The Light of All Lights ! Happy Deepavali !

[Guest guest]

Bhagavad-Gita:

 

" Also this is said to be

the light of lights

That is beyond darkness;

It is knowledge,

the object of knowledge

and that which is to be

attained through knowledge.

 

It is seated in the hearts of all...

For I am the foundation of Brahman,

Of the Immortal and the Imperishable,

And of everlasting virtue,

And of absolute bliss. "

 

Jan nagaraj asks what is the meaning of 'diwali' in north india .

Diwali is the corrupted version of Deepavali which is a compound of

lET THE FLAME OF two words - Deepa and Avali - Deepa means Lamps and

Avali means A Row ! Deepavali means a 'row of lights'

 

Why do people light up their houses with lamps during Deepavali ? On

a dark amavasya night , it is the Light that helps you to find your

way ! When you light up one lamp on a row , it can light up all the

other lamps ! Similarly , in a satsangha such as this , one

enlightened person can 'enlighten' all the others!

 

More importantly , it is important to kindle the 'internal ' light !

 

The light which shines higher than this heaven . . verily, that is

the same as the light which is here within a person. [Chandogya

3.13.7]

 

Let go of darkness , let the real illumination begin !

 

Tamaso maa Jyotirgamaya!

 

Sri Lakshmi is worshipped during Deepavali.aDI Shankara

Bhagvadapada composed the Kanakadhara stotram Praising Sri

MAHALAKSHMI and thereby helped the poor brahmin

lady to obtain wealth in the shower of Golden AMLAKA FRUITS.

 

BUT , CAN ONE REALLY EAT THE GOLDEN AMALAKA FRUITS ?

 

THE Amlaka fruit in the palm of one's hands has another

significance - hastamlaka - This name comes from a well-known

metaphor. The words hastAmalaka and karatala-Amalaka are often used

in advaita writings, when the immediate knowledge of the Atman is

said to be grasped as if it were the gooseberry (Amalaka) fruit in

one's hand (hasta).

 

On the dark night of Amavasya during Deepavali ( nivember 2000) My

gurudeva attained Samadhi . He was a Kali Bhakta. As you may know ,

most bengalees worship Kali during Deepavali unlike their north

indian counterpart who worship Sri Lakshmi. Gurudeva told me that

most people are afraid of worshipping Kali because she is an 'ego'

slayer ! To all of us , our ego is the most prized possesseion !

hence , the fear of losing one's ego! Gurdeva always told me that It

is very important to surrender one's ego in Saadhnaa !

 

A very interesting thread has developed on what happens to us after

death ?

 

Here is a Ramprasad sen poem on this topic

 

Tell me, brother, what happens after death?

The whole world is arguing about it --

Some say you become a ghost,

Others that you go to heaven,

And some that you get close to God,

And the Vedas insist you're a bit of sky

Reflected in a jar fated to shatter.

 

When you look for sin and virtue in nothing,

You end up with nothing.

The elements live in the body together

But go their own ways at death.

 

Prasad says: you end, brother,

Where you began, a reflection

Rising in water, mixing with water,

Finally one with water.

 

-- from Grace and Mercy in Her Wild Hair: Ramprasad Sen - Selected

Poems to the Mother Goddess, Translated by Leonard Nathan / Clinton

Seely

 

www.chaikhana.com

 

Jai Maa Kali!

 

Jai Gurudeva!