Light of Hope — Archived from November 2007
And we're here finally. The festival season reaches it's grand finale with Diwali. Vibrant hues, flashes of light, sparkling diya's and loads of joy - all are hallmarks of this grand tradition of Hinduism.
Although several people know Diwali as the end of the year according to the Hindu calendar, there are several stories linked to this day. One of the more obscure ones relates to the killing of the demon Narakasura by Satyabhama.
Narakasura was the son of Bhumi, the mother earth and Vishnu. Bhumi sought a boon from Vishnu asking for a long life and power for her son. Propelled by this boon, Narakasura was unstoppable even when his cohorts broke through the gates of heaven itself and displaced Indra, the king of gods. The gods turned to Vishnu for help.
Krishna and Satyabhama, avatars of Vishnu and Bhumi, then came down heavily upon Narakasura's army and routed them. While dying, Narakasura requested Satyabhama that the day of his death be celebrated by all humans with lights. That day, Naraka Chaturdashi, became the first day of Diwali.