Spiritual Awareness

Spiritual Significance of Dhanteras

Dhanteras also known as the festival of wealth (Dhantrayodashi or Dhanwantari Triodasi). The name is formed from the culmination of the two words Dhan and teras. “Dhan” means wealth and “teras” means that this festival falls on the thirteenth day of Krishna paksh (dark fortnight)  of  the Kartik month (October-November).

Dhanteras Legends

A very interesting story about Dhanteras Festival says that once the sixteen year old son of King Hima was doomed to die by a snakebite on the fourth day of his marriage as per his horoscope. On that particular fourth day of his marriage his newlywed wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid out all her ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance of her husband’s boudoir and lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on telling stories and sang songs to keep her husband from falling asleep.

When Yama, the god of Death arrived there in the guise of a Serpent, his eyes got blinded by that dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince’s chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away. Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the day of “Yamadeepdaan” and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential adoration to Yam, the god of Death.

According to another popular legend, when the gods and demons churned the ocean for Amrit or nectar, Dhanavantri (the physician of the gods and an incarnation of Vishnu) emerged carrying a jar of the elixir on the day of Dhanteras.

Dhanteras Celebrations

People consider bringing new things in the house auspicious on this day.

So let us all bring Bhakti into our home and enlighten our life and soul. The eternal bliss achieved by it is incomparable.

On this day the houses are cleaned to make place for the new things. As the new things cannot be accommodated without replacing the old ones. In the similar manner we should clean our thoughts to make place for Bhakti, Guru Prem, Seva and Naam Jap and  replace the old,  redundant and useless thoughts with the new thoughts of  Krishna Prem.

To welcome prosperity and wealth in our life, the homes and the business premises are decorated and renovated. Lakshmi Puja is held in the evening of the day by lighting of  tiny diyas of clay. The light of diyas denotes that the shadow of evil spirit will drive away from home. In the similar manner let us light a diya in our heart to drive away evilness of our thoughts.

कायेन वाचा मनसेन्द्रियैर्वा बुध्यात्मना वाऽनुसृतस्वभावात्।

करोति यद्यत् सकलं परस्मै नारायणायेति समर्पयेत्तत्॥

Kaayena vaachaa manasendriyairvaa
Budhyaatmanaa vaa’nusritaswabhaavaat
Karoti yat yad sakalam parasmai
Naaraayanaayeti samarpayettat   [Srimad Bhagavata – 11.2.36]

Whatever actions are performed by the body, words, mind, senses and intellect, one should offer to the Supreme, thinking, “This is for the pleasure of Lord Narayana.”

 

4 responses on "Spiritual Significance of Dhanteras"

  1. Happy dipawali and koti koti naman to dear guru bhagwan.

  2. Happy Dhanteras bhagwanji!

  3. Anant Shukrane Gurubhagwanji

  4. guru bhagwan ko koti koti naman aur sukhrane.

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