Deepawali: The Light That Must Not Be Dimmed

Every year, as Deepawali dawns, an invisible machinery springs to life -- the anti-Hindu ecosystem. Newsrooms, NGOs, and self-appointed activists suddenly remember the “pollution” caused by Diwali crackers, while staying silent about industrial smog, New Year fireworks, animal slaughter, and the luxury-driven wastage of the elite. This hypocrisy isn’t environmental, it’s ideological. It’s a slow, systematic campaign to shame Hindus for their own civilisation.

Deepawali is not just about lights and sweets—it is a sacred civilisational event rooted in the Skanda Purāṇa and Vishnu Purāṇa, where Akasha Deepam (sky lamps) and Ulka Dānam (firebrands) were lit to guide the pitrus, our ancestors, back to their heavenly abode. “उल्काहस्ता नराः कुर्युः पितॄणां मार्गदर्शनम्”—the scripture commands: “Let men hold firebrands to show the way to their ancestors.”

Let us be very clear: Hindus do not need validation from Westernised elites or compromised institutions that conveniently weaponise “pollution” to demonise native culture celebrated for many millennia. If concern for the environment were genuine, it would begin with industrial policy, not selective cultural targeting.

Celebrate Deepawali with awareness, but never with apology. Light your diyas in devotion, burst your crackers in joy, and remember that every spark you kindle is a reminder that this civilisation still stands - unbroken, unashamed, and luminous against all darkness.

When Do the Pitrus Descend?

According to Garuda Purāṇa, Markandeya Purāṇa, and Mahābhārata (Ādi Parva, Anuśāsana Parva), the Pitṛs (ancestors) descend to the earthly plane during the dark fortnight (Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa) of the month of Bhādrapada or Āśvina, which is popularly known as Pitṛpakṣa or Mahālayapakṣa.

During these 15 days before Mahā Navamī or Sharad Navarātri, the veils between worlds are thinnest, and it is believed that the Pitṛs visit their descendants’ homes expecting offerings (śrāddha, tarpaṇa, piṇḍa-dāna). This period culminates on Mahālayā Amāvasyā, after which they are ritually sent back to the higher planes with blessings.

Connection to Dīpāvalī and Akāśadīpam

After Pitṛpakṣa, begins the Deva Pakṣa—the fortnight of the gods. Dīpāvalī, falling during this time, symbolically marks:

• The departure of the Pitṛs to their luminous realms.

• The lighting of Akāśadīpams (lamps in the sky) to show them their way back, a practice referenced in Skanda Purāṇa (Kāśī Khaṇḍa, 34th adhyāya) and Padma Purāṇa (Uttara Khaṇḍa).
  
  

In fact, even Manusmṛti (3.203–205) and Yājñavalkya Smṛti (1.259–260) speak of lamps offered during this period for both Pitṛs and Devas, blending the remembrance of ancestors with the invocation of divine light.

Stay informed, and don't fall into propaganda to lose the most sustainable and beautiful culture in the history of humanity!