On Sunday, Nov. 8, the dark night sky held no moon. Yet in homes around the world, row upon row of small clay lamps called diyas glowed from doorsteps, windows and rooftops until the night shone bright as day. Celebrated by over a billion Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs around the world, this is Divali, the Festival of Lights.
Derived from the Sanskrit Deepavali, a “row (avali) of lights (deepa),” Divali spans the darkest night between the lunar months of Ashvin and Kartik, running this year from Nov. 6 to 11. Across traditions, Divali celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair.
My Guru, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, offers a simple way to understand that victory. Darkness, he teaches, has no existence of its own — it is only the absence of light. Strike a single match in a dark room, and the darkness does not resist or linger. It is simply gone. Where there is light, darkness cannot remain.
This year, our Mission theme is “Let your light shine.” It is a call that needs no translation. Every one of us carries a light, and every one of us can choose to let it be seen. As the Chandogya Upanishad says, “There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all, beyond the heavens. This is the light that shines in our hearts.”
To prepare for Divali, we clean our homes, make colorful rangolis at entrances and light every corner with diyas. Yet the festival’s deeper invitation is to illuminate our own hearts. This Divali, I invite you to light seven inner diyas:
- Gratitude: recognize our blessings and cultivate contentment
- Discernment: listen to our hearts, choose wisely, and follow the light
- Forgiveness: release old hurts to set ourselves free
- Discipline: train the mind each day, shaping our daily habits so that gratitude and love become second nature
- Faith: trust God’s plan, especially during uncertain times
- Devotion: remember God in every thought and action
- Love: see God in everyone, and express it through service, kindness and compassion
Each flame we kindle helps someone else find their way, and every light we share leaves our own undiminished. In the spirit of St. Ignatius, the Marquette community is already setting the world on fire — yesterday Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson proclaimed Marquette University Community Engagement and Service Day!
Let us hold in our hearts all those around the world living through dark nights of their own and extend our light to them. This Divali, may we illuminate not only our homes but also our thoughts, our intentions and our hearts, and let our light shine. Shubh Deepavali — Happy Divali and Happy New Year!
Questions? Please contact Kalpa Vithalani at kalpa.vithalani@marquette.edu or 414-288-0668.
