Let us all light Yama Deepam.

Chitvish · Oct 17, 2006

Deepavali is around the corner.
Let us pay our obeisance to Yama Dharma Raja, to eradicate untimely death and bless us with a long and healthy life.

This is done on the evening before Deepavali night on Thrayodashi day. We should light as many lamps as the number of persons living in the house and keep them outside the house or in a nearby temple. This is supposed to eradicate all our “papams” and “fear of death”.

In North India, the lamps are kept burning right through the night in reverential adoration to Yama, the God of death.
In North India, ghee is used, but we, here, use gingelly oil. It is individual choice.

The following shloka can be chanted:

Mruthyunaa paas(h)dandaabhyaam kaalaena s(h)yaamayaa saha

Thrayodas(h)yaam deepadaanaath sooryajah preeyathaam mama

May my deepa daanam please Yama Dharma Raja, who holds Paas(h)am and dandam in his hands, shines with Shyama daevi and Kaaladaevan and is the son of Suryan.

Love & regards,
Chithra.

Priya Amarnath · Oct 17, 2006

nice slokam and beautiful explanation

My dear Chithra

Just now finished reading the post about why we light deepams on the night before Deepavali. I was not aware that it is associated with Yama. With your explanation and slokam, I understood the importance of deepams in Deepavali celebration. My sinceire thanks to you for enlightening us.

Love and regards
priya

Chitvish · Oct 17, 2006

Thankyou, Priya !

Please note that this is done on the evening previous(just before) to Deepavali night.
Thanks for the F B .
Love &regards,
Chithra.

meenaprakash · Oct 17, 2006

another enlightening post...

Dear Chitra,

another beautiful shloka with a beautiful explanation of lighting so many lamps.
pls do tell me when do we light these lamps on 20th??? or 19th???

everyday, we are learning something new, thanks to you.

Love & regards,

Chitvish · Oct 17, 2006

My dear Meena !

Please light the lamps on Friday evening. If possible pour more oil, so that they will burn the whole night.
Thankyou for the F B .
Love & regards,
Chithra.

DEVIKA ANAND · Oct 17, 2006

thanks chitra

HARI OM CHITRA...thanks fr abs valuable info...had heard abt it but didnt know when .thks

Chitvish · Oct 17, 2006

Hari Om,Devika, my dear friend !

Though a rare visitor to this forum, it is nice to receive your feed back !
Love & regards,
Chithra.

vls · Oct 17, 2006

Learnt something new

Hi Chithra,

I learnt something new. Can we light the lamps and leave them inside? Here we can not leave them out.

Vls

anjana · Oct 17, 2006

Had no clue

Mrs C,
Another valuable lesson learnt today. Once again will remember this on Friday. Thanks and bye from me till then.
Love,

Kamla · Oct 18, 2006

Very Interesting

Dear Chitra,

Learning so many new things from you. This was something I had never heard of. I doubt if I can practice it as it is not possible to leave the lamps outside here and my husband surely will raise objections if I left so many oil lamps burning all through the night...the houses here are all constructed with wood. But I shall recite the prayer.

L, Kamla