We’re celebrating the killing of a man! Because he requested, “My death anniversary should be celebrated.”
Naraka came from a good background. They say he’s the son of Vishnu. But, this happened when Vishnu had taken the form of a wild boar or a pig. So, he had certain tendencies. More than that, he made certain friendship. He became friends with Mura, who later on became his general and they fought battles and battles, killing thousands of people.
When first Krishna killed Mura, because with two of them together, there was no way to deal with Naraka. That’s the reason why Krishna has this name Murari because he slew Mura, who in this legend, it says that he had magical powers in battle and nobody could stand against him. And once Mura was taken off, Naraka was more of a ceremony.
So, this happens to a lot of people. At the moment of death, they realize their limitations. If they realize now, life could be improved. But most people wait till the last moment. Naraka is one of them. He did his life completely wrong and he realized that at the end of his life and said, “Today that you are killing, not me, but all the wrongs that I did – this must be celebrated.”
You should not celebrate the killing of Naraka’s wrongs, you must celebrate the killing of all the wrongs within you. That’s when a real Deepavali happens. This is the entire thing. All of us are made of the same stuff but see how differently each one has become. So when Krishna killed Naraka, this is the thing. It is the contrast which made him realize, “Both of us are same but see what I have done of myself and what you have done to yourself.”
So, this legend about Naraka being of good birth but going bad is significant. What it is trying to tell you is – even if you’re born to a pig, it’s still a very good birth. But it all depends what you make out of yourself. Krishna made himself god like, he [Naraka] made himself into a demon. Either you wait for life to whip you, or you whip yourself into shape – this is the choice. So Naraka chose that Krishna comes and whips him up. Krishna chose that he whip himself into shape. That’s a big difference. One gets worshipped as a god, another gets put down as a demon. This is all it is. So, tomorrow [Diwali] is a reminder. Let’s light it up.
It is only the absence of light that is called Darkness.
Obliteration of Darkness is the nature of light.
May the light arise in your life,
to light you up and all that
you touch on this festival of lights.
A Dazzling Diwali to you.
Love & Blessings,
Sadhguru
