Happy (Late) Hallo-wali!

If there’s one holiday that gives people the creeps and shivers, it’s Halloween (duh)! I mean, what’s not to like? You have an excuse to pull random pranks on friends and family, you get to dress up, and not to mention you get to stay up all night devouring the buckets full of candy you get from trick-or-treating! Things couldn’t get better than that!

But, of course, the Universe likes to prove me wrong (but in a good way this time)! Halloween isn’t the only thing celebrated on the 31st of October… Drum roll, please…. 

DIWALI!

Greetings! Or should I say… Ghostly greetings to all you mere mortals! Okay, that may be a bit long, but it works! This Halloween is a special one. It isn’t just all about ghosts and vampires. It’s also about the triumph of good over evil (aka Diwali)! For those that don’t know, Diwali is the festival of lights. It’s practically celebrated all over the world by everyone, really! Today’s November 3rd, and Tik-Toks about “the most wonderful time of the year” are going viral already. But, I think there’s still a little room for one last spooky, yet righteous story!

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Once upon a time, there was a notorious demon named Narakasur. He towered over the surface with hundreds of fang-like teeth, horns that could pierce the sky, hollow white eyes, and a deep, guttural, bone-chilling roar. He was ruthless, terrorizing every village and town on its path. The people were so scared of the demon that once the sun went down, everyone in the villages would blow out their candles, making every hut and palace pitch dark, so Narakasur would think that there was no one inside. 

One day, Narakasur prayed to Lord Brahma, the god of creation, to grant him a boon. Pleased with his determination, Lord Brahma asked the demon what he wanted from him.

“Chose carefully, Narakasur. I will grant you whatever you dare to ask me.”

 Like any other powerful demon, Narakasur replied, “I want to surpass death. So, I wish for the only person to have the ability to kill me to be my mother, Bhudevi, the goddess of the Earth, herself!”

“You have your wish.” 

Little did the demon know, Lord Brahma had seen many demons like Narakasur before, so his wish wasn’t as original as Narakasur believed it to be…

With the confidence that the boon gave him, Narakasur decided it was time to make his name known not only on the Earth but also to the celestial realm. Indra, the god of the heavens, and his other demigods scattered and fled, terrified at Narakasur’s wrath. He took nearly 16,000 women from the palaces and held them as prisoners. Just when he was leaving the heavens, he spotted glowing gold earrings that Aditi, the mother goddess, was wearing and took them, ripping them from her ears.

Sobbing and terrified, Aditi went to Lord Krishna and explained Narakasur’s terrorizing of the heavens. Immediately Lord Krishna vowed to stop the terror and end Narakasur’s life. While preparing for battle, Lord Krishna asked his wife, Satyabama, to accompany him in the fight.

When Narakasur saw Lord Krishna and Devi Satyabama arrive before him, he let out a loud, petrifying laugh.

“I can’t be defeated by anyone other than my own mother, the goddess of the Earth! Why, you have no chance at all! Mura, slay them both!”

Mura, the demon army’s commander, charged his army toward Lord Krishna and Satyabama. Effortlessly, the two defeated Mura and his army. Furious, Narakasur let out a guttural battle cry and led more demons on horses and elephants out for battle. Garuda, a mighty eagle, and Krishna’s friend, swooped in and aided in the battle. Arrow after arrow, clang after clang, and yell after yell, the war commenced. Soon, Narakasur was the only demon alive on the battlefield. As a last resort, Narakasur hurled a powerful, venomous trident towards Krishna, piercing his chest with an agonizing cry. Grief-stricken, Satyabama couldn’t believe her eyes. Lord Krishna, the almighty, was struck! Satyabama, instead of mourning the Lord’s fall, prepped her last arrow, pulled on the string of her bow, aimed, and…. Shot at Narakasur’s heart. The demon fell with a searing cry.

Satyabama turned to her fallen Lord, but Krishna slowly arose with a mischievous smile! He wasn’t truly hurt; he was just playing a part! Because Lord Krishna pretended to have fallen, Satyabama pierced Narakasur’s heart, killing him. In truth, Satyabama was a reincarnation of the Earth goddess, so she was the warrior who released the world from the demon’s terror!

Finally, the imprisoned women were all freed and sent home, and Goddess Aditi’s earrings were returned.

…

As of 2024, the 31st of October marked the day when Lord Krishna and Devi Satyabama emerged victorious and returned from the battle. To celebrate, we light candles and fireworks to show the triumph of good over evil and the importance of light, hence the name “Festival of Lights”. You know, this story is fit for both Diwali and Halloween. But I think the true moral of the story is to never grant wishes to sketchy people…

You can’t prove me wrong!