Diwali, the festival of light, would be over by the time this piece appears. Moon would have got into waxing mode, progressively becoming brighter and brighter every successive day, symbolically pointing to emergence of promising days ahead, full of hopes and aspirations. And preparations would be on for the ensuing Chatth festival (celebrated in Bihar and adjoining areas) when the devout will offer their prayers to the Sun, the prime source of life and light — first to the setting Sun and then rising Sun the following morning.
look at the timing of this annual festivity. It is celebrated when the wheel of time strikes the darkest day of the year. For, the Sun — the prime source of light — reaches the farthest end from this part of the globe at this hour, as it reaches the extreme end of western horizon through its southerly course.
And we are located towards the eastern horizon in the northern hemisphere. Naturally, the solar intensity available here reaches its bottommost low. Evidently then, it turns out to be the darkest night when the Sun elopes the Moon, which is otherwise supposed to enlighten the night sky.
Instead of fearing the eerie darkness of the night, the whole of India responds positively and turns it into a happy occasion. It is in this spirit that people illuminate the environment with dancing flames of earthen lamps or candles, all beautifully laid down in an orderly fashion.
For, ancient India’s learned masters had realised quite early that life forces vital to our dynamic existence remain veiled in the confines of darkness. And that the life forces need to be regurgitated at regular periodic interval for nature to maintain its productive potential. It is in this spirit that even the Sun and Moon join hands.
So, what apparently looks like the Moon coming under limitation is actually purported to recharge nature’s energy orchestra afresh through the union of the two luminaries.
Remember, the essence of even a huge tree remains veiled in its seed. The seeds again need to be charged afresh by life forces veiled in the blinding darkness underneath the earth mass, for it to first sprout and then progressively turn into a fully grown fruit-bearing tree. This way, from the seed to tree and back, the cycle of life keeps incessantly going on in succession. Even in our day-to-day life, we need to relax and invoke the indwelling spirit every night to recharge our body’s vitals, so as to take on the callings of following day in all strength and vigour. So runs nature’s design in macro and micro terms.
Our ancient elders were also aware that life moves in correspondence with the nature’s cycle. Accordingly, as would nature recharge its energy orchestra around Diwali, so do we need to gather up all our strengths, and raise our work spirit so that we are able to prove true to the callings of the emerging time. And all the more because the overall environmental energy level and thereby on individual scale level remains relatively low at this hour. Otherwise, we will be left behind in the run of time.
This exercise becomes all the more necessary because hereafter the Sun would be progressively marching towards its zenith, the eastern horizon, exciting a new productivity cycle. With the raised energy level in the process, it becomes possible to withstand the implication of weather transition happening at this hour as well.
It is in this spirit that we clear off all the muck gathered at our homes and work place during the preceding year, and give the place a facelift to create a good ambience. In the same spirit, we also need to clear off the mental baggage of the past to create fresh mind space, draw lessons out of experiences had, so as to come out with our intelligent best.
Further to rekindle our faith, majority of the Hindus pay their obeisance to Goddess laxmi — perceived as the custodian of productivity and thereby wealth and prosperity — seeking thy boon. For, the focus remains on productive aspirations.
Towards the eastern end of the country, however, the occasion is marked with worship of Goddess Kaali, identified with immanent consciousness instead. And so, she is believed to hold the key to all aspects of the manifest dynamic world — creation, sustenance, and recycling. This force, when withdrawn, there would be no life, and therefore, she is said to be the beholder of kaal (time) as well.
The writer is an astrologer, vastu consultant and spiritual counsellor. Write to him at G-5, Basement, Jungpura Extension, New Delhi 14
Tel: 9818037273/ 24310031
Email: pioneerqueries@bharatastro.com
Website: www.bharatastro.com