The festival of Diwali (also called as Deepavali) epitomizes prosperity, happiness and lights. This is the only day in the entire Hindu calendar when a new moon day is celebrated as a festival. On the day of Diwali though the sky is devoid of moon and its light but still the entire atmosphere is always enlighten and filled with lights of different colours and shades and filled with joy, crackers and sweet smell of foodstuffs.
Poojan to be Performed on the Day of Padwa
Shraddhavans should get up early in the morning and in the wee hours should perform the below described ritual.
* We should clean our house with broom and collect the waste on a cardboard.
* After this we should enlighten a light made from dough in which we should use ghee as fuel.
*We should then place a sweet (foodstuff) on the cardboard.
* We should then take this cardboard (with all the stuffs on it) around our entire house.
* One person should follow this person who is carrying cardboard with a plate which should be beaten to produce sound.
* We should place our old broom outside our house in a corner.
* We should then place this cardboard besides this broom.
* We should then join our hands and pray saying the following words "ईडा, पीडा टलो, बळीचे राज्ययेवो" ("Let all the unholy come to end and let there be rule of King Bali").
Poojan to be Performed on the Day of Laxmi Poojan
* We should keep 5 fruits & a mixture of coriander seeds and jaggery as holy offering (Prasad).
* We should keep a new broom on the starting line of our house (उंबरठा) and offer kumkum and turmeric powder (haldi) to it and offer the following prayer " हे लक्ष्मीमाते - नंदामाते, तू नेहमी माझ्या चुका दाखव. आईच्या मायेने माझ्या अंगावरून हात फिरव. बहिणीसारखे वाटेतील काटे काढ, पापणिच्या केसासारखा माझ्या मनातील व घरातील कचरा काढ आणि माझ्या घरात नंदामाते मते तू सतत वावरत रहा ही तुझ्या चरणी प्रार्थना." ("Oh Goddess Lakshmi i.e. my P. P. Nandai, You always bring my mistakes to my notice. Shower love on me like my mother. Be my sister and remove obstacles in my way. Remove dirt from my house and mind like an eyelid. And finally I pray and urge You to stay in my house for ever").
Finally wishing all the readers a very happy and prosperous new year and a happy diwali. May P.P. Bapu, P.P. Nandai and P.P. Suchitmama bless you all.
One interesting fact about Diwali which not many of us know about is Diwali is an official holiday in 9 countries which includes India, Guyana, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago, Myanmar, Fiji, and Suriname).