Lighting a Lamp/diya

Worship of a deity is a subject of faith for all of us. We build a temple room in our house and decorate it well. We also keep the images or idols of the deities we like and perform daily puja (ritualistic worship). We purchase the articles of puja according to our capacity without knowing the scientific reason behind them.

Every article of puja has its own significance and scientific reason. And one such important article of puja is lamp (diya). The lamp has its own special place in Sanatan Vaidik Hindu Dharma. It is a form of a symbol of Tej (absolute fire principle). The lamp is invoked as- Tamsomajyotiragamaya, which means the lamp leads us from darkness towards light. It burns only to give message of peace and light to the man.

The lighting of lamp is an essential part of all the pujas in Hinduism. The flame of the lamp, jyoti has two significant qualities. First it vanish darkness and the other is- it is always upward. The upward movement of the jyoti signifies the path of wisdom and the path of divinity. Flame also signifies the power of all the beings so it is also considered as form of MaaDurga. Without fire element/shakti no one can survive in the universe. It is believed that in the houses where daily jyoti is lighted there can never be darkness/evil forces.

The lighting of lamp also has scientific importance which affects us in many ways. The ghee lamp generates subtle armour of superior quality. It also activates soul energy of the worshippers. The blue color in the flame is the indication of spiritual emotion (bhav). The yellow circles are of chaitanya in the form of Tej tattva projecting in the atmosphere. And the red particles and rays consisting of energy projecting into atmosphere. The flame of the lamp also kills the microbes, present in the environment.

Light symbolizes knowledge, darkness and ignorance. The Lord is the “Knowledge Principle” (chaitanya) who is the source, the enlivener and the illuminator of all knowledge. Hence light is worshipped as the Lord Himself. Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. Also knowledge is a lasting inner wealth by which all outer achievements can be accomplished. Hence we light the lamp to bow down to knowledge as the greatest of all forms of wealth. Knowledge backs all our actions whether good or bad. We therefore keep a lamp lit during all auspicious occasions as a witness to our thoughts and actions. The lamp symbolizes our vaasanas or negative tendencies and the wicked, 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. A single lamp can light hundreds more just as a man of knowledge can give it to many more. The brilliance of the light does not diminish despite its repeated use to light many more lamps. So too knowledge does not lessen when shared with or imparted to others. On the contrary it increases in clarity and conviction on giving. It benefits both the receiver and the giver.

Hence, we can say that the ritual of lighting lamps in the temples/homes holds so much importance not only spiritually but in a scientific way as well. Thus rituals take us towards the mundane parts of life with significance and celebrations.