Hindu Rituals an Why do we light a lamp?

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Why do we light a lamp? 

 

By Swami

Chinmayananda

 

In almost every

Indian home a lamp is lit daily before

the altar of the Lord. In some houses it

is lit at dawn, in some, twice a day at

dawn and dusk and in a few it is

maintained continuously (akhanda

deepa). All auspicious functions

commence with the lighting of the

lamp, which is often maintained right

through the occasion.  Light

symbolizes knowledge, and

darkness, ignorance. The Lord is the

"Knowledge Principle" (chaitanya)

who is the source, the enlivener and

the illuminator of all knowledge.

Hence light is worshiped as the Lord

himself.  Knowledge removes

ignorance just as light removes

darkness. Also knowledge is a lasting

inner wealth by which all outer

achievement can be accomplished.

Hence we light the lamp to bow down

to knowledge as the greatest of all

forms of wealth  Why not light a bulb

or tube light? That too would remove

darkness. But the traditional oil lamp

has a further spiritual significance.

The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes

our vaasanas or negative

tendencies and the wick, the ego.

When lit by spiritual knowledge, the

vaasanas get slowly exhausted and

the ego too finally perishes. The

flame of a lamp always burns

upwards. Similarly we should acquire

such knowledge as to take us

towards higher ideals. Whilst lighting

the lamp we thus

pray:                   Deepajyothi

parabrahmaDeepa sarva

tamopahaha              Deepena

saadhyate saramSandhyaa deepo

namostute I prostrate to the

dawn/dusk lamp; whose light is the

Knowledge Principle (the Supreme

Lord), which removes the darkness

of ignorance and by which all can be

achieved in

life.

 

 

 

Namaskar,

Anish

 

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