Write an introduction for 'Lighting a lamp' on Independence day.
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The ancient tradition of lighting oil lamps has a special significance, says Ranjeni A Singh.
The priest strikes the matchstick with a flourish and lights the lamp filled with ghee or oil, all the while reciting the following shloka: Shubham karoti kalyaanam aarogyam dhanasampadaha; Shatru buddhi Vinashaya, deepajyotih namostute — “I salute the Supreme who is the light in the lamp that brings auspiciousness, prosperity, good health, abundance of wealth and the destruction of intellect’s enemy.” Then he waves his hand, signalling that the ceremony can now begin. The occasion at hand could be a wedding, the naming of a newborn, a housewarming ritual or a thanksgiving ritual.
Almost every Hindu ritual begins with the lighting of the lamp, an extension of the daily lamp-lighting ritual in the morning and evening that one can see in most Hindu households, beginning and ending the day with an invocation to light. The flame thus lit is called jyoti or deepak — representing agni; it refers to not just the physical fire but symbolises the cosmic force or Divine Light.
Our relationship with light is as old as our beginnings; we’ve always been drawn towards light. It stands for auspiciousness, prosperity and abundance. Light brings brightness; in doing so, it dispels darkness and we begin to see things clearly.
The oil used to light the lamp represents negative human tendencies. The wick of a lamp symbolises the ego. The flame, which always looks up, represents spiritual knowledge that evolves towards a higher consciousness. Knowledge drains the oil or innate tendencies as it burns and destroys the wick. “The first hymn of the Rig Veda is addressed to Agni the god of fire,” says R L Kashyap, honorary director of the Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of Vedic Culture, Bangalore.
“God is represented as a subtle, infinitesimal point of light. He is not visible to the naked eye but it is eminently possible to experience His presence and proximity in meditation. He is incorporeal in the sense that He does not have a body of His own,” says Shivani, a Brahma Kumari Rajyoga meditation teacher.
The priest strikes the matchstick with a flourish and lights the lamp filled with ghee or oil, all the while reciting the following shloka: Shubham karoti kalyaanam aarogyam dhanasampadaha; Shatru buddhi Vinashaya, deepajyotih namostute — “I salute the Supreme who is the light in the lamp that brings auspiciousness, prosperity, good health, abundance of wealth and the destruction of intellect’s enemy.” Then he waves his hand, signalling that the ceremony can now begin. The occasion at hand could be a wedding, the naming of a newborn, a housewarming ritual or a thanksgiving ritual.
Almost every Hindu ritual begins with the lighting of the lamp, an extension of the daily lamp-lighting ritual in the morning and evening that one can see in most Hindu households, beginning and ending the day with an invocation to light. The flame thus lit is called jyoti or deepak — representing agni; it refers to not just the physical fire but symbolises the cosmic force or Divine Light.
Our relationship with light is as old as our beginnings; we’ve always been drawn towards light. It stands for auspiciousness, prosperity and abundance. Light brings brightness; in doing so, it dispels darkness and we begin to see things clearly.
The oil used to light the lamp represents negative human tendencies. The wick of a lamp symbolises the ego. The flame, which always looks up, represents spiritual knowledge that evolves towards a higher consciousness. Knowledge drains the oil or innate tendencies as it burns and destroys the wick. “The first hymn of the Rig Veda is addressed to Agni the god of fire,” says R L Kashyap, honorary director of the Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of Vedic Culture, Bangalore.
“God is represented as a subtle, infinitesimal point of light. He is not visible to the naked eye but it is eminently possible to experience His presence and proximity in meditation. He is incorporeal in the sense that He does not have a body of His own,” says Shivani, a Brahma Kumari Rajyoga meditation teacher.
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