The katha of the moneylender's daughter
In a village lived a moneylender. His daughter went every morning to offer water to a peepal tree. Maa Lakshmi dwelt in that tree. Seeing the girl's devotion, one day Lakshmi ji asked her, 'Will you be my friend?' The girl said, 'I will ask my father and tell you.'
With her father's permission the two became friends. One day Lakshmi ji took her to her home and honoured her greatly. As she was leaving, Lakshmi ji said, 'When will you invite me to your home?'
The girl came home and told her father, but the moneylender worried how he could welcome so great a goddess. The daughter said, 'Father, don't worry. We will clean the house, light diyas and welcome her with a true heart.'
They cleaned the whole house, drew a chowk in the courtyard and lit diyas in every corner. Pleased by the heartfelt welcome, Lakshmi ji came to their home with Ganesh ji and settled there forever. The moneylender's home filled with wealth and grain.
At the end of the katha one prays — 'O Lakshmi Maa, just as you came to the moneylender's home, come to ours too.'
Why Diwali is celebrated
After the victory over Ravana, Shri Rama, Mata Sita and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya on Kartik Amavasya, completing 14 years of exile. The people of Ayodhya decorated the whole city with diyas. Since then Diwali is celebrated by lighting diyas on the dark night of Amavasya.
This is OmKiran Bhakti's retelling of the traditional katha in simple English; details of the katha vary slightly from region to region.
