Sakthi Foundation
SriRam's Deepawali to enrich SAL ENERGY
Most of the U.P and M.P people celebrate Deepawali as the symbol of SriRam's reentery into his sacred city Ayodhya after 14 years. After Lanaka expedition, Ram decided to come back to his Ayodhya on Ammavasya day to start the new fresh life as a king, son and husband.
Ramayana says that Ayodhya citizens also did not celebrated Deepawali with real joy for 14 years. Every one related them self to Ram as the self-truth.
So people prepared the ammavasya day - the Deepawali day ato welcome their beloved king and queen with his brothers and friends.
When Ram stepped into Ayodhya people performed arthi, placed lamps all across the streets and welcomed them. They performed Laxmi pooja and celebrated the day.
SriRam gave his family deity SrRanga natha to Vibeeshna and the ido got installed in SriRangam [Trichy - Tamil Nadu - world's biggest temple]
Scriptures say how Ishwaaku family [SriRam's family] celebarted Deepawali in Ayodhya palace.
On Deepawali day special sacred bath was given to Lord Ranganatha and gold coins were bagged and placed at his feet as the symbol of SAL ENERGY. After rituals the king family used to give a coin to each Ayodhya citizen as the beginning of fresh life with refreshed SAL ENERGY.
Today also we can see Lord taking bath with all idols of aacharyas in SriRangam. He is applied with oil and sheekakai bath is given. He then wears new cloths. Lord then gives aways oil and sheekakai powder to all priests and they start the celebration.
By evening Lord is taken before SriRam's shrine where a silk cloth full of new currency notes are tied and up. They chant various shlokas upon Lakshmi and Vishnu and place the bag full of money at Lord's sacred feet. This is called ''Saali alankaram'' . The term saali means ''fulfilled''. So on Deepawali day Lord ditrubutes the energy to all priest.
Today afetr several centuries SriRangam temple is expressing SriRam's Deepawali.
When we see Lord's sacred feet we remember an aacharya's request, ''can this feet show how SriRam and Sitha looked?''
Happy Deepawali!
Dr.M.Madeswaran, 9.10.2015
