Why do We celebrate Diwali? | Science Behind Diwali

You might be celebrating Diwali or might have seen others celebrating Diwali. But do you know why we celebrate Diwali? Well, in this session we will be answering this question. So, let's get started...

Mythology Behind Diwali
The story of Diwali is from the Hindu Scriptures of Ramayana. So, let's start the story in brief.

thousands of years ago, in the city of Ayodhya there was a wise and great king named Dashrath who ruled with his three queens and four princes. The eldest prince Ram and his wife Sita lived happily with his brothers and their wives. But one of the queens of Dashrath was jealous of Ram and demanded he is exiled to the forest for 14 years so that her son Bharat could become the king. Having once promised his wife to full fill any wish of hers, the king exiled Ram to the forest so Ram went to the forest with his loving wife Sita, and his loyal brother Laxman. A few years into their exile a demoness named Surpanakha saw Ram and fell on his looks. She asked Ram to marry her but Ram refused and asked her to go to Laxman instead. But Laxman also refuse, enraged Supanakha showed her true form and Laxman cut off his nose and ears. The demoness cried to her brother, who was no other than Ravan, the demon king of Lanka. Ravan was furious and wanted revenge, With the help of another demon who took the form of golden deer, he distracted Ram and Laxman and kidnapped Sita from their hut. When Ram and Laxman returned Sita was missing. They realized that something bad had happened when they were gone and immediately rushed to find her.

In search of Sita, ram and Laxman came across an army of monkeys and bears that agreed to help them. Among them was a monkey named Hanuman who was a great devote of Ram. Hanuman was not an ordinary monkey, he could fly over mountains, change his size, and had superpowers. Hanuman fly over the sea and reached Sita, imprisoned in one of the beautiful gardens of Ravan. Hanuman assured Sita that  Ram would come to rescue her. He came to Ram with Sita's whereabouts and the army of bears, monkeys, and men marched to Lanka. Soon, a great battle started between the two armies and Ram's soldiers managed to kill all the demons except Ravan and the battle was now between Ram and Ravan. Ram gave Ravan the last chance to apologize and Return Sita. Ravan instead started fighting with him. Ram too started fighting with all his efforts, but nothing seemed to kill Ravan. Finally, Ravan's brother Vibheeshan told Ram that Ravan's weakest point was his navel. Using, an arrow given by the gods to Ram, he shot Ravan's navel and killed him instantly. And so, Ram and his wife Sita were reunited. Soon after, upon completion of their 14 years of exile, Ram, Sita, and Laxman returned home to find the entire city waiting for them. The streets were decorated with flowers and diyas and there was happiness everywhere. And this is why every year on Diwali, you see streets, homes, and every place lit up with lamps, like the city of Ayodhya, in celebration of Ram, Sita, and Laxman's homecoming.

Well, people from different religions believe that the time of Diwali is special. Buddhists believe it's the day when King Ashok decided to give up violence and spread peace. Jains believe it was when Mahavir attained final liberation and Sikhs believe it was when Guru Hargobind was released from a Mughal prison. So, I think that stupid to say that Diwali is a Hindu Festival rather it's an Indian Festival.

Science Behind Diwali

Have you ever wondered, why we lit lamps on Diwali? Well, the answer lies in nature. What do you think is the most dangerous disease in the world? It's the insect bond disease, especially mosquitoes and houseflies. Diwali comes during winter when temperature and humidity are low and this results in an increase in insects. At that time when there were no Goodnight or Odomos, how they could keep insects away? And for this, our ancestors had a simple solution which was a diya (clay lamp). These clay lamps protect us from insects so they use to light up lamps to avoid diseases. Diwali comes when wither comes in India and in winters day are short so, darkness comes faster. Lamps are lit so that people can see the roads and avoid animals.

Now, the most important, why do we eat snacks during Diwali? The answer lies in the secret ingredient, Ghee (butter). But does eating ghee increase our weight? Well, it depends on which and how much ghee you eat. Pure ghee is called the Food of Gods. Ghee does not have Lactose that is present in milk which causes bloating and gas in many people. Ghee helps in breaking food and provides essential fatty acids to our bodies. Pure ghee keeps our body warm and provides energy to it.

We make rangoli in front of our house also. Why so? Well, powdered calcite or limestone, or cereal powders are used for the basic design of Rangoli. The limestone is capable of preventing insects from entering and the cereal powder attracts insects and keeps them from entering households. The second reason why we make rangoli is that, when a person looks at such geometric patterns, it manifests into vibrations inside the mind of the observer which in turn calms the mind. And this is exactly what rangoli does to one's mind i.e., it has a soothing effect. Basically, we make rangoli with the intention that goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of good luck and wealth will come but this is the real reason for good luck and peace at home.

In your life, every good thing should be appreciated and this can improve your mental and physical health. And Diwali allows you to express your gratitude towards the things that matter. On Dhanteras, we worship Dhanwantri, the doctor of the Gods who gave us Ayurveda. Lakshmi Pooja celebrates the women of our house who take care of the health and wealth of the house. And we celebrate Bhai Dhuj to show gratitude towards the brother.

There was no concept of weekends on Diwali, people used to go here and there in search of work and during festivals, they could seek holidays and come home to celebrate.

Nature Vs Festivals

We people generally think that our festivals and rituals go against our environment. But those are the people who pollute and damage the environment. It never said to burst crackers during Diwali, then why do we burst crackers? The reason behind this is our self-satisfaction and happiness. For enjoyment, we are polluting our environment, and do you know what, the whole blame goes to the festival but what can we do? So, for this don't burst crackers and if you want to burst, then burst non-polluting crackers. Don't waste electricity for lighting colorful lights and bulbs, instead use diyas for decoration and lighting. 

Well, most importantly Diwali celebrates the victory of Good over Evil, Light over Darkness, and Knowledge over Ignorance. If we ignore nature, nature will ignore and kill all of us.  Now, it's in your hand to keep yourself and the environment safe. So, make this Diwali a safe and eco-friendly Diwali so, that nature can bless you. Let's light a small Diya in the dark of this ignorance. Seeing one diya many diyas will come and will bring light into this whole world.