Diwali #2

It doesn't feel like it much as it's before the pointlessness of Halloween this year, but Happy Diwali.

It is usually celebrated on the darkest night of the year (this year the 26th of October), but I am not sure how it works as here, the clocks go back in a few days. But it's also got something to do with the moon too.

It's the start of the new year the next day. It represents victory of good over evil, it supposedly brings good luck to people and it pretty much is a damn good couple of days.

In my own words, I am going to try and write a couple of Diwali stories. I'm not a religious person at all but the stories are pretty fascinating. These are shortened versions.

The first one is the story of Lord Ram defeating the evil demon Ravan.

Ram was the son of King Dasaratha and Queen Kaushalya. The King also had 2 other wives. Queen Kaikeyi whose son was Bharata and Queen Sumitra who had twins -Lakshman and Shatrughn. As Ram was the eldest, he was the rightful heir to the throne of Kosala. When Ram married Sita (He won her hand by being the only one who could string the great bow of Shiva), the daughter of King Janak who was ruler of a kingdom called Videha, King Dasaratha decided as he was getting very old to let Ram take over the throne. However, Bharatas' mother Queen Kaikeyi was manipulated by an evil maid of hers named Manthara and told her that if Ram became the King, he would kill her son Bharat. Some time before, Queen Kaikeyi had saved King Dasarathas' life and in return, he had promised he would grant her 2 wishes, no matter what they were. So Kaikeyi requested that Ram be exiled into the forest for 14 years and that Bharata be made the king. King Dasaratha had no choice and couldn't go back on his word so exiled Ram to the forest. Sita and his younger brother Lakshman went with him. Bharata didn't want to be king as Ram was the rightful heir and tried to persuade Ram to come back from the forest but he had to honour his fathers' word. King Dasaratha passed away with grief.

Bharata didn't sit on the throne once. Instead, he put a pair of slippers which belonged to Ram on the throne until he returned-if he ever did.

Ram, Sita and Lakshman lived in the forest peacefully for years until one day when a female demon named Surpanakha saw Ram and fell in love with him. She wanted to marry him but he said he was already married so then she asked Lakshman, but he was already married too (to Sita's cousin named Urmila). Surpanakha threatened to eat Sita so Lakshman cut off her nose and ears. Surpanakha fled to her brother Ravan who was a demon with 10 heads and 20 arms. Ravan wanted revenge and went off to get Sita with the help of a demon called Marich. Marich went to the forest and turned himself into a golden deer which Sita saw and then she asked Ram if he could catch it for her so she could keep it as a pet. Ram went off in search of the deer and didn't return for ages so Lakshman went to look for him. He made a magic circle around Sita which would protect her from everything as long as she remained inside it.

A while later, Sita saw a Holy man begging for food. The man needed help and Sita stepped out of the circle and as soon as she did, the man showed his true form as Ravan and grabbed Sita and kidnapped her and took her back to his Kingdom-Lanka.

Upon return, the 2 brothers find Sita gone. The animals in the forest tell them she has been kidnapped and show them which way to go. On their journey to Lanka, they come across a Monkey God called Hanuman. Hanuman was disguised as a Brahmin and Ram said to Lakshman when meeting Hanuman that even an enemy with a drawn sword would have been moved. After introducing each other, they become friends. Hanuman who has the power to fly and to shape shift flies off in search of Sita. He eventually finds her in Lanka guarded by a lot of demons. He turns into a cat and tells her that Ram is coming to get her. He offers to fly her back to Ram, but Sita refuses saying that his honour is at stake. Hanuman then goes about starting to destroy Lanka and then lets himself be captured by Indrajit who has the power to turn invisible and is Ravans' son as Hanuman decides that it would be an opportunity to meet Ravan. He warns Ravan that Ram is coming to get him but would be willing to forgive him if he returns Sita safe and unhurt. Ravan wants Hanuman executed. Ravans' demon brother Vibhishana stops this and says it is against the rules to destroy the messenger. Ravan then decides to set Hanumans' tail on fire, at first when Ravans' demons try to set it on fire, Hanuman makes his tail go longer and longer and then allows it to be put on fire and then he escapes and starts to burn down Lanka with his tail. He then extinguishes his tail in the sea and goes back to Ram and tells him of Sitas' whereabouts. Ram and Lakshman march there with an army of bears and monkeys.

Vibhishana who had now been exiled from Lanka was advised by his mother named Kaikesi to join Ram which he did and this helped Ram and Lakshman kill hundreds of Ravans' demons including Kumbhakaran who was a demon who could swallow entire armies. He was killed by Ram and Indrajit was killed by Lakshman. Then Ravan decided he had to go into battle himself and destroyed most of the monkeys and bears and nearly killed Lakshman. The monkeys told Ram that Lakshman could still be saved with certain herbs from the Himalayas which they were nowhere near and Ram thought he was going to lose his brother. But Hanuman saved the day by flying over to the Himalayas. But when he got there, he had no idea which herbs were the right ones that were needed as there were so many different ones. So Hanuman picked up the whole mountain and flew back to Lanka with it! The monkeys all searched for the correct herbs and made a potion for Lakshman to inhale and it slowly revived him.

Ram and Ravan went into battle and it lasted 10 days. Every time Ram cut one of Ravans' heads or arms off, another would grow back in it's place. Eventually, Ram fired a special arrow given to him by the Gods and fired it through Ravans' heart. It was over.

By this time, the 14 years of exile was over and Ram, Sita and Lakshman returned to Kosala where they were celebrated by the entire kingdom as Hanuman got there first and told Bharata the good news and Ram was crowned as king and Sita, the queen.

People celebrate and worship Ram and Sita as Gods and celebrate it to this day. This is one of the stories of good triumphing over evil. Light over Darkness hence the candles, the divyas and the lamps used on Diwali.

If I am still around, there will be another story next year!

Oh and I was part of a play in my first primary school about this story. I played the part of one of Ravans' demons and was on stage for about 5 seconds. As much as I like you Mrs Inglesfield, I was not happy about this. Shame I had to move school before I reached your year. We could've had some interesting conversations I think.