Diwali 2026

By krishnasmercy on November 7, 2026 • ( 0 )

“From home to home auspicious songs are being sung, and both rich and poor are equally happy. Tulsidas melodiously sings Rama’s glories, which destroy all the impurities of Kali Yuga.” (Gitavali, 309.4)

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घर घर मन्गलचार एकरस हरसित रन्क-गनी
तुलसिदास कल कीरति गावहिं। जो कलिमल-समनी

ghara ghara mangalacāra ekarasa harasita ranka-ganī
tulasidāsa kala kīrati gāvahiṃ, jo kalimala-samanī

If He exists, as people claim, then He would have to be the highest of all. It stands to reason that He would have the largest castle as a residence. A mansion within a mansion, if you will, with attendants to see to every need. He would have constant enjoyment available to Him. He would not be dependent upon anyone. If such a person were to be approached, how would the common man gain entry? How would they even dream of being granted a meeting? On the occasion of Diwali, we remember the scene in Ayodhya kindly described by Goswami Tulsidas, where the highest person was duly honored by every kind of citizen, irrespective their financial status or stature.

Depending on where you live and the prevailing practices of the area at the time, you might be shut off from certain aspects of society. See that restaurant over there? Seems pretty nice. You feel like entering, taking a seat and ordering. There is only one problem. The people of your kind are not allowed. There is a big sign attesting to the fact. It says, “No entry”, followed by the particular group to which you belong.

In another place, you wait patiently in line. This is to enter a house of worship, which operates completely off the grid, so to speak. If the power were to go out across the region, this temple would continue without a hitch. The work is steady. People are constantly coming and going. Legend has it that this place has been around for thousands of years. While invaders have come and gone, leaving destruction in their wake, this place somehow made it. The tradition is sacred, as is the object of worship.

There is but one problem. Your companion is not allowed to enter. This is based only on how they look. They might otherwise be a fully practicing member of the religious tradition in which this deity is worshiped. There is no other reason to deny them access. In both cases, the determination is based on heredity. In other words, a person cannot do anything to change their status. Society shut them out. They are out of luck.

Such discrepancies, blemishes, and black marks can be found throughout the timeline of human existence, but the occasion of Diwali shows how there is always a line of direct access to the most important person of all. The key distinction is devotion, which is known as bhakti, in Sanskrit. Shri Krishna alludes to this truth in Bhagavad-gita, where He explains that those considered lower in status, papa-yoni, are still eligible to reach the supreme destination, param gatim.

मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य
ये ऽपि स्युः पाप-योनयः
स्त्रियो वैश्यास् तथा शूद्रास्
ते ऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम्

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ‘pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te ‘pi yānti parāṁ gatim

“O son of Pritha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaishyas [merchants], as well as shudras [workers]— can approach the supreme destination.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.32)

What is the way to access this most important person? Find a lamp, light it, and offer it in a reverential manner. Sing songs which are auspicious, mangala. The first Diwali featured such devotion, in a steady line that resembled a row of lights. The festival gets its name from this image, where rich and poor alike were elevated into a single taste of devotion, ekarasa. Whatever it is they did for a living, to be tied to their respective status, did not matter. It was a kind of merging. Everyone was united in their love for the beloved prince named Rama, who had finally returned home.

सिद्धार्थास्ते नरा राममागतं सह सीतया
लक्ष्मणं च महाबाहुं द्रक्ष्यन्ति पुनरागतम्

siddhārthāste narā rāmamāgataṃ saha sītayā
lakṣmaṇaṃ ca mahābāhuṃ drakṣyanti punarāgatam

“Those men who will again see Rama along with Sita, accompanied by the mighty-armed Lakshmana, returning home will be successful.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 72.38)

It was Queen Kaikeyi who had previously revealed the importance of this occasion, in relaying the final words of her since departed husband. Those people who would see Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana return home to Ayodhya would meet success in life. Goswami Tulsidas says that singing about that occasion is powerful enough to remove the impurities of the current age of Kali, which is otherwise dark and dreary, with its constant squabbling, arguing, contention, and degradation.