Festivals are celebration, unification, and contemplation times that are an essential component of human society. They provide us an opportunity to get away from our regular schedules and spend time with loved ones, sharing happiness and making enduring memories. Diwali is one such occasion which is very meaningful to millions of people.

Diwali is the festival of lights and a much-awaited event that celebrates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. People from all backgrounds get together for this event to engage in numerous religious and cultural rites, exchange gifts, eat delectable delicacies, and decorate their homes with beautiful lights. Diwali promotes unity across cultural, religious, and geographic divides. 

Religious Significance

Within the Sanatan Dharma, Diwali is a festival of deep spiritual importance, as highlighted by several legendary stories. The return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana following a 14-year banishment and his victory over the demon king Ravana is one of the most well-known tales connected to Diwali. The event emphasises the value of sustaining purity and truth in one’s life by symbolising the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.

Diwali serves as a reminder to begin an inward journey toward self-reflection, self-improvement, and the eradication of ignorance and darkness inside oneself for adherents of Sanatan Dharma. During Diwali, burning diyas, or oil lamps, represents the eradication of ignorance and the illumination of knowledge, guiding people toward spiritual enlightenment and the discovery of their true selves.

In addition, worshipping Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, at Diwali is a custom that entails asking for her blessings for good fortune and plenty in the coming year. In addition, the giving and receiving of presents and candies among friends and family emphasises the ideal of promoting harmony, love, and togetherness among the community, which supports the compassion and communal values that are fundamental to Sanatan Dharma.

Diwali 2023 Timings or Subh Muhurta

This year Diwali will be celebrated on Sunday, 12 November 2023, and the muhurat for Laxmi Pujan will be from 4:21 PM to 6:02 PM. 

• Amavasya Tithi Begins: November 12, 2023, at 2:45 PM
• Amavasya Tithi Ends: November 13, 2023, at 2:56 PM

Muhurat Pradosh Kaal

On November 12, 2023, the Pradosh Kaal will run from 5:28 PM to 8:07 PM, followed by Vrishabha Lagn (Sthira Lagn) from 5:39 PM to 7:33 PM.

During Pradosh Kaal, the auspicious time for Lakshmi Puja is from 5:39 PM to 7:33 PM. This will take approximately 1 hour and 54 minutes.

Nishith Kaal Muhurat for Puja is auspicious

Those who prefer to perform Lakshmi Puja during Nishith Kaal can do so from 11:39 PM to 12:30 AM (on November 12, 2023). This will take approximately 52 minutes.

Festivities Celebration

The cheerful celebration of Diwali started just after the celebration of Vijayadashami or Dussehra. Before Diwali, people clean, renovate, and adorn their homes and places of business with rangolis, or vibrant art circles, and diyas, or oil lamps. On Diwali, people dress in their finest attire, light fireworks, decorate their homes with diyas & rangoli, and participate in family feasts where gifts and mithai (sweets) are exchanged. They also perform worship ceremonies of Lakshmi & Ganesh, the goddesses of wealth and prosperity.

The Five-Day Celebration

Dhanteras

Originating from the words Dhan, which means wealth, and teras, which means thirteenth, Dhanteras is observed in most parts of India to mark the beginning of Diwali and the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin or Kartik. This day’s name, Dhan, also refers to the Ayurvedic deity Dhanvantari, the god of healing and health, who is believed to have emerged on the same day as Lakshmi from the “churning of cosmic ocean”. It also symbolises yearly renewal, purification, and a lucky start to the next year.

Chhoti Diwali

Naraka Chaturdashi, also called Chhoti Diwali, is celebrated on the second day of the festivities. It occurs on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin or Kartik. Chaturdashi means “fourteenth,” Naraka means “hell,” and Chhoti means “small.” This auspicious day is linked in mythology to Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakasura, who had abducted 16,000 princesses. 

Diwali

On the last day of Ashwin’s or Kartik’s dark fortnight, there is the largest celebration. Because it coincides with the illumination of Sikh, Jain, and Hindu temples and homes, Diwali is also referred to as the “festival of lights”. It refers to the “reenactment of the cleansing, purifying action of the monsoon rains.”

Govardhan Puja 

The day following Diwali marks the beginning of Kartik’s brilliant fortnight. It is also observed as Annakut (mound of grain), Padwa, Govardhan puja, Bali Pratipada, Bali Padyami, and Kartik Shukla Pratipada in some regions of the world. The most famous folktale states that the Hindu god Krishna lifted the Govardhan mountain to protect the villages that raised cows and farmed the land from the constant rain and flooding caused by Indra’s wrath. 

Bhai Dooj

Also referred to as Bhai Duj, Bhau Beej, Bhai Tilak, or Bhai Phonta, this celebration’s last day occurs on the second day of Kartik’s bright fortnight. In essence, it honours the sister-brother bond, much like Raksha Bandhan. On this happy day, some believe that Yama’s sister Yamuna is greeting Yama with a tilaka, while others interpret it as Krishna entering Subhadra’s home after Narakasura has been vanquished. Subhadra also greeted him, putting a tilak on his forehead.

We hope you enjoy the Mahalakshmi Puja Muhurat mentioned above and have a wonderful Diwali. I wish you a happy Diwali festival.