with a brief description about the 4 days of Diwali and the significance of the festival. It was followed by the chanting of the 108 names of Goddess Lakshmi and devotional singing of bhajans.
Then came the fun part - a light fare fireworks to complete the celebrations. A devotee from Delaware
volunteered to bring in some fireworks from there to light up the celebrations.
Ashram backyard tuned into a place where people just left behind all their worries and problems and enjoyed
the every moment of the contrast the colorful light the Sparklers, Gerbs produced against a dark background.
The following day, being a regular satsang day, also had the flavor of Deepavali with the fireworks going off again, for the devotees who could not make it on Friday.