‘Happy Diwali’
Nothing quite beats the enthusiasm with which one utters this greeting, even though it might be for the umpteenth time!
It’s true. There is an unbridled sense of joy we feel when we say ‘Happy Diwali’ to people, and with good reason – it’s one of our favorite festivals! However, do we even know the Story Behind the Diwali Festival?
We at EuroKids are dedicated towards ‘illuminating’ your path of knowledge this Diwali, thereby infusing your favourite festival with more ‘light’! To that effect, we shed light in this article on the Different Stories of Diwali, that will leave both you and your little one fascinated. If there’s one thing about a Diwali Story we know well, it is this: It brings Light to the Darkness!
Sit back and relax, and enjoy each Diwali Story for Kids here, that is part of our carefully-compiled list of 7 Different Stories of Diwali for Kids!
7 Essential Diwali Stories: Different Stories of Diwali every Child should Read
Looking for a great Diwali Story for Kids? We have ‘seven’ of them!
Presenting Different Stories of Diwali, to bring a ‘sparkle’ in your child’s eye.
- The Rama and Sita Story – A Story Behind the Diwali Festival (h3)
- Kubera’s Feast – The Dhanteras Story(h3)
- The Diwali Narakasura Story(h3)
- The Goddess Lakshmi Story (h3)
- The story of King Bharat(h3)
- Lord Mahavira’s Attainment of Nirvana(h3)
- Goddess Lakshmi’s Rescue(h3)
A long time ago, Ravana, the demon king, appeared as a wounded deer in front of Sita, in an attempt to ensnare her. Sita asked her husband Rama for help, but by that time the deer was gone. Rama went off in search of the deer, drawing a circle around Sita to protect her from danger. While he was gone, the terrible Ravana once again appeared in front of her, this time in the guise of a beggar. Seeing him, she stepped out of the circle and was whisked away by the demon king to his abode in Lanka.
Rama took the help of the monkey God Hanuman, in an attempt to get Sita back. With the help of an army of monkeys, they built a bridge to Lanka. Finally, with the help of a ‘special arrow’, Rama defeated Ravana and won Sita back. The entire kingdom lit oil lamps,in an attempt to help them get back home!
Kubera, the God of Wealth, loved to show off his riches’. One day he organized a grand feast for Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. He was surprised on the day of the feast to find only Ganesha there. Ganesha told him that he was there to represent his parents. He started eating, and no matter how much he ate, he didn’t seem to get full. Finally, he started eating Kubera’s furniture!
Not knowing what to do, Kubera went in a panic to Mount Kailash, to meet Lord Shiva and Parvati. They reprimanded him for showing off his wealth, and instructed him to apologize to Ganesha and offer him a mere bowl of ‘kheer’ with the utmost devotion. Kubera, truly apologetic, did as instructed, Ganesha ate the kheer that was offered with devotion, and his hunger was satiated.
Narakasure was an evil Asura who wanted to be immortal. He went to Lord Brahma and told him ‘Lord, you need not grant me immortality, but if I die it must only be at the hands of my mother, Bhoomi Devi.’ Brahma agreed, and then all hell broke loose. Narakasura attacked all the kingdoms on earth. Finally, before leaving Devaloka, he tore an earring off the mother goddess Aditi’s ear. A distraught Aditi went to Satyabhama, Lord Krishna’s wife, to tell her what had happened.
That’s when Krishna sprung into action. He told Satyabhama to come fight Narakasura with him. Together they went and after a long fight, Narakasura pierced Krishna’s chest with his trident. Enraged, Satyabhama aimed an arrow at Narakasura’s chest and he died. He hadn’t realized that Satayabhama was none other than a reincarnation of Bhoomi Devi, his mother! That’s why, in the South, they celebrate evil with this Diwali Narakasura Story of Good vs Evil!
This wonderful story shows us why we are so eager to welcome Goddess Lakshmi in our homes during Diwali. One day, Lakshmi (The Goddess of Wealth) and her sister Daridra Lakshmi (The Goddess of Misfortune) went to a trader’s house. Lakshm asked the trader to tell them which one of the sisters was more beautiful. The trader wanted Daridra Lakshmi to leave his house, so he came up with a plan. He told Lakshmi to leave his house, before ringing the bell and coming back. That would be the cue for Daridra Lakshmi to leave the house. Then he would tell the sisters which one of them was more beautiful.
Puzzled, Lakshmi left the house, only to return moments later. The trader said, ‘Lakshmi, you are more beautiful when you enter the house. Daridra Lakshmi, you are more beautiful when you leave.’ The sisters laughed. The trader beamed with joy. He had managed to get Lakshmi in his home, while keeping Daridra Lakshmi out!
King Bharat was the brother of Lord Rama. One day, Bharat came to Lord Rama, who was in exile in the forest for fourteen years. ‘Oh brother, please come back to the kingdom’, said a distraught Bharat to Rama. ‘Our father has passed, and there is nobody who can take care of the kingdom of Ayodhya but you.’
Lord Rama told Bharat that it was impossible for him to return, citing the promise he had made to his late father. King Bharat, desperate now, told Rama that he would place his sandals on the throne, so that everyone in the kingdom would know who the true ruler of Ayodhya was. Rama agreed, but on one condition. That Bharat would rule the kingdom with integrity, while upholding the principles of Dharma. Bharat agreed, and all was well in the end.
Lord Mahavira is well-known as the God of the Jains, but did you know there is a story that inextricably links him to the festival of Diwali? It’s true. It is believed that this magnificent twenty-fourth ‘tirthankara’, attained ‘Nirvana’ or ‘Moksha’ on the very day of Diwali itself!
It is further believed that it is on the very day of Diwali, that Lord Mahavira’s soul became ‘siddha’, which is really the ‘purest’ form that a soul can attain.
Yet another story that involves the great goddess Lakshmi! Once upon a time, the powerful King Mahabali had taken Goddess Lakshmi as prisoner. Soon after, the lord Vishnu, in his fifth avatar as ‘vaman’ or ‘dwarf brahmin’, approached Mahabali, asking him for ‘three paces’ of land. Mahabali agreed to this request, only to see Vishnu cover the three worlds (heaven, earth and the netherworld) in only ‘two’ paces!
Mahabali realized his folly, and offered his head to Lord Vishnu as the ‘third’ pace. Stepping on his head, Vishnu banished Mahabali to the netherworld. It was in this manner that he rescued Lakshmi!
The Different Stories of Diwali you have read here, have surely shone a ‘light’ in your mind on this dearest of Indian Festivals. We at EuroKids believe that the great thing about a Diwali Story is, it never gets old! Tell your child a Diwali Story for Kids, and watch their eyes ‘brighten’ with joy!
