Diwali messages – the festival of lights

Festival symbolises unity in diversity

Diwali is a time for loving, caring and sharing with fellow mankind.

I am glad to have made a huge contribution and impact with spreading the love and seva within the Hibiscus Coast community through music and service. Service to mankind is service to God.

Covid-19 has taught us many valuable lessons, that we should appreciate our loved ones, show our gratitude to our medical team for their selfless sacrifices in saving lives, living a healthy lifestyle, sanitising, social distancing and not dropping our guard. 

The importance of putting God first, so you will never be last. 

Prayer rituals can be done in the comfort of your own homes. “Your temple is your home and heart,” so what better way to celebrate Diwali with good positive thoughts by cleansing your homes with tumeric water, hawan, service and satsangh, and spreading the light from within by lighting the lamp (jyothi and diyas) of hope for those who have been affected with the virus and for a cure.

You should by now be aware that of all festivals in our motherland India, Diwali is one of the most glamorous and important. 

We need to recognise, share and respect each other’s culture, religious belief and language so that together, we will be able to unite our community encouraging cultural diversity and modernisation. 

We must as Hindus use the occasion to make a meaningful contribution to building our nation, thus we should not abandon our strong cultural heritage and we should also use the festival to help those that are less fortunate and eradicate hunger and poverty. Helping the less fortunate and needy is the biggest blessings one can attain.

Diwali brings with it a rejuvenation of spirituality and the celebration of the triumph of good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. 

It is in this spirit that Diwali is celebrated. We pray for peace and enlightenment and this is symbolised by the lighting of lamps which in turn creates a feeling of emerging into the light from the darkness and knowledge from ignorance. Diwali should spread goodwill, joy and peace among families, the community and society at large.

This festival symbolises unity in diversity.

It is during this time that Hindus are reminded that there is no more powerful light than the light that burns within one’s inner self.

May the beauty of Deepavali fill your home with happiness, prosperity and good fortune. And may the coming year provide you with all that bring you joy!

May the choicest blessings of the Lord be showered upon you!

May all the goodness come your way on this Diwali!

May the divine blessings you receive on Diwali brighten up your life.

Here’s wishing your Diwali glows with happiness and sparkles with joy!

Vernon Govender, the Prema Jyothi Seva Sungam together with the students and parents of the “Sa Re Ga Ma Music School wish all Hindus a joyous Deepavali celebration.

Devotees worship Mother Lakshmi

Diwali, also know as Deepavali is one of the most popular and significant festivals that celebrates the spiritual ‘victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.’ 

On this day of Diwali devotees worship Maa – Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. It also marks the celebration of the day Lord Rama returned to his kingdom, Ayodya after defeating the demon – king Ravana.

These festivals keep us connected with our roots, culture, origins and it’s important to preserve it. It also teaches us to embrace one another and create a bond of love and an environment of cultural harmony. 

We should remove darkness and bring light to our lives. As we light diyas and lamps to remove darkness of the night, likewise we should remove these darkness from our soul.

We should remove negativity to bring positivity into our lives. As we clean our homes to bring Goddess Lakshmi into our homes, likewise we need to clean all our hearts of negativity.

We need to practice patience no matter how long the wait is. Every ordeal does come to an end. Nothing lasts forever. 

We must share, bring joy and light to everyone’s life, especially the less privileged. This should be practised throughout our lives. We should also make new beginnings to live a loving, peaceful and spiritual life. 

The members and devotees of the Umbango Sri Siva Soobramonair Temple wish all Hindus a happy Diwali and to be safe and follow all Covid-19 protocols. 

May Lord Rama and Ma Sita guide you in living a life of dharma and virtue and may Lord Hanuman give you the strength to abide to dharma despite any difficulties.

“Prayer is our hope and salvation”

On Deepavali Hindus arise at the break of dawn.

Being awake at Brahmamuhurta (4am) is a blessing from the standpoint of health, discipline, efficiency in work and spiritual advancement.

The sages who instituted this custom must have cherished the hope that their descendants would realise its benefits and make it a regular habit in their lives.

When the body is purified, it becomes the temple of God since God is in the hearts of all people.

In each legend, myth and story of Deepavali lies the significance of victory of good over evil. Each light illuminates our homes and hearts with peace and hope.

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.

Diwali is the celebration of this inner light, the knowledge of which outshines all darkness by removing obstacles and dispelling ignorance. 

True knowledge is knowledge gained from the scriptures and leads to absolute bliss and salvation.

It is believed that we are living in the age of Kaliyug, where calamities, natural disasters, diseases (Covid-19), violence, etc are anticipated.

Hence, the urgent need to develop our youth to take on the present and future needs of our communities.

I am reminded of Swami Vivekananda’s words of wisdom: “I look upon religion as the innermost core of education” and “Religion is the rice and everything else is the curry,” are apt.

In this age of Kaliyug, prayer is our only hope and salvation.

Scriptures from the Ramayana, Bhagvad Gita, Tirukkaral, and so on will enlighten us spiritually and free us from the bondages of the world.

Just as the burning lamp gives light, warmth and comfort, we must do our bit to benefit humanity and the universe.

On behalf of the Port Shepstone and District Tamil Association, may Lord Shiva shower you with His blessings.

Anbum Sivema Sivema Anbum

Let the light burn bright in your home

Mahatma Gandhi said that “prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening, when I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon my soul expands in the worship of the creator.”

The above quote means a lot to me and my team at the Maha Vishnu Temple. We ensure that we start and end our day no matter how busy this life gets with prayer and to thank God for all that we have and that he has blessed us with.

The Maha Vishnu Temple would like to wish all Hindus a very happy Deepavali/Diwali. May the light burn bright in your homes with growth, prosperity and great health.

May God bless you and may all your future endeavours be fulfilled.

As the chairman of the Maha Vishnu Temple for the past eight years, it has indeed been a pleasure to be a part of this amazingly beautiful and powerful temple. 

A special thanks to my executive team and to all the members who sacrificed a lot to ensure that every prayer is a success. 

A special thank you to Uncle Reggie who is our spiritual head and is indeed one of the best vocalists in our town. To all businesses and families that support us in any way throughout the year, our sincere thanks goes out to all.

This year has been extremely challenging as we are faced with the daunting coronavirus.

Although it was sad not been able to host and attend many religious festivals, this virus has taught us that prayer at home and as a family is essential and unites the family, making the home a more vibrant, loving and happy one. 

I trust that everyone is kept safe during this pandemic and that we all strive towards ensuring a healthier and better tomorrow.

Let us this Deepavali/Diwali, light our lamps in overcoming all the dark negatives in our lives and transition it into a bright positive light to shine bright like a diamond.

Stay safe, remain humble and be religious always.

HAVE YOUR SAY

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