Happy Diwali!
From Wikipedia:
While Diwali is popularly known as the “festival of lights”, a more appropriate significance is “the new year of luck and wealth”.
Central to Hindu philosophy is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to one’s true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).
Diwali celebrates this through festive fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing of sweets, and worship. While the story behind Diwali varies from region to region, the essence is the same – to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying reality of all things (Brahman).
7 Comments
Starshine
I was just reading about Diwali on Wikipedia.
Growing up, I knew a girl named Ananda. I like the idea of giving a child a name with a special meaning.
J
Starshine, the masculine form of Ananda is Anand, and variations of Anand are the middle names of Ted and both of his brothers. 🙂 I think if we had had another girl, I would have liked to name her Ananda.
Ted
If we did name her Ananda, I wonder how many people would call her Ananda Lewis? Probably not many since, well, she hasn’t been on MTV since the ’90s.
Autumn's Mom
An interesting tidbit I didn’t know before…about the name Ananda. Maya and Ananda would have been cute 🙂
ML
Happy Diwali!!!
Starshine
Fun about the names!
lalunas
Happy Diwali, J