In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in some, twice a day – at dawn and dusk – and in a few it is maintained continuously - Akhanda Deepa. All auspicious functions commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the occasion.
Light symbolizes knowledge, and darkness - ignorance. The Lord is the "Knowledge Principle" (Chaitanya) who is the source, the enlivener and the illuminator of all knowledge. Hence light is worshiped as the Lord himself.
Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. Also knowledge is a lasting inner wealth by which all outer achievement can be accomplished. Hence we light the lamp to bow down to knowledge as the greatest of all forms of wealth.
Why not light a bulb or tube light? That too would remove darkness. But the traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our vaasanas or negative tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the vaasanas get slowly exhausted and the ego too finally perishes. The flame of a lamp always burns upwards. Similarly we should acquire such knowledge as to take us towards higher ideals.
Whilst lighting the lamp we thus pray:
Deepajyothi parabrahma
Deepa sarva tamopahaha
Deepena saadhyate sarvam
Sandhyaa deepo namostute
I prostrate to the dawn/dusk lamp; whose light is the Knowledge Principle
(the Supreme Lord), which removes the darkness of ignorance and by which all can be achieved in life.
– Sri Swami Chinmayananda (Chinmaya Mission)
Rituals are like primary education; one needs to do them, for they purify the
mind and help us to focus on God. At the same time, they should not be
performed mechanically, for there is meaning and purpose behind each and every ritual.
Knowing the meaning motivates us to perform prayer or puja whole-heartedly with complete presence of mind. Ultimately whether we know the meaning or don’t know the meaning it’s the Bhakthi (devotion) that matters.
For Instance take the Gayathri Mantra:
It means, “Oh Effulgent, Infinite, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent being give me right Understanding and Clarity of thinking.”
Bhakthi is intense love to God; “When a man gets it, he loves all, hates none; he becomes satisfied for ever”; “This love cannot be reduced to any earthly benefit”, because so long as worldly desires last, that kind of love does not come. - Swami Vivekananda
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