Thread by @SparesofWar

This is 100% right. Deepam should always be lit by the Yajamani irrespective of the woman lighting it or not. In fact, deepam lighting has a lot of esoteric significance that reflects Vedanta rahasyas, which I'll attempt to explain briefly. +

https://twitter.com/HinduMediaWiki/status/1330805081227227136

Many people have doubts as to how many wicks a deepam should contain. The question may seem silly but there are is a tatva rahasya to it. In SD, there is no practice or count that goes without reason.

Usually, two wicks are lit on each side of the lamp i.e. 4 wicks per lamp +

Generally, another lamp with a similar 4-wick arrangement is kept adjacent to this making it a total of 8 wicks (4 deepams - each with 2 wicks intertwined).
Put simply, a deepam signifies light that dispels darkness (ignorance/agnaana). So, what is the significance of 8 here?

Like gnana, Agnana is also a product of Prakriti. In the Bhagavad Gita, Paramatma says,

Bumiraaponalo vaayuh: kham mano buddhireva cha |
Ahankaara itiyam me bhinnaa prakritir astadha ||

Earth, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, ego all 8 are My distinct material prakrities+

The 8 wicks are meant to signify the dispelling of agnana from these 8 Prakritis and simultaneously, the lighting of deepams indicate effulgence of gnaana from the very same Prakriti. Now one might ask, shouldn't there be 8 lamps in that case? +

When 8 wicks create 4 deepams (2 in each lamp) , it means dissolution of agnana leads us getting 4 Purushaarthas (Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha). The philosophy doesn't stop here. We now have 4 wicks in each lamp that appear as 2.+

The 2 wicks here signify the Paramatma and the Jivatma. Paramatma is the Giver of the Purushaarthas while the Jivatma is the receiver. Since both the wicks are combined as a single deepam, it implies the Jivatma and Paramatma are now a single entity leading to an Advitiya state+

Now, lets rewind back. One Paramatma provides the Jiva with 4 Purushaarthaas, which can only be achieved when the 8 aspects of Prakriti above are let go.

Such are the lofty truths envisaged by our Rishis behind a simple act of deepaaradhana.

These are truths that have stood the test of time. That is why there is nothing greater than following your own Dharma, which in turn will dispel the darkness in the society and the world at large.

Shubham bhooyat.