Why do we light a lamp?

In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. Insome houses it is lit at dawn, in some, twice a day – at dawn and dusk – and in a few it ismaintained continuously (Akhanda Deepa).

All auspicious functions commence with thelighting 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 illuminatorof all knowledge. Hence light is worshiped as the Lord himself.

Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. Also knowledge isa lasting inner wealth by which all outer achievement can be accomplished. Hence welight 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 thetraditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lampsymbolizes 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 knowledgeas to take us towards higher ideals.

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 (theSupreme Lord), which removes the darkness of ignorance and by which all can beachieved in life