Hindus light the Lamp (दीपम्) during early morning & in the evening. Lighting the Lamp (दीपम्) symbolizes our faith in God. Hindus while performing puja, prayer or any religious function light the Lamp (दीपम्). It is the starting of each & every prayer, puja or sacrifice. This clarified butter (cow's ghee) or oil (mostly cow's ghee is used) Lamps called दीपः or दीया, are meant for performing puja according to Hindu customs and rituals.
The reason for lighting the Lamp (दीपम्) is, Fire (अग्नि) is one of the Five Major Elements (पञ्च महाभूत i.e. पृथ्वी, जलम्, अग्नि, वायुः, आकाशः) & in Hinduism we respect these Five Major Elements & we consider each Element as our God.
Fire (अग्नि) is the conveyor of our prayers & sacrifices to the Gods. Fire (अग्नि) is also a God of divine knowledge, who leads man to the Gods. He is one of the most important Vedic Gods. All Vedic rituals involve Fire (अग्नि). Fire (अग्नि) is present in many phases of life such as honouring of a birth, prayers, sacrificial rites, at weddings - the sacrifice rite (होम) is done where the bride and groom circle the Fire (अग्नि) seven times known as सप्तपदी & during the death also, Fire (अग्नि) is required to burn the body.
Fire (अग्नि) is the one who knows all things that are born, created or produced. He is the God of will-power, united with wisdom. By lighting the Lamp (दीपम्), Fire (अग्नि) enables human beings to cultivate strong conviction and belief in God. It helps to develop a meaningful faith and deep devotion to support a dedicated mind towards God.
In Rugveda, Fire (अग्नि) is the second most important to Indra (इन्द्रः) & He is addressed in at least 2000 hymns. In the first hymn it is given that,
अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं
यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम्।
होतारं रत्नधातमम्।।
Meaning- I magnify Fire (अग्नि) the domestic priest, the divine attendant of the sacrifice, the invoker, best bestower of treasure.
Fire (अग्नि) is the great benefactor of his worshipers & Bestowing on them all kinds of boons, but pre-eminently domestic welfare, offspring & prosperity. Another function of Fire (अग्नि) is to burn & dispel evil spirits.
Before starting our daily prayers, we light the Lamp (दीपम्) by chanting a shloka-
शुभं करोति कल्याणमारोग्यं धनसंपदाम् ।
शत्रुबुद्धिविनाशाय दीपज्योतिर्नमोऽस्तुते ॥
Meaning- Salutations to the Light of the Lamp which brings Auspiciousness, Health and Prosperity, which destroys the intellect’s enemy- { 6 enemies - कामः (Desire), क्रोधः (Anger), लोभः (Greed), मोहः (Affection), मदः (Intoxication), मत्सरः (Envy) }.
Then we apply kumkum to the Lamp (दीपम्). After lighting the Lamp (दीपम्) we chant the following shloka:
दीपज्योतिः परब्रह्म दीपज्योतिर्जनार्दनः ।
दीपो हरतु मे पापं दीपज्योतिर्नमोऽस्तुते ॥
Meaning- Salutations to the Light of the Lamp (अग्नि) which represents the Supreme Brahman (परब्रह्म i.e. The Supreme Reality), which represents the Lord Vishnu (जनार्दनः), let the Light of the Lamp remove My Sins.
The Lamp (दीपम्) is to remove the darkness from the mind and heart. Light is the symbol of lightning the mind. Our mind, heart & surrounding gets purified when we light the Lamp (दीपम्). Clarified butter (cow's ghee) Lamp (दीपम्) has more capacity to attract the positive (सात्त्विकः) vibrations present in the surrounding atmosphere as compared to the oil Lamp(दीपम्). Clarified butter (cow's ghee) removes poverty, improves health & maintain wealth in the family. The oil Lamp (दीपम्) signifies the light of knowledge, which dispels the darkness of ignorance. It shines itself and causes the objects around to shine due to its reflection.
The oil Lamp (दीपम्) can attract the positive (सात्त्विकः) vibrations spread over a maximum distance of 1 meter while the ghee Lamp (दीपम्) can attract positive (सात्त्विकः) vibrations spread over till the Heaven (स्वर्ग लोकः). The Lamp (दीपम्) removes all the negative (रजस् & तमस्) elements which have surrounded during the night and day time. The Lamp (दीपम्) makes the atmosphere pure and clear once again.
Picture Courtesy www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org
Scientific benefits of lighting the Lamp (दीपम्) -
1. Lighting the Lamp improves concentration.
2. It improves blood circulation.
3. The smoke of the flame is beneficial to the asthmatic patients.
4. The light rays produces magnetic forces and change the atmosphere of the room.
5. The Lamp (दीपम्) of clarified butter (cow's ghee) has the properties of removing skin diseases.
6. The air which penetrates through the skin of the human body activate the nerves, & helps in curing the blood.
7. The electromagnetic force that settles on the skin works for three hours so that it penetrates in the body and encourages the blood cells. It also chases away the diseases.
Why we should not light the candles?
Few other religions are now using candles & few Hindu people also use candles. But we have to retain the candle. In many public functions the candles are being used to light the Lamp (दीपम्) which is not an ethical practice of Hindus as it is made from Bees wax & other chemicals like paraffin, etc. to make a candle. These chemicals give out negative effects around & within us. These candles produce the quality of Passion & Ignorance (रजस् & तमस्) in the surrounding.
While the Lamp (दीपम्) denotes the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva. The base represents Brahma, the stem represents Vishnu, the head represents Shiva, the wicks represent Parvati and the heat represents Lakshmi. This is the meaning of the Hindu Lamp (दीपम्). The Hindu Lamp (दीपम्) is so beautiful in concept and design. In Hinduism, we only use natural products for puja etc. rituals. And so, the Lamp (दीपम्) is also made up of natural resources like; the Lamp (दीपम्) is made up of baked clay or copper or brass, the wick is made up of cotton & clarified butter (ghee) or sometimes oil is used & for lighting the Lamp (दीपम्) we use matchsticks which are made up of wood.
Thus, we don't use & we should not use candles in our houses & we should not use candles to light the Lamp (दीपम्).
Picture Courtesy www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org
Why we should not blow the Lamp (दीपम्) or Candle?
अग्नि is the Vedic God residing in Fire. The presence of Fire in each & every puja ritual or sacrificial ritual is utmost important. Fire plays an important role in the Hindu tradition & is incorporated in almost all rituals & practices. Fire is the aspect of Divine. Fire is not only provided heat for cooking, warmth in cold & light in the dark but it also connects people emotionally, mentally & spiritually.
We may have heard several times from our ancestors that we should not blow the Lamp (दीपम्) or the Candle with our breath or hands, it is said to be the bad omen, which is true. And by blowing the Fire we disrespect the God Agni (अग्नि देवः). In the smallest spark of Fire represents God Agni (अग्नि देवः). By disrespecting the God only bad omen will enter our house, negative thoughts will enter inside us.
We don't disrespect our Gods that is the reason our ancestors don't let us blow the Lamp (दीपम्) or the candles. By blowing candle on birthdays we are taking our lives away from light towards the darkness because we light the candle & then we blow it, while our tradition is lighting the Lamp (दीपम्) & we never blow it away, we keep the Lamp (दीपम्) as it is. Even in my family no one blows candles on their birthdays, not even me. Instead we light the Lamp (दीपम्) which lasts for a minute, which will give you positive vibrations in your house & inside you on your birthday and God Agni (अग्नि देवः) will bless you on your special day. I hope you also practice the same & respect our God Agni (अग्नि देवः).
चैत्रः सुद १३ २०७६