Musing over calling my akhand diya as “akhand” 😀

The word ‘Akhand’ by etymological understanding means – unceasing / undivided / unstopped. In context of the diya – it means a diya that is ON – always.

Culturally, an akhand diya means a diya that has been On forever. If not forever at least a few generations. If not a few generations, at least a decade or so. But then, even the lamp that is kept on for 9 days of Navratri is called Akhand. 😀

My father found the term akhand used for a diya amusing. Because, he said, only the soul is akhand – truly undying, unceasing, undivisible etc etc… as per his spiritual understanding. Every thing else will be khand (stopped/broken) sooner or later. If we all humanity decides to keep a diya on forever – it means only till humans are alive on this planet. Or until this planet exists. What happens when this planet / solar system gets destroyed?

Aspirational Names in Indian Culture

But I countered my father, the ‘akhand’ here does not state the true nature of the Diya – as it does for the soul. The Akhand here is aspirational.

To set the greatest goal for ourselves. We could have said – I will keep it on for 4 days, 4 months, 4 years, 4 decades. Nope – AKHAND.

Think Big! 😀

To keep the lamp on ‘forever’ – whatever the ‘forever’ is in our brains, at some point, we will start putting the diya and its needs above our usual life. Whatever happens, keep tending to the lamp so it remains Akhand.

A little bit of devotion creeps into our life. We may also start pondering on what is truly akhand. And if we search for the truly akhand – we would find the one and only – whether we call it soul or source of creation or God or nothingness or whatever.

A lot of naming in Indian culture is aspirational. Aspiration for the highest that may not always be practically possible at all. But the madness of it is great.

That’s why people can be named Shiva, even a dog may be named Shiva – hearing the name over and over, they may realise Shiva within themselves. People around them will also hear ‘Shiva’ more often. If these Shiva-named people will anger someone, then those people will curse also with a “Shiva” in their words. 😀

I wrote Shiva 8 times in this blog – because of these Shiva named people 😀

Aspirational.

Thus, even though my diya hasn’t been always-burning since International Yoga Day 2020, especially once I travelled out of Coimbatore but I still call it Akhand Diya. Because it is aspirational.

And at the end of day, it is indeed different from the common household lamps in today’s day and age which burn out daily in a few hours. My diya usually lasts a few days before there may be some break due to some reason… and then I light it as soon as I see it is off. So it is ON again! Akhand… 🙂