Oct 22
Diwali: Lighting Others’ Lamps
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Diwali is absolutely my favorite time of year. It marks both the Hindu Festival of Lights and the New Year for many Hindus throughout the world. The multi-day celebration also symbolizes victory of good over evil. To signify this triumph of light over darkness in our lives, we light little lamps or diva in our homes. Every year, my family gathers and lights one divo first. Then, we use that same divo to light the rest. Within moments, the light from one tiny lamp has multiplied to illuminate many others. The room — dark just minutes ago — suddenly beams brightly from the collective brilliance of all the diva together. It is always a beautiful sight.
Diwali (and the weeks of preparation leading up to it) is a delightful time. As a child, after weeks of preparing joyously, I would become sad at the end of the five-day festivities. I’d feel confused about how to sustain that excitement and warmth throughout the new year. I would be lying if I said that to this day, I don’t feel a tinge of that sadness at the end of Diwali. Growing up, my parents taught my younger brother and me that while diva visibly create light externally, we must also create our light internally. They reminded us that Diwali is an opportunity to look inwards and reflect on how we can sustain our inner light throughout the year. “Create light in your inner world,” they said, “This way, every day can become like Diwali.”
This year, I’ve been thinking about what I can do to sustain the Diwali spirit. I am drawn to the image of lighting our diva one by one. I am mesmerized by that one original divo shining alongside the others, having lost none of its own radiance in giving its light to those around it. This ritual is a symbolic reminder of a quote that resonates deeply with me: “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” Thus, this Diwali, to sustain my spirit through the year, I commit to lighting the candle for those around me through selflessness — dedicating myself to thinking of others’ needs and serving the people around me.
It can sometimes feel like selflessness is no longer a valued trait. After all, we live in a self-care obsessed culture. I, too, have personally learned the difficult way that one cannot pour from an empty cup, so I appreciate the necessity of taking care of my own basic emotional and physical needs. Yet, research suggests that self-care and caring for others are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Dr. Laurie Santos is a leading pioneer in the field of positive psychology. A professor at Yale University, she teaches the university’s most popular course: The Science of Well-Being. Through her years of extensive research, Dr. Santos has learned that while prioritizing self-care is critical, we should expand the way we think about it:
Dr. Santos is not alone in her conclusion. In one 2017 Oxford University research study, scientists asked nearly 700 people to perform acts of kindness for one week. At the end of the experiment, when comparing the intervention group to the control group, researchers found that “the kindness intervention had a positive effect on well-being and positive social emotions” of those who partook in acts of kindness for one week.
If just one week of kindness can have statistically cognizable positive effects on people, how much could I improve my well-being this year by spending it in the service of others? And, I don’t have to look too far to find a role model for this endeavor I am myopically thinking in terms of mere days and years, but my guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, lived his entire life by one simple maxim: “In the joy, happiness, and progress of others, lies our own.” He was the living personification of losing nothing by lighting others’ candles, and he did so with such ease and consistency.
On January 26, 2001, a devastating 7.6 scale earthquake struck Bhuj, Gujarat, killing nearly 20,000 people, injuring over 150,000, and upending the lives of millions more. To this day, the earthquake and its aftermath mark a dark moment in Gujarat’s history. The earthquake struck at 8:46 AM. By lunch, Pramukh Swami Maharaj had already arranged warm meals for the survivors, rallying thousands of BAPS volunteers to affected areas for relief work.
But the relief work didn’t stop with immediate assistance; throughout the year, Pramukh Swami ensured that the 40,000 earthquake survivors were served warm and nutritious meals daily. Taking care of the smallest details, he even visited the kitchens. Upon meticulously inspecting the food packages, he advised the volunteers to place two green chilies in each packet. He explained that the people of the Bhuj region were accustomed to spicy food and that the chilies would also complement the sweets in the packages. Amidst the darkest times for the Kutchi people, Pramukh Swami Maharaj chose to be the light for thousands of strangers — strangers who would likely never know he did any of this. He did not stop at providing food packages but went above and beyond in considering how to bring even more light to these survivors’ days. To light another candle, Pramukh Swami made an effort to think about someone else’s needs and comfort with utmost sincerity.
We might think of kindness as some grandiose gesture, but lighting another candle need not be extravagant; a small yet meaningful act of selflessness can hold immense power. Lighting another candle can start in my own home. I can light the candle for my mother by helping her with chores around the house so she can have a free night to herself. I can light the candle for my father by filling up the gas in his car, so he doesn’t need to scramble in the chaos of his long early morning commute. I can light the candle for my grandparents by video-calling so they know I’m thinking of them.
Beyond the home, I can light the candle for a local small business by posting a positive review for them online. I can light the candle for an utter stranger by letting someone with fewer groceries ahead of me in line. I can light the candle for service members this holiday season by sending a care package to thank them for their sacrifices. In these moments of lighting others’ candles, I will find that my own shines brighter. In this way, I can maintain the spirit of Diwali throughout the whole year.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj experienced continuous joy and peace. His flame never flickered, never dimmed. His life serves as inspiration and proof to me that we lose nothing — in fact, we only gain — by lighting another candle. If he could devote his entire life to the happiness of those around him, I can undoubtedly pledge my upcoming year to do so. And I hope you’ll join me too.
This Diwali, as we light the diva in our homes, let’s also reflect on how we can light others’ candles throughout the year. I pray we carry the warmth of Diwali into the upcoming year by living for others, serving those around us, and helping others to beam even brighter. May we truly understand that, as Pramukh Swami Maharaj always knew, only in the joy of others can we find our own.
From me and mine, to you and yours, I wish you a very happy Diwali and a joyous New Year!
Roma Gujarathi, Esq.
Westborough, MA
