A wonderful initiative by All India Chinmaya Yuva Kendra to bring meaningful awareness of various festivals kickstarted with the youth from across the country organizing several online seminars to share views on one of the most popular festivals – Deepavali. In Karnataka, an online programme in Kannada was organized on Sunday 31 October 2021 where Swami Gahanananda explained the significance of various customs associated with the festival, sharing their background as well as scientific, logical reasons behind each aspect. More than 1600 youth participated in the interactive session.
Philosophy and religion go hand in hand. Rituals without understanding become mechanical, yielding no positive result, while lofty thoughts without selfless action remain a mere dream. Right understanding is an empowering force!
Deepavali literally means a row of lamps and the lamp represents knowledge. Be it an object as small as a lamp or anything else, everything is visible through the mind and intellect, powered by God. As we light a lamp, we need to remember the importance of understanding this universal presence. The various festivals like Dhantreyas, Naraka Chadurdashi, Bali Padyami and Bhai Dooj are symbolic and indicate the significance of Nature for survival, disciplined living, shedding of negative emotions, and Dharmic lifestyle, besides harbouring harmonious relations in the family and society at large.
