By Roli S
‘Meri Maati, Mera Desh’ – I come across this wonderful slogan quite often these days. To this I wish to add Mera Diya as well. Yes, I would like to bring in focus the earthen lamp, this festive season. The most basic, elemental and primitive earthen lamp made from the soil of the land. The one that works with a cotton wick and oil, and our households have been using it since time immemorial for various ceremonies and rituals, well before the metallic and designer ‘Diya’ came into existence. This ‘Mati Kaa Diya’ belongs to the land of Bharat. Lighting of lamps and candles is popular in many other cultures around the world, but an earthen lamp or ‘Maati Kaa Diya’ has found pride of place mostly in Indian households, in some of them every day, even in the year 2023. I have seen my grandmother light one each evening in the courtyard, with such a look of hope and reverence. I have seen my mother light one during many rituals. The ‘Om Jai Jagdish Hare’ prayer and the entire ritual of aarti with lighted ‘Maati Kaa Diya’ has been an often-repeated action in many common households around the country.
The power that this ‘Diya’ has held has always fascinated me. Now after much deliberation, I have come to understand that this ‘Maati Kaa Diya’ is in fact a symbol of the resilience of the culture of this very land that we know as ‘Bharat’. The soil of the land with which this ‘Diya’ is made has so much rich history. History talks about the Bharat Varsh as ‘Sone Ki Chidiya’ to the present Bharat as the emerging economic power! The soil has not changed, also the ‘Mati Kaa Diya’ that is lit ceremoniously with so much faith and optimism by the people of the land. So, when did it all start? When did the humble earthen lamp come to prominence in this land? Light, since the beginning of civilisation, has been a form of God. God is knowledge, s/he sustains life and nurtures everything and light does the same. It provides a vivid path for us to follow, a path that will lead us to prosperity. In the olden days, it was believed that a house that doesn’t have brightly lit rooms and verandas is a place of evil. There is no question of darkness where there is light. God is that light for us that separates us from all the material desires and walks with us toward glorifying knowledge. Lighting ‘diyas’ or ‘deepak’ was not a tradition during most of the Vedic periods when the centre-stage was occupied by the fire-altars. The fire altars were created for religious ceremonies where a fire was lit through chopped wood and offerings were made to the fire god (Agni). The use of Deepak or Diyas was introduced into these ceremonial practices during the later Vedic period when the gods became more iconic and were not abstract entities anymore. After the subtle introduction of ‘diyas’ in the religious ceremonies, it became a symbol for submission towards the Lord. It replaced the fire-altars and with it the abstract gods. A quotation from the Gita says- “He is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is unmanifested.” Here we see that light is presented to be the essence of the Lord. But there is no clear knowledge if this light symbolises lighted earthen lamps. ‘Aarti’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Aratrika’, which roughly translates as the ceremony of light. Its origins are said to be rooted in the Vedic period even when people worshipped objects and abstract entities such as a mountain, sky, river, etc. During Aarti ceremonies in temples, we can notice that towards the end of the Aarti, the Pandit or the person holding the lighted lamp in his hand turns the lamp toward the devotees. This is because, according to Hindu philosophy, we humans are an extended branch of God. S/he resides in all of us. It’s possible that the Indus Valley civilisation had a festival similar to Diwali, as earthen lamps have been found at archaeological sites in the region. However, it’s also possible that the lamps were used only for practical purposes rather than as part of a festival. The Indus Valley civilisation was a complex society that existed around 4,000 to 2,500 years ago, and we don’t know much about their customs and religious practices, however, that earthen lamps existed in that period of history is evident.
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, two great Indian epics, make extensive references to lamps of gold and of precious stones. The deepak, as a whole, was considered the purest of the pure because it consumes all impurities but yet remains pure by itself. The flames of the yagya or homam in the Ashrams of the Rishis were the focus of faith during the Vedic times. The cultural tradition of ancient India has thus its genesis in the spark of yagya. This spark later assumed the form of a deepak. The importance of deepak in Vedic India is obvious from the following (translated) scriptural hymn: Among the light of fire, the light of the Sun, the light of the Moon, this lamp is the best of lights – Skanda Purana. The deepak is worshipped as the symbol of the all-pervading Light of all Lights. Some scientific models and theories today also agree that all matter has emanated from the light of consciousness-force. Meditation on the standing bright yellow flame of a deepak during the tratak yoga improves mental concentration and induces sublime energy of positive currents emanating from this symbol of cosmic consciousness. Its soft glow illumines the temple or a simple pooja room, keeping the atmosphere pure and serene. The lamp is also a symbol for the festival of Diwali, the festival of light. One of many interpretations of Diwali is a celebration of the light of knowledge that chases away the darkness of ignorance.
There are many types of lamps made of different materials like bronze, brass, silver, stone, etc. This is the age of LED bulbs and remote-controlled lighting systems. But when an earthen lamp or a Maati Ka Diya’ is lit everyday near the Tulsi plant in many households of Bharat even today, then it is a declaration of thousands of years of conditioning popularly known as the ‘Culture of the Land’. So, whenever an earthen lamp finds its way from a potter’s wheel to an Indian household, it is a passage of victory. Victory of the robust and resilient culture of Bharat. Rishis of Vedic period had lighted the first ‘Maati Kaa Diya’ from the same soil and clay – magical indeed!
(Roli S is an Educator and Author based in Thane)
