This week's blessing is about seeing the light in a new way, thanks to Raghu and Neo. Their blogs offered insight into the Hindu festival Diwali. Also called the "festival of lights," Diwali marks the victory of light over dark and the hope of achieving happiness in place of ignorance, love in place of hatred. On this festival, diyas (small clay oil lamps) and candles are lit as symbols of the victory of good over evil within every human being.

The practice of lighting dyas and candles comes from a number of stories in Hindu mythology, according to Wikipedia. The most famous of these is the legend of Lord Ram and his family. Diwali celebrates Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya, the capital of his kingdom, after the 14 years of exile that followed his defeat of the evil Ravana. The people of Ayodhya welcomed Rama by lighting rows of lamps.

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of achievement;
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

(Attributed to Kalidasa)

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