It is the practice of Hindu house holds to light a Lamp at Dawn and Dusk.
Light illumines.
Our Ignorance prevents us from realizing that we a part of the Reality , we believe and trust that we are the body(Dehatma Buddhi), identify ourselves
with things that are temporary,get entangled in world affairs unnecessarily, become miserable forgetting that we a part of the Supreme Realty, The
Brahman ,whose Nature is being, Consciousness and Bliss.
When the Light of knowledge dawns to dispel away the Darkness, as the Lighting of a lamp does away with Darkness, we realize our true Nature.
To symbolize this we light a lamp with wicks.
The lamp should be lit both at dawn and dusk.
Preferable that a Lamp with five faces are used and all the five wicks are lit.
A lamp with a single wick should be used.
The wick should be made of cotton,
Of late I have noticed the tendency of lighting two wicks.
This is not the tradition.
Generally lighting or doing anything in even number is considered inauspicious.
Two always denotes conflict and resultant choice making makes life difficult.
Where as One signifies the ultimate Reality Brahman and Five, the Panchabutas nad Five Tanmatras.
If a single wick is lit, it should face either the East or North.
The Lamp should be adorned with Kumkum and Sandalwood paste.
A flower may be kept at the base of the Lamp.
The practice of keeping the flower at the top of Lamp is not recommended as it is likely to wither because of Heat.
Generally Gingelly oil is to be used.
Use of other oils or other oils Ghee on daily basis is not recommended.
Using Ghee rewards less than Gingelly oil.
As to using other oils like a combination of five oils is a later pa practice .
The light may be it by the lady of the house.
Lighting by candle or by a Man is not recommended.
Only the head of the house Gruhalakshmi should light the lamp.
The lamp must be lit after taking bath, if there was Physical contact between husband and wife.
Otherwise it can be lit after washing teeth and face .
The following Mantra is to be recited.
Whilst lighting the lamp we thus pray:
Deepajyothi parabrahma
Deepa sarva tamopahaha
Deepena saadhyate saram
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.
Afte daily pooja is completed, the lamp may be doused with a piece of Flower dipped in milk, after applying Kumkum to the Lamp.
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2 responses to “How To Light A Lamp Why”
Thanks for the details posted immediately after my observation on Tulsi Vivah Video. However, I had come across that the lamp should be extinguished by keeping kumkum on the wick. and not flower. Is it correct
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This is also permitted.
Correct procedure is to apply the Kumum at the tip or the Lamp holding the wick and extinguish with Floewer
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