SPIRITUAL INDIA

Since times immemorial Indian culture is admired and respected all over the world for its beauty and depth. Almost every Indian custom and tradition has either a scientific, logical, historical, social or spiritual significance. This lends meaning to an otherwise mechanical following of the customs which are often misunderstood to be mere superstitions that fade away in time.

IMPORTANCE OF LIGHTING THE LAMP

In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the LORD. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in some twice a day - at dawn and dusk - and in a few house it is maintained continuously (AKANDA DEEP). All auspicious functions and moments like daily worship, rituals and festivals and even many social occasions like inaugurations commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the occasion.

One finds beautiful earthen ware, brass, sliver and a wide varieties of artistically carved vases which are lit in the most decorative way using cotton threads as a vic and oil for burning.

During the festivals like Devali, Dussera we find almost the whole city, lit with these wonderful lights, a welcome message for the Goddess of Wealth.

Light symbolizes knowledge, and darkness ignorance. The LORD is the “Knowledge Principle"(Chaitanya)who is the source, the "knowledge absolute", and the illuminator of all knowledge. Hence light is worshiped as the LORD Himself.

In Meditation too one starts concentrating at the point of light , it is in a closed, calm, quiet and serene atmosphere where one meditates in the early stages focusing on the brightness of the light.

Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. Also, knowledge is a lasting inner wealth by which all outer achievement can be accomplished. Hence we light the lamp to bow down to knowledge as the greatest of all forms of wealth. Knowledge backs all our actions whether good or bad. We therefore keep a lamp lit during all auspicious occasions as a witness to our thoughts and actions.

The traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our Vasanas or negative tendencies and the vice, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the Vasanas get slowly exhausted and the ego too finally perishes. The flame of a lamp always burns upwards. Similarly we should acquire such knowledge as to take us towards higher ideals.

A single lamp can light hundreds more just as a man of knowledge can brighten the world. So too knowledge does not lessen when shared with or imparted to others. It is the best help which a human can offer to his fellow human beings on this earth and the best of all sacrifices and charity.