Light the lamp within

Since I was a child, I have seen my mother lighting the evening lamp in front of the Tulsi plant. As a grown up, I have been doing the same everyday, without really giving it much thought. In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily in front of god. 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. Lamps hold a very special place in our Indian culture. All auspicious functions and moments like daily worship, rituals and festivals and even many social occasions like inaugurations are performed with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right throughout the occasion. 

Lamp is known as Deepa in Sanskrit. The basic form of the word is Deep which means to shine. The word Deep can be explained as the one which is light and enlightens others.

In Skanda puran, to light a lamp or to donate one at temple or an auspicious place is mentioned as a virtuous act.Due to religious importance ‘lighting lamp’ is included among the sixteen steps of worship. During worship lamp should be lighted in front of God. Daily lamp should be lit in front of house deity and Tulsi plant in the courtyard by reciting following slokas,

Shubham karoti kalyanam aarogyam dhanasampada shatrubuddhirvinashaya dipajyotir namostu te

We light a lamp in front of the god and pray for knowledge and prosperity. It is believed, that the one who lights lamp in the evening,goddess Lakshmi bestows wealth and prosperity on him. Continuously lit lamp in front of god is known as Akhanda - Deep. Continuous lighted lamp in the Shiva temple is known as Nandadeep. At all the Vishnu and his incarnation's temples Kakad Arti is performed. Kakad arti is the arti performed at early morning. People offer lighted lamp in dron in the Ganga river.

Light symbolizes knowledge, and it removes 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 worshiped as the Lord Himself. Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness.

The famous saying from Upanishad - Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya, highlights that going towards the lamp or a flame is going towards knowledge. As lamps remove the darkness, knowledge removes the darkness of ignorance. 

Listen to the beautiful evening slokas :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaXPyjMXK-M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZlIIDuTM5g

Shri Krishna's wives

Shri Krishna had eight princely wives, hence he was called Ashtabharya (ashta=eight, bharya=wife). Different scriptures list their names differently. According to Bhagavata puran names of the eight wives in order wereRukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadra and Lakshmana.Apart from these eight, he had 16100 other wives.

So why did the lord have so many wives ? The story goes..

The son of mother earth was called Bhaumasura (Bhumi = Earth and Asura = Demon).The demon king Bhaumasura had kidnapped 16,100 women and held them in his captivity in his capital Pragjyotisha. Bhaumasura had stolen the ear-rings of Aditi (daughter of brahma, first nascent being), her sons demigods were unable to fight against Bhaumasura. Upon their request, Shri Krishna along with his wife Sathyabhama attacked Pragjyotisha on his vehicle Garuda (eagle) and fought a fierce battle against the demons, in that war, many powerful demons were slayed by Shri Krishna. Most important of those were Mura and Bhaumasur. Bhaumasura had the curse of being killed by his own mother. Sathyabhama is considered the incarnation of mother earth, thus she killed Bhaumasura.

After killing Bhaumasura, Shri Krishna released 16,100 women that he had in captivity. When Shri Krishna asked them to return to their houses, they refused. They were aware that the society of that age would not take back those who were taken by another man. So they were left with nowhere to go. When Shri Krishna asked them what they wanted to do, they all wanted Shri Krishna to marry them. Shri Krishna married them all at the same auspicious time assuming that many bodies, so they could gain status of married women and live in the society with honour again. Krishna constructed them each a palace with huge gardens full of colourful flowers and birds. It was impossible to live with each of them so he created 16100 forms of himself so that he could treat them all in the same manner as his eight wives.

Shri Krishna is the supreme god himself. He is the only sanctuary of the manifested material world. He knows everything and is all that is knowable. He is above the material modes. With limitless forms, he pervades the whole cosmos. He is immeasurable.