Spiritual Significance of Diwali by Swami Chidanand Saraswathi

[Guest guest]

HAPPY DIWALI May the lamps of love and devotion burn brightly in your hearts

May the light of understanding shine in your minds,

May the light of harmony glow in your home

May the bright rays of service shine forth ceaselessly from your hands.

May your smile, your words, and your actions be as sweet

as the sweets of this festive season.

May Maha Lakshmi bring you the true wealth of peace, health, happiness, and love

Let us All Burn Like Dias – Giving Light and Life to Others Diwali is the day that, after 14 long years of exile

in the forest with his wife Sita Ma and his brother Lakshman, Lord Rama

returned to the kingdom of Ayodhya. The people were so thrilled at the

return of their King, that they lined the roads of the town, the shops,

the homes and every place with brightly burning lamps. Today,

throughout India and wherever Indians have settled in the world, one

can see beautifully lit oil lamps and candles glowing in the darkness

of night.

All Parts of the Lamp Are Important

What is the deeper meaning of the Diwali oil lamp? From the oil lamp

one learns humility, one learns to be a nameless and faceless part of a

team working for the betterment of humanity. There is a beautiful

saying which goes as follows: “Karta kaam koi hai. Naam kisi ka hota

hai. Jalte tel aur bati. Naam diya ka hota hai.” It means, “Someone may

do the work. Someone else may get the credit. In an oil lamp it is the

wick and oil which burn, but we give credit to the diya.” In life also

this happens. There are always those who get the credit, those who are

always in the center receiving the appreciation and reward, while those

doing the real work frequently find themselves in the background. This

should not bother us. We must learn to be like the wick and the oil of

the lamp. Just keep burning and bringing light to others. Don’t worry

whether people acknowledge you properly or not. Whose name gets the

credit is not what’s impor! tant. What’s important is that light has

been brought to the world.

However,

when we find ourselves in the position of the wick and oil, feeling

like we do all the work and not getting the credit or appreciation,

what do we do? We sulk. We complain. We grumble. This is not the divine

way and it is not the message of Diwali. As we watch the Diwali lamps

burn, bringing beautiful illumination, we must take the message that

all parts of are crucial. If there were no oil, or no wick, or no clay

pot in which to hold them, there could be no flame. Each part is

essential and of equal worth. No one is small and no one is big. In our

lives as we work to bring light to our families, our communities and

our world, let us worry less about who is doing what and who is getting

credit and let us worry more about whether we are being the very best

wick, the very best oil and the very best pot we can be.

Let Us Burn FOR others, not FROM others.

Another message to be taken from the lamp is that it burns for others,

with no selfish motivation and no expectation. The sole purpose of an

oil lamp’s existence is to bring light to others. They burn FOR others,

with every minute, every moment of their lives and every ounce of their

existence. We also burn. But we burn FROM others rather than FOR

others. We burn with anger, jealousy, and frustration. The heat is on,

but rather than bringing healing, it brings hurt, to ourselves and to

others. The flames of our internal fire engulf us, suffocate us and

burn the very core of our beings. We must learn to burn FOR others

rather than FROM others.

Look

at Bhagwan Rama. How easy it would have been for Kaikeyi’s insistence

upon his exile to ignite the flames of anger and resentment within him.

How easy for him to burn with jealousy for Bharat who was undeservedly

being given the title of King. How easy to become indignant, to sulk

and complain. However, He did none of that. Rather, Kaikeyi’s

pronouncement and his father’s compulsion to acquiesce, caused the lamp

of compassion, love and service to burn even brighter within Him. He

was overjoyed at the opportunity to offer these years of his life to

Kaikeyi and to help his father fulfill the Kshetriya’s vow. Bhagwan

Rama’s life was truly a divine lamp, burning for others and bringing

light wherever He went.

The Underlying Cause of Bhagwan Rama’s Exile

Another important and rarely discussed aspect of Bhagwan Rama’s exile

to the forest is how it really began. What was the root cause, the

fundamental cause? It was not Kaikeyi who was evil, but rather her

maidservant Manthara who slowly and insidiously poisoned Kaikeyi’s mind

against Bhagwan Rama. Manthara convinced Kaikeyi, deliberately and

deceitfully, that if Bhagwan Rama became King he would deprive Kaikeyi

of her role as favorite wife and Queen. Manthara so successfully turned

Kaikeyi against the members of her own family that she insisted upon

Bhagwan Rama’s exile. So, actually, Bhagwan Rama’s exile and King

Dasaratha's tragic death is due not to Kaikeyi’s selfishness but rather

due to the ignorant, conniving nature of her trusted servant.

This

happens frequently in our own families, communities and workplaces. Our

minds and hearts get polluted against our loved ones, colleagues,

friends and co-workers by others who are acting either out of their own

ignorance or through cunning ulterior motives. If Kaikeyi had trusted

her sister/friend Kaushalya, her husband Dasaratha and her step-son

Lord Rama as much as she trusted her servant, none of the tragic events

would have come to pass.

So, at

this time of Diwali, let us renew our commitment to let the light shine

not only in our lamps and in our temples, but to let the light of

discrimination, love and loyalty shine in our minds and in our hearts.

Let us not be blinded by the darkness of ignorance, negativity,

jealousy, anger and greed. Let us pray for God to shine His divine

Light upon us, showing us that the sinister-looking shape on the ground

is truly just a harmless rope and not a poisonous snake. Else before we

know it we’ve exhausted and wasted our energy trying to beat to death a

simple piece of twine.

One of the main aspects of Diwali is the celebration of light. We line our homes and streets with lanterns; we explode fireworks; children play with sparklers.

However, Diwali is not a festival of light in order that we may burn candles, fireworks and sparklers. Sure, these are wonderful ways of expressing our gaiety. But, they are not the only or true meaning of " light. " Diwali is a festival of the light which dispels the darkness of our ignorance; it is a festival of the light which shows us the way on our journey through life. The purpose is not to glorify the light of the candle, or the light of the firecracker. The purpose is to glorify the light of God. It is He who bestows the real light, the everlasting light upon the darkness of this mundane world. A candle burns out. A firework is a momentary visual experience. But, the candle of a still mind and the fireworks of a heart filled with bhakti are divine and eternal; these are what we should be celebrating.

 

We decorate our homes with lanterns; but why? What is the symbolism behind that? Those lanterns signify God's light, penetrating through the ignorance and sin of our daily lives. They signify the divine light, shining its way through this mundane world. A home bathed in light is a home in which anger, pain, and ignorance are being dispelled; it is a home that is calling to God. However, too many people turn this into a domestic beauty contest, spending days and a great deal of money to purchase the newest dias, the most beautiful candles. " We had 75 candles burning last night, " we gloat. This is only the light of glamour. It is not the light of God, and thus the true meaning of the holiday is lost

 

The light of Diwali should be within us. It should symbolize the personal relationship between God and our families. It should not be so we attract attention from passing cars, or so we are the envy of the neighborhood. Let the light penetrate inward, for only there will it have lasting benefit. One piece of cotton soaked in ghee, lit with a pure heart, a conscious mind and an earnest desire to be free from ignorance is far " brighter " than 100 fashion deepaks, lit in simple unconscious revelry.

 

Bhagwan Rama's Return to Ayodhya after Defeating Ravana

 

The divine day of Diwali is associated with many historical events, the most important being the return of Bhagwan Rama to Ayodhya, after his defeat of the demon king Ravana in Lanka.

 

Bhagwan Rama was an incarnation, a divine manifestation of Bhagwan Vishnu, who took birth on Earth in human form for the betterment of humanity. When we talk about his life, we talk about the life lived by Rama embodied in human form.

 

The story of the Ramayana, which culminates in the glorious and joyful return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, tells the story of the war between God Rama and the demon King Ravana. A very important lesson, and one I want to highlight, lies in the differences between Rama and Ravana. Both were kings; both were learned in the scriptures; both were charismatic; both were beautiful. What made Rama God and Ravana a demon? One difference is crucial: Ego! Whereas Bhagwan Rama's heart overflowed with divinity, love, generosity, humility, and a sense of duty, Ravana's heart was filled with avarice, hatred, and egoism. It was, in essence, Ravana's ego which was his tragic flaw that ultimately led to his own downfall.

 

It was not ignorance that led to aggression, for Ravana was a great Vedic scholar who wrote numerous works on scriptural philosophy. It was not laziness or ugliness or impotency which led him to aggression. In contrast, he was powerful, dynamic, and beautiful in appearance. As the brilliant, handsome king of Lanka he had everything one would need to be happy and peaceful. Rather, it was his own ego, his own arrogance and his own slavery to his sensual desires that led to his aggression and ultimate downfall. His insatiable desires led him to crave more and more power, more and more money, and more and more beautiful ladies to fulfill his every whim.

 

On the other hand, Bhagwan Rama was always humble, and he never took credit for anything. At the end of the war in Lanka, Bhagwan Rama was giving Sitaji a tour of the city, showing her where all of the various events had occurred. When, they reached the place where Bhagwan Rama victoriously slew Ravana, he reported it to Sitaji only as, " This is where Ravana died. " He didn't say, " This is where I crushed the demon, " or " This is where I killed Ravana. " No. Even after achieving the great victory, he simply stated, " This is where Ravana died. "

 

Also, while Ravana lay dying, Bhagwan Rama did not revel in the victory. Rather, he sent his brother Lakshman to learn from the dying demon. For, Ravana was a great scholar, a peerless Vedic scholar who through his own ego, pride, vanity and insatiable desires became a demon. However, he still was matchless in his Vedic wisdom. So, rather than boast over his victory, Bhagwan Rama sent Lakshman to go and listen to words of wisdom from Ravana as the latter lay on his death bed.

 

Further, Bhagwan Rama was a master of his senses, not their slave. Where Ravana was ruled by Kama (lustful desires), Bhagwan Rama shows us to choose Moksha over Kama.

 

Thus, this year as we celebrate Diwali, let us not only celebrate the joyous return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya and the vanquishing of evil by good, but let us also ask ourselves if Lord Rama has returned to our own hearts. Have the forces of good, the forces of righteousness and the forces of humility conquered the evil forces of desire, arrogance and ego within us?

 

A Fresh Start

 

Diwali also marks the new year. For some, the day of Diwali itself is the first day of the new year, and for others the new year's day is the day following Diwali. But, for all this season is one of heralding in the New Year.

 

In the joyous mood of this season, we clean our homes, our offices, our rooms, letting the light of Diwali enter all the corners of our lives. We begin new checkbooks, diaries and calendars. It is a day of " starting fresh. "

 

On this day we clean every room of the house; we dust every corner of the garage, we sweep behind bookshelves, vacuum under beds and empty out cabinets. But, what about our hearts? When was the last time we swept out our hearts? When did we last empty them of all the dirt and garbage that has accumulated throughout our lives?

 

That is the real cleaning we must do. That is the real meaning of " starting fresh. " We must clean out our hearts, ridding them of darkness and bitterness; we must make them clean and sparkling places for God to live. We must be as thorough with ourselves as we are with our homes. Are there any dark corners in our hearts we have avoided for so long? Are we simply " sweeping all the dirt under the rug? " God sees all and knows all. He knows what is behind every wall of our hearts, what is swept into every corner, and what is hidden under every rug. Let us truly clean out our hearts; let us rid ourselves of the grudges, pain, and anger that clutter our ability to love freely. Let us empty out every nook and cranny, so that His divine light can shine throughout.

 

Additionally, on Diwali, we begin a new checkbook; we put last year's accounts to rest. But, what about our own balance sheets? When was the last time we assessed our minuses and plusses, our strengths and our weaknesses, our good deeds and selfish deeds? How many years' worth of grudges and bitterness and pain have we left unchecked?

 

A good businessman always checks his balance sheet: how much he spent, how much he earned. A good teacher always checks the progress of her students: how many are passing, how many are failing. And they assess themselves accordingly: " Am I a good businessman? " " Am I a good teacher? " In the same way we must assess the balance sheets of our lives. Look at the last year. Where do we stand? How many people did we hurt? How many did we heal? How many times did we lose our temper? How many times did we give more than we received? Then, just as we give our past checkbooks and the first check of our new one to God, let us give all our minus and plus points to Him. He is the one responsible for all our good deeds. And our bad ones are due only to ignorance. So, let us turn everything over to Him, putting our strengths, our weaknesses, our wins and our losses at His holy feet. And then, let us start afresh, with a new book, unadulterated by old grudges and bitterness.

 

Maha Lakshmi

 

The most important, aspect of Diwali is the worship of Maha Lakshmi. Maha Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, bestowing these abundantly upon her devotees. On Diwali we pray to her for prosperity; we ask her to lavish us with her blessings. However, what sort of prosperity are we praying for? All too often, we infer wealth to mean money, possessions, material pleasures. This is NOT the true wealth in life; this is not what makes us prosperous. There is almost no correlation between the amount of money we earn, the number of possessions we buy and our sense of inner bliss and prosperity.

 

The True Prosperity - God's Presence in Our Lives

On Diwali, we must pray to Maha Lakshmi to bestow real prosperity upon us, the prosperity that brings light to our lives and sparkle to our eyes. We must pray for an abundance of faith, not money; we must pray for success in our spiritual lives, not a promotion at work; we must pray for the love of God, not the love of the beautiful girl (or boy) in our class.

 

Look at Hanumanji. There is a beautiful lesson to be learned on this Diwali day:

 

After the war in Lanka, Ma Sitaji presented Hanumanji with a beautiful, precious pearl mala (necklace). Hanumanji proceeded to carefully examine each and every pearl - from top to bottom, from left to right. Then, he began to take the pearls off the string, one by one, bite them in half, again examine them thoroughly, and then throw them on the ground. Ma Sitaji watched in exasperation. Finally she said, " Hanuman - what are you doing? That is a very expensive, precious necklace I have bought for you. Why are you pulling off the pearls and breaking them? "

 

Hanumanji replied, " I am looking for Shri Rama (God). You have said these pearls are priceless and precious. If so, they must have Shri Rama inside them. "

 

Pearls (and diamonds and rubies and cars and money) are only precious if they are filled with God. If God is not there, it doesn't matter how expensive the diamond is, it is still empty and useless. God's presence in our life can turn stones to diamonds, but without God our diamonds are as worthless as stones.

 

Hanumanji had everything - he was gifted with the most expensive pearls but still he was not satisfied unless God was there. He was looking to the pearls to see God, and we pray to God for pearls! If he'd been given a rock with Lord Rama inside he would have been ecstatic.

 

We, on the other hand, focus our lives on attaining more and more riches, more and more prestige, more and more power and social importance. Yet, at the end of the day, even after accomplishing it all, we feel empty, we feel incomplete. We know that something crucial is missing.

 

That something which is missing in our lives is God and a divine connection. I always say, " Everything is set. We have tea sets, sofa sets, TV sets, entertainment sets. But we ourselves are upset. Everything is set and we are upset. " The reason is because we have forgotten our divine connection. The point of our numerous holidays is not only to celebrate and forget, but to celebrate and remember. And to keep remembering even after the celebrations are over.

 

Let us take this divine lesson from Shri Hanumanji. Let us pray to Maha Lakshmi for the true wealth - the presence of God in our lives.then, not only will our diamonds and pearls be precious, but everything we touch, everything we do will be precious and divine.

 

 

Wealth is for Sustenance

There is another point about Maha Lakshmi that is important. We tend to worship only her most prominent of aspects - that of bestowing prosperity upon her devotees. However, she is a multi-faceted goddess, filled with symbols of great importance. As we worship her, let us look more deeply at her divine aspects. First, according to our scriptures, she is the divine partner of Lord Vishnu. In Hindu tradition, there is almost always a pair - a male and a female manifestation of the Divine, and they play interdependent roles. In this way it is said that Maha Lakshmi provides Lord Vishnu with the wealth necessary in order to sustain life. He sustains, but through the wealth she provides.

 

Therefore, in its highest meaning, Maha Lakshmi provides wealth for sustenance, not for indulgence. Our material wealth and prosperity should only sustain us, giving us that which is necessary to preserve our lives. All surplus should be used for humanitarian causes. She does not give wealth so that we may become fat and lazy; yet, that is what we tend to do with the wealth we receive. Let us remember that Maha Lakshmi's material wealth is meant for sustenance and preservation, not for luxury and decadence.

 

Purity and Chastity

Additionally, we worship Maha Lakshmi who is the divine symbol of purity and chastity. Yet, in our celebration of her, we frequently indulge in frivolity and hedonism. How can we worship her while engaging in the opposite of what she represents? We must re-assess how we pay tribute to this holy Goddess!

 

Divine Action Leads to Prosperity

Another point I want to mention is that she is typically portrayed wearing red. What does this mean? Red is the color of action, and she is the goddess of prosperity. This means that in order to obtain the true prosperity in life, we must engage in action. Most people think that in order to be spiritual, or to obtain " spiritual prosperity " one must be sitting in lotus posture in the Himalayas. This is not the only way. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna teaches about Karma Yoga, about serving God by doing your duty. We must engage ourselves in active, good service; that is truly the way to be with Him.

 

Let our inner world be filled with devotion to Him, and let our outer performance be filled with perfect work, perfect action. I once heard a story about a man who spent 40 years meditating so he could walk on water. He thought that if he could walk on water, then he had truly attained spiritual perfection. When I heard this story, I thought, " Why not spend 40 cents instead for a ride in the motorboat across the river, and spend the 40 years giving something to the world? " That is the real purpose of life.

 

Seeing the Mother Goddess in All

Now, at Diwali we will perform sacred and beautiful puja of the Divine Mother in the form of Lakshmi.

 

How do we know when our puja has been fruitful? When our puja has been fruitful we see the Divine Mother not only during the one hour we are sitting in our temples, but also during the other 23 hours a day. Our puja has been successful when we see the Divine Mother in all, not only in the marble or stone or clay deities in our temples, but in everyone, when we can see the Mother Goddess in every starving young girl, in every discarded girl baby, in every widowed woman.

 

Shri Ramakrishna Paramhans used to bow down and worship the prostitutes. No one could believe it. He, an enlightened, holy, divine Master, falling in prostration on the road at the feet of the street walkers! Yet, he saw the Divine Mother in each of them. He saw beyond the trappings of this life's karma to the true, divine nature and potential.

 

At this sacred time of Diwali, let us try to see the Divine Mother in all Her manifestations, not only the ones we typically worship - Durga, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kali, Gayatri, etc. - but also in the ones we pass every day on the street - the orphans, the street children, the homeless, abandoned women, the widows. At this holy and auspicious time of Diwali, let us

pray to the Lord Almighty to bestow His divine light upon us, bringing

the light of wisdom, peace, joy and love to our lives.

[Guest guest]

Om Namo Narayanaya

Thank you very much Lakshmy Prakash for a wonderful Divine message on Diwali by Swami Chadanand Saraswathi. The entire message of advice is very strong but I liked these words very much.

 

Quote

"In the joyous mood of this season, we clean our homes, our offices, our rooms, letting the light of Diwali enter all the corners of our lives. We begin new checkbooks, diaries and calendars. It is a day of "starting fresh."

On this day we clean every room of the house; we dust every corner of the garage, we sweep behind bookshelves, vacuum under beds and empty out cabinets. But, what about our hearts? When was the last time we swept out our hearts? When did we last empty them of all the dirt and garbage that has accumulated throughout our lives?"

unquote

 

I strongly feel the time is "ripe" to "empty the dirt and garbage" and start afresh so that it is not too late for the next generation(s) to have a wonderful life.

Thank you once again

A very Happy Diwali greetings to all

Om Namo Narayanaya

Chandrasekharan

 

"live and let live"

"They alone live who live for others, rest are more dead than alive"

 

 

 

 

Lakshmy Prakash <lakshmygprakashguruvayur Sent: Wed, October 14, 2009 12:25:03 PM[Guruvayur] Spiritual Significance of Diwali by Swami Chidanand Saraswathi

 

 

 

HAPPY DIWALI

May the lamps of love and devotion burn brightly in your heartsMay the light of understanding shine in your minds,May the light of harmony glow in your homeMay the bright rays of service shine forth ceaselessly from your hands.May your smile, your words, and your actions be as sweet as the sweets of this festive season.May Maha Lakshmi bring you the true wealth of peace, health, happiness, and love

Let us All Burn Like Dias – Giving Light and Life to Others

Diwali is the day that, after 14 long years of exile in the forest with his wife Sita Ma and his brother Lakshman, Lord Rama returned to the kingdom of Ayodhya. The people were so thrilled at the return of their King, that they lined the roads of the town, the shops, the homes and every place with brightly burning lamps. Today, throughout India and wherever Indians have settled in the world, one can see beautifully lit oil lamps and candles glowing in the darkness of night.

All Parts of the Lamp Are ImportantWhat is the deeper meaning of the Diwali oil lamp? From the oil lamp one learns humility, one learns to be a nameless and faceless part of a team working for the betterment of humanity. There is a beautiful saying which goes as follows: “Karta kaam koi hai. Naam kisi ka hota hai. Jalte tel aur bati. Naam diya ka hota hai.†It means, “Someone may do the work. Someone else may get the credit. In an oil lamp it is the wick and oil which burn, but we give credit to the diya.†In life also this happens. There are always those who get the credit, those who are always in the center receiving the appreciation and reward, while those doing the real work frequently find themselves in the background. This should not bother us. We must learn to be like the wick and the oil of the lamp. Just keep burning and bringing light to others. Don’t worry whether people acknowledge you properly or not. Whose

name gets the credit is not what’s impor! tant. What’s important is that light has been brought to the world.

However, when we find ourselves in the position of the wick and oil, feeling like we do all the work and not getting the credit or appreciation, what do we do? We sulk. We complain. We grumble. This is not the divine way and it is not the message of Diwali. As we watch the Diwali lamps burn, bringing beautiful illumination, we must take the message that all parts of are crucial. If there were no oil, or no wick, or no clay pot in which to hold them, there could be no flame. Each part is essential and of equal worth. No one is small and no one is big. In our lives as we work to bring light to our families, our communities and our world, let us worry less about who is doing what and who is getting credit and let us worry more about whether we are being the very best wick, the very best oil and the very best pot we can be.

Let Us Burn FOR others, not FROM others.Another message to be taken from the lamp is that it burns for others, with no selfish motivation and no expectation. The sole purpose of an oil lamp’s existence is to bring light to others. They burn FOR others, with every minute, every moment of their lives and every ounce of their existence. We also burn. But we burn FROM others rather than FOR others. We burn with anger, jealousy, and frustration. The heat is on, but rather than bringing healing, it brings hurt, to ourselves and to others. The flames of our internal fire engulf us, suffocate us and burn the very core of our beings. We must learn to burn FOR others rather than FROM others.

Look at Bhagwan Rama. How easy it would have been for Kaikeyi’s insistence upon his exile to ignite the flames of anger and resentment within him. How easy for him to burn with jealousy for Bharat who was undeservedly being given the title of King. How easy to become indignant, to sulk and complain. However, He did none of that. Rather, Kaikeyi’s pronouncement and his father’s compulsion to acquiesce, caused the lamp of compassion, love and service to burn even brighter within Him. He was overjoyed at the opportunity to offer these years of his life to Kaikeyi and to help his father fulfill the Kshetriya’s vow. Bhagwan Rama’s life was truly a divine lamp, burning for others and bringing light wherever He went.

The Underlying Cause of Bhagwan Rama’s ExileAnother important and rarely discussed aspect of Bhagwan Rama’s exile to the forest is how it really began. What was the root cause, the fundamental cause? It was not Kaikeyi who was evil, but rather her maidservant Manthara who slowly and insidiously poisoned Kaikeyi’s mind against Bhagwan Rama. Manthara convinced Kaikeyi, deliberately and deceitfully, that if Bhagwan Rama became King he would deprive Kaikeyi of her role as favorite wife and Queen. Manthara so successfully turned Kaikeyi against the members of her own family that she insisted upon Bhagwan Rama’s exile. So, actually, Bhagwan Rama’s exile and King Dasaratha's tragic death is due not to Kaikeyi’s selfishness but rather due to the ignorant, conniving nature of her trusted servant.

This happens frequently in our own families, communities and workplaces. Our minds and hearts get polluted against our loved ones, colleagues, friends and co-workers by others who are acting either out of their own ignorance or through cunning ulterior motives. If Kaikeyi had trusted her sister/friend Kaushalya, her husband Dasaratha and her step-son Lord Rama as much as she trusted her servant, none of the tragic events would have come to pass.

So, at this time of Diwali, let us renew our commitment to let the light shine not only in our lamps and in our temples, but to let the light of discrimination, love and loyalty shine in our minds and in our hearts. Let us not be blinded by the darkness of ignorance, negativity, jealousy, anger and greed. Let us pray for God to shine His divine Light upon us, showing us that the sinister-looking shape on the ground is truly just a harmless rope and not a poisonous snake. Else before we know it we’ve exhausted and wasted our energy trying to beat to death a simple piece of twine.

One of the main aspects of Diwali is the celebration of light. We line our homes and streets with lanterns; we explode fireworks; children play with sparklers.

However, Diwali is not a festival of light in order that we may burn candles, fireworks and sparklers. Sure, these are wonderful ways of expressing our gaiety. But, they are not the only or true meaning of "light." Diwali is a festival of the light which dispels the darkness of our ignorance; it is a festival of the light which shows us the way on our journey through life. The purpose is not to glorify the light of the candle, or the light of the firecracker. The purpose is to glorify the light of God. It is He who bestows the real light, the everlasting light upon the darkness of this mundane world. A candle burns out. A firework is a momentary visual experience. But, the candle of a still mind and the fireworks of a heart filled with bhakti are divine and eternal; these are what we should be celebrating.

We decorate our homes with lanterns; but why? What is the symbolism behind that? Those lanterns signify God's light, penetrating through the ignorance and sin of our daily lives. They signify the divine light, shining its way through this mundane world. A home bathed in light is a home in which anger, pain, and ignorance are being dispelled; it is a home that is calling to God. However, too many people turn this into a domestic beauty contest, spending days and a great deal of money to purchase the newest dias, the most beautiful candles. "We had 75 candles burning last night," we gloat. This is only the light of glamour. It is not the light of God, and thus the true meaning of the holiday is lost

The light of Diwali should be within us. It should symbolize the personal relationship between God and our families. It should not be so we attract attention from passing cars, or so we are the envy of the neighborhood. Let the light penetrate inward, for only there will it have lasting benefit. One piece of cotton soaked in ghee, lit with a pure heart, a conscious mind and an earnest desire to be free from ignorance is far "brighter" than 100 fashion deepaks, lit in simple unconscious revelry.

Bhagwan Rama's Return to Ayodhya after Defeating Ravana

The divine day of Diwali is associated with many historical events, the most important being the return of Bhagwan Rama to Ayodhya, after his defeat of the demon king Ravana in Lanka. Bhagwan Rama was an incarnation, a divine manifestation of Bhagwan Vishnu, who took birth on Earth in human form for the betterment of humanity. When we talk about his life, we talk about the life lived by Rama embodied in human form. The story of the Ramayana, which culminates in the glorious and joyful return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, tells the story of the war between God Rama and the demon King Ravana. A very important lesson, and one I want to highlight, lies in the differences between Rama and Ravana. Both were kings; both were learned in the scriptures; both were charismatic; both were beautiful. What made Rama God and Ravana a demon? One difference is crucial: Ego! Whereas Bhagwan Rama's heart overflowed with divinity, love, generosity,

humility, and a sense of duty, Ravana's heart was filled with avarice, hatred, and egoism. It was, in essence, Ravana's ego which was his tragic flaw that ultimately led to his own downfall. It was not ignorance that led to aggression, for Ravana was a great Vedic scholar who wrote numerous works on scriptural philosophy. It was not laziness or ugliness or impotency which led him to aggression. In contrast, he was powerful, dynamic, and beautiful in appearance. As the brilliant, handsome king of Lanka he had everything one would need to be happy and peaceful. Rather, it was his own ego, his own arrogance and his own slavery to his sensual desires that led to his aggression and ultimate downfall. His insatiable desires led him to crave more and more power, more and more money, and more and more beautiful ladies to fulfill his every whim.On the other hand, Bhagwan Rama was always humble, and he never took credit for anything. At the

end of the war in Lanka, Bhagwan Rama was giving Sitaji a tour of the city, showing her where all of the various events had occurred. When, they reached the place where Bhagwan Rama victoriously slew Ravana, he reported it to Sitaji only as, "This is where Ravana died." He didn't say, "This is where I crushed the demon," or "This is where I killed Ravana." No. Even after achieving the great victory, he simply stated, "This is where Ravana died." Also, while Ravana lay dying, Bhagwan Rama did not revel in the victory. Rather, he sent his brother Lakshman to learn from the dying demon. For, Ravana was a great scholar, a peerless Vedic scholar who through his own ego, pride, vanity and insatiable desires became a demon. However, he still was matchless in his Vedic wisdom. So, rather than boast over his victory, Bhagwan Rama sent Lakshman to go and listen to words of wisdom from Ravana as the latter lay on his death bed.Further, Bhagwan Rama

was a master of his senses, not their slave. Where Ravana was ruled by Kama (lustful desires), Bhagwan Rama shows us to choose Moksha over Kama. Thus, this year as we celebrate Diwali, let us not only celebrate the joyous return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya and the vanquishing of evil by good, but let us also ask ourselves if Lord Rama has returned to our own hearts. Have the forces of good, the forces of righteousness and the forces of humility conquered the evil forces of desire, arrogance and ego within us?

A Fresh Start

Diwali also marks the new year. For some, the day of Diwali itself is the first day of the new year, and for others the new year's day is the day following Diwali. But, for all this season is one of heralding in the New Year.

In the joyous mood of this season, we clean our homes, our offices, our rooms, letting the light of Diwali enter all the corners of our lives. We begin new checkbooks, diaries and calendars. It is a day of "starting fresh."

On this day we clean every room of the house; we dust every corner of the garage, we sweep behind bookshelves, vacuum under beds and empty out cabinets. But, what about our hearts? When was the last time we swept out our hearts? When did we last empty them of all the dirt and garbage that has accumulated throughout our lives?

That is the real cleaning we must do. That is the real meaning of "starting fresh." We must clean out our hearts, ridding them of darkness and bitterness; we must make them clean and sparkling places for God to live. We must be as thorough with ourselves as we are with our homes. Are there any dark corners in our hearts we have avoided for so long? Are we simply "sweeping all the dirt under the rug?" God sees all and knows all. He knows what is behind every wall of our hearts, what is swept into every corner, and what is hidden under every rug. Let us truly clean out our hearts; let us rid ourselves of the grudges, pain, and anger that clutter our ability to love freely. Let us empty out every nook and cranny, so that His divine light can shine throughout.

Additionally, on Diwali, we begin a new checkbook; we put last year's accounts to rest. But, what about our own balance sheets? When was the last time we assessed our minuses and plusses, our strengths and our weaknesses, our good deeds and selfish deeds? How many years' worth of grudges and bitterness and pain have we left unchecked?

A good businessman always checks his balance sheet: how much he spent, how much he earned. A good teacher always checks the progress of her students: how many are passing, how many are failing. And they assess themselves accordingly: "Am I a good businessman?Am I a good teacher?" In the same way we must assess the balance sheets of our lives. Look at the last year. Where do we stand? How many people did we hurt? How many did we heal? How many times did we lose our temper? How many times did we give more than we received? Then, just as we give our past checkbooks and the first check of our new one to God, let us give all our minus and plus points to Him. He is the one responsible for all our good deeds. And our bad ones are due only to ignorance. So, let us turn everything over to Him, putting our strengths, our weaknesses, our wins and our losses at His holy feet. And then, let us start afresh, with a new book, unadulterated by old

grudges and bitterness.

Maha Lakshmi

The most important, aspect of Diwali is the worship of Maha Lakshmi. Maha Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, bestowing these abundantly upon her devotees. On Diwali we pray to her for prosperity; we ask her to lavish us with her blessings. However, what sort of prosperity are we praying for? All too often, we infer wealth to mean money, possessions, material pleasures. This is NOT the true wealth in life; this is not what makes us prosperous. There is almost no correlation between the amount of money we earn, the number of possessions we buy and our sense of inner bliss and prosperity.

The True Prosperity - God's Presence in Our Lives On Diwali, we must pray to Maha Lakshmi to bestow real prosperity upon us, the prosperity that brings light to our lives and sparkle to our eyes. We must pray for an abundance of faith, not money; we must pray for success in our spiritual lives, not a promotion at work; we must pray for the love of God, not the love of the beautiful girl (or boy) in our class.

Look at Hanumanji. There is a beautiful lesson to be learned on this Diwali day:

After the war in Lanka, Ma Sitaji presented Hanumanji with a beautiful, precious pearl mala (necklace). Hanumanji proceeded to carefully examine each and every pearl - from top to bottom, from left to right. Then, he began to take the pearls off the string, one by one, bite them in half, again examine them thoroughly, and then throw them on the ground. Ma Sitaji watched in exasperation. Finally she said, "Hanuman - what are you doing? That is a very expensive, precious necklace I have bought for you. Why are you pulling off the pearls and breaking them?"Hanumanji replied, "I am looking for Shri Rama (God). You have said these pearls are priceless and precious. If so, they must have Shri Rama inside them." Pearls (and diamonds and rubies and cars and money) are only precious if they are filled with God. If God is not there, it doesn't matter how expensive the diamond is, it is still empty and useless. God's presence in our

life can turn stones to diamonds, but without God our diamonds are as worthless as stones. Hanumanji had everything - he was gifted with the most expensive pearls but still he was not satisfied unless God was there. He was looking to the pearls to see God, and we pray to God for pearls! If he'd been given a rock with Lord Rama inside he would have been ecstatic. We, on the other hand, focus our lives on attaining more and more riches, more and more prestige, more and more power and social importance. Yet, at the end of the day, even after accomplishing it all, we feel empty, we feel incomplete. We know that something crucial is missing. That something which is missing in our lives is God and a divine connection. I always say, "Everything is set. We have tea sets, sofa sets, TV sets, entertainment sets. But we ourselves are upset. Everything is set and we are upset." The reason is because we have forgotten our divine

connection. The point of our numerous holidays is not only to celebrate and forget, but to celebrate and remember. And to keep remembering even after the celebrations are over. Let us take this divine lesson from Shri Hanumanji. Let us pray to Maha Lakshmi for the true wealth - the presence of God in our lives.then, not only will our diamonds and pearls be precious, but everything we touch, everything we do will be precious and divine. Wealth is for Sustenance There is another point about Maha Lakshmi that is important. We tend to worship only her most prominent of aspects - that of bestowing prosperity upon her devotees. However, she is a multi-faceted goddess, filled with symbols of great importance. As we worship her, let us look more deeply at her divine aspects. First, according to our scriptures, she is the divine partner of Lord Vishnu. In Hindu tradition, there is almost always a pair - a male and a female

manifestation of the Divine, and they play interdependent roles. In this way it is said that Maha Lakshmi provides Lord Vishnu with the wealth necessary in order to sustain life. He sustains, but through the wealth she provides.

Therefore, in its highest meaning, Maha Lakshmi provides wealth for sustenance, not for indulgence. Our material wealth and prosperity should only sustain us, giving us that which is necessary to preserve our lives. All surplus should be used for humanitarian causes. She does not give wealth so that we may become fat and lazy; yet, that is what we tend to do with the wealth we receive. Let us remember that Maha Lakshmi's material wealth is meant for sustenance and preservation, not for luxury and decadence.

Purity and Chastity Additionally, we worship Maha Lakshmi who is the divine symbol of purity and chastity. Yet, in our celebration of her, we frequently indulge in frivolity and hedonism. How can we worship her while engaging in the opposite of what she represents? We must re-assess how we pay tribute to this holy Goddess!

Divine Action Leads to Prosperity Another point I want to mention is that she is typically portrayed wearing red. What does this mean? Red is the color of action, and she is the goddess of prosperity. This means that in order to obtain the true prosperity in life, we must engage in action. Most people think that in order to be spiritual, or to obtain "spiritual prosperity" one must be sitting in lotus posture in the Himalayas. This is not the only way. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna teaches about Karma Yoga, about serving God by doing your duty. We must engage ourselves in active, good service; that is truly the way to be with Him.

Let our inner world be filled with devotion to Him, and let our outer performance be filled with perfect work, perfect action. I once heard a story about a man who spent 40 years meditating so he could walk on water. He thought that if he could walk on water, then he had truly attained spiritual perfection. When I heard this story, I thought, "Why not spend 40 cents instead for a ride in the motorboat across the river, and spend the 40 years giving something to the world?" That is the real purpose of life. Seeing the Mother Goddess in All Now, at Diwali we will perform sacred and beautiful puja of the Divine Mother in the form of Lakshmi. How do we know when our puja has been fruitful? When our puja has been fruitful we see the Divine Mother not only during the one hour we are sitting in our temples, but also during the other 23 hours a day. Our puja has been successful when we see the Divine Mother in all, not

only in the marble or stone or clay deities in our temples, but in everyone, when we can see the Mother Goddess in every starving young girl, in every discarded girl baby, in every widowed woman. Shri Ramakrishna Paramhans used to bow down and worship the prostitutes. No one could believe it. He, an enlightened, holy, divine Master, falling in prostration on the road at the feet of the street walkers! Yet, he saw the Divine Mother in each of them. He saw beyond the trappings of this life's karma to the true, divine nature and potential. At this sacred time of Diwali, let us try to see the Divine Mother in all Her manifestations, not only the ones we typically worship - Durga, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kali, Gayatri, etc. - but also in the ones we pass every day on the street - the orphans, the street children, the homeless, abandoned women, the widows.

At this holy and auspicious time of Diwali, let us pray to the Lord Almighty to bestow His divine light upon us, bringing the light of wisdom, peace, joy and love to our lives.