The Festival Of LightDavid Bryce 
November 07, 1999

   

Divali: The Festival Of LightDavid Bryce - Hastings - November 07, 1999
Today, November 7, marks the beginning of the Hindu festival of Divali.
During Divali, homes are lit up with oil lamps, major buildings are covered with lights, and fireworks go off during the night. It is a major celebration which combines elements reminiscent of our New Year's Eve, Fourth of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.
There are a number of stories associated with Divali. One is that it marks the victory of Rama over the Demon king Ravanna. That story is told in a major piece of epic literature called the Ramayana. Rama, by the way, is an avatar of the God Vishnu. Divali is also a celebration of the victory of Vishnu over the Demon king Bali. Yet another story is that it marks the victory of Lord Krishna, another avatar of Vishnu, over the Demon king Narakasura.
  In all of these explanations of the celebration, the underlying point is that it is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. In the Ramayana in particular, it is the triumph of good after a long and arduous struggle, but good still triumphs.
I am going to focus this morning on the Ramayana, which is one of the sacred writings of Hinduism. As you may know, the broad outlines of the story are that Ravanna kidnaps Sita, the wife of Rama. Rama sets out to rescue Sita and, after a long struggle, manages to do so. In the process he destroys Ravanna, ending the evil scourge of that demon king.
There are many ways to read a story like this and I want to just mention some in passing before I concentrate on one particular element.
Like stories from many sources around the world, including the Bible, this story could be read as literally true. One could claim that Rama and Sita really lived, were divine beings, and conquered the evil demon Ravanna. As such, the story has meaning, because without the actions of Rama, people could today be living under the rule of a demon.
If one were of a less supernatural bent, one could read the story as a simple fairy tale or adventure story. It has a well known and well-worn plot. It is an early version of the Perils of Pauline.
It can be read in a number of metaphorical way as well. For example, we could each picture ourselves as Rama going through the journey of life, a life full of adventures, tragedies and triumphs.
Or a more psycho-social viewpoint could be taken: One which says that each of the characters in the story represents us, or an aspect of us. When in my life have I acted toward others as Rama, the hero; as Sita, the faithful victim; as Ravanna, the inflictor of pain; as Hanuman, the loyal friend? Where in my life, and with whom, do I do that today?
And, as a corollary to that, what part of me acts as Ravanna in my personal life? Do I engage in certain thoughts or behaviors which I know are self-destructive, yet still hold to them? That is Ravanna within. And the part of me which says, "I know I shouldn't, but I am helpless to stop"; that is Sita within, Sita held captive. The Ramayana says that Rama also lives within you, that there is a part of you which has the strength to act and to overcome your own personal Ravanna. It may not be easy, it may be a long and arduous task, it may require help, but it can be done.
In keeping with that view, the characters in the story can represent any person or event or circumstances in the world. So Ravanna is that which brings evil into the life of the reader. A tyrannical employer or a frightening disease or a combination of terrible life circumstances can, metaphorically, be personified as the Ravanna which we must face either as captive or as warrior.
And one reading of that is that, in any given set of circumstances, we can choose to be either Sita or Rama. Which do I wish to be here and now?
There is another aspect of the story which I really want to think about today, and that is the allegorical; and in particular, the allegory in which Sita represents us, our souls or ourselves, and Rama represents the Divine, in whatever way we may define that term.
Beginning there, one reading of the story could be that each of us was once in communion with the Divine, but each of us has been "captured" by evil--whether an evil demon which controls our lives without our knowing it, or the "evil" of materialism, or whatever; I'm leaving that part of the allegory fluid. So here we are, no longer in communion with the divine, no longer one with divinity (again, however we individually define that word).
In thinking about the story in that way, I couldn't help but relate it to the story Jesus tells, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In that story, as you know, the Prodigal Son asks for his inheritance and leaves home. Read allegorically, the son (the child, the human being, each of us), leaves the father (the parent, God, the Divine), and goes off into the world. That is, the soul chooses separation from God. After being in the world for a while, the soul decides that the world is not such a wonderful place to be, and so returns home. The son fears his father's reaction but is welcomed home with great celebration.
These in some ways are parallel stories; they each tell of separation from and return to oneness with the divine.
The point of the parable of the Prodigal Son is that we are each free to choose; we can each separate ourselves voluntarily from divinity. But if we can also choose to "come home" at any time, and will be welcomed with open arms as one returned from the dead.
The point of the Ramayana is that circumstances can separate us from the divine, circumstances beyond our choosing. But, unbeknownst to us, the divine is actively seeking us out, actively working to free our souls and bring us back into contact with, and connection with, whatever the divine may be. The message is that when we are lost and feel abandoned, when we feel cut off from our roots, separated from life or from ourselves, or from the world, the divine is actively seeking to bring us home. And, the message is that it will happen. Hold on; whatever evil is happening in your life, or happens in the future, hold on. God or goodness or justice or hope or love is seeking you, and will find you, and will free you. And that is worthy of celebration.
Happy Divali.

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