Diwali: Difference between revisions

From Sahaja Yoga Encyclopedia
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Now it has significance because it is very important that our relationship as a brother and a sister must be strengthened, must be purified, must be looked after. ([http://www.amruta.org/1982/11/14/diwali-puja-london-1982/ 1982-11-14])
Now it has significance because it is very important that our relationship as a brother and a sister must be strengthened, must be purified, must be looked after. ([http://www.amruta.org/1982/11/14/diwali-puja-london-1982/ 1982-11-14])


The meaning of Diwali itself is that the way the lamps are lit outside, you too should be lit within- enlightened.  In this dark world you see, you are the lights, you are the lamps and you have to give the light. But if you are not internally enlightened enough then how can you give out light?  Realise this.  So first of all, you Sahaja Yogis should get properly enlightened internally and may be it is for this purpose alone that we have come into this world.  ([http://www.amruta.org/2007/11/10/talk-of-the-evening-eve-of-diwali-2007/ 2007-11-10])
The meaning of Diwali itself is that the way the lamps are lit outside, you too should be lit within- enlightened.  In this dark world you see, you are the lights, you are the lamps and you have to give the light. But if you are not internally enlightened enough then how can you give out light?  Realise this.  So first of all, you Sahaja Yogis should get properly enlightened internally and maybe it is for this purpose alone that we have come into this world.  ([http://www.amruta.org/2007/11/10/talk-of-the-evening-eve-of-diwali-2007/ 2007-11-10])


The significance of Diwali is spread out in about five days, and they are all together somehow, these five days are all put together. So they have different aspects, but in every aspect there's one common point is that the Goddess plays the main role. Now the first day is the worship of the housewife where you have to buy some sort of a utensil for the kitchen or for the use of the wife or could be a present for the wife, but is said that woman must be respected, but they should be respectable. If they are not respectable how can they be respected. (...)
The significance of Diwali is spread out in about five days, and they are all together somehow, these five days are all put together. So they have different aspects, but in every aspect there's one common point is that the Goddess plays the main role. Now the first day is the worship of the housewife where you have to buy some sort of a utensil for the kitchen or for the use of the wife or could be a present for the wife, but is said that woman must be respected, but they should be respectable. If they are not respectable how can they be respected. (...)
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In Her two hands She has got lotuses. Lotus is a sign of beauty and they being pink, is love. So what does it symbolize? That a person who has Lakshmi, who has money, who has wealth should be extremely generous, like a lotus which allows a horrible gnat-like, black, porky, poking type, little beetle also to come into it and to sleep. And She provides in the lotus a beautiful bed of comfort to such a person. He is black, he's got thorns in it, but he's coming to rest, surrendered. And then She covers it with Her petals and makes it comfortable and protected. ([http://www.amruta.org/1990/10/21/diwali-puja-1990/ 1990-10-21])
In Her two hands She has got lotuses. Lotus is a sign of beauty and they being pink, is love. So what does it symbolize? That a person who has Lakshmi, who has money, who has wealth should be extremely generous, like a lotus which allows a horrible gnat-like, black, porky, poking type, little beetle also to come into it and to sleep. And She provides in the lotus a beautiful bed of comfort to such a person. He is black, he's got thorns in it, but he's coming to rest, surrendered. And then She covers it with Her petals and makes it comfortable and protected. ([http://www.amruta.org/1990/10/21/diwali-puja-1990/ 1990-10-21])


Now She was born in the sea.  She was called as “Neeraja.”  Or… or “Neera,” that means “water.”  My name is – one of them is Nira as you know; out of Nirmala one name is Nira, Neema and Neela, like that I've got three names, four names I should say the big one is Nirmala.  So this Nira part means what, that She was born in the sea, that… the name of Mary is also the same.  Miriam or Mary, I don't know how you say in English, but Maria comes from Marie, the word Mari.  Mari itself comes from the word Meri.  So this Mahalakshmi, Mary is named, and She is, because She was born in the sea and that's how Her name was Mary.  Mariana they call Her, some people call Her Mariana, sometime call Her Miriam.  All these words are indicating that She was born in the sea.  So She is Mahalakshmi. Now Mary is Mahalakshmi and Ganesha is the child.  Now see how symbolically it works, that only in Diwali the Lakshmi and the Ganesha are worshipped, only these two personalities.  Can you understand that?
Now She was born in the sea.  She was called as “Neeraja.”  Or… or “Neera,” that means “water.”  My name is – one of them is Nira as you know; out of Nirmala one name is Nira, Neema and Neela, like that I've got three names, four names I should say the big one is Nirmala.  So this Nira part means what, that She was born in the sea, that… the name of Mary is also the same.  Miriam or Mary, I don't know how you say in English, but Maria comes from Marie, the word Mari.  Mari itself comes from the word Meri.  So this Mahalakshmi, Mary is named, and She is, because She was born in the sea and that's how Her name was Mary.  Mariana they call Her, some people call Her Mariana, sometimes call Her Miriam.  All these words are indicating that She was born in the sea.  So She is Mahalakshmi. Now Mary is Mahalakshmi and Ganesha is the child.  Now see how symbolically it works, that only in Diwali the Lakshmi and the Ganesha are worshipped, only these two personalities.  Can you understand that?


The symbol of Mahalakshmi for Me is Mary, for you it is Mahalakshmi is the symbol.  And the symbol of Ganesha outside is Christ; He is symbolizing Ganesha.  So, both of them are worshipped only on Diwali.  Actually this is the Christmas. This is the real Christmas that was before also, and this was the time baby Christ was born, not the 25th of December.  Tho it's a misunderstanding, doesn't matter, keep it up. Doesn't matter, whenever He's born, because there used to be a very big festival, and after the festival He was born, called as Valaanan. I don't know what you call in modern times, that time it was called like that. And then this child was born and that was the time Christmas was celebrated.  It was just tallying with that, but somehow it shifted, I don't know how, how it shifted. And there might be somewhere you'll find out that real Christmas was shifted.
The symbol of Mahalakshmi for Me is Mary, for you it is Mahalakshmi is the symbol.  And the symbol of Ganesha outside is Christ; He is symbolizing Ganesha.  So, both of them are worshipped only on Diwali.  Actually this is the Christmas. This is the real Christmas that was before also, and this was the time baby Christ was born, not the 25th of December.  Tho it's a misunderstanding, doesn't matter, keep it up. Doesn't matter, whenever He's born, because there used to be a very big festival, and after the festival He was born, called as Valaanan. I don't know what you call in modern times, that time it was called like that. And then this child was born and that was the time Christmas was celebrated.  It was just tallying with that, but somehow it shifted, I don't know how, how it shifted. And there might be somewhere you'll find out that real Christmas was shifted.

Revision as of 19:34, 21 October 2016

Here we are here, all of us, to celebrate a four-day festival called as Diwali. Diwali comes from the word 'dipali'. In Sanskrit, the word 'deepa' means 'the light', and 'ali' means the 'line', the 'rows'. Now, there are many things that have happened during these four days and that's how it is celebrated with such a great enthusiasm.

The first thing is the day of the Lakshmi's birth, that is the thirteenth day of the moon: teras they call it. Is the real day when Lakshmi was born out of the sea; that's why She is called as Miriam or Marìam. The word 'Marie' or 'Marine' also comes from the word 'sea'. So, She's born out of the sea, is created out of the sea. And the wealth of the sea, so far, thank God, human beings have not yet exploited, but they may one day start doing that also. (...)

Then there is, after this day when they worship the first day is, they say that, that is the day when Diwali was celebrated, when Rama was made the king. He killed Ravanna on Dashera, and on this day that Rama was crowned, and that's why they celebrated.

Now, Rama is the person – at that time when He's crowned – He represents the benevolent King; and the benevolence of a king is being crowned, so that's why they celebrate Diwali.

But we have a special significance of Diwali, it's a very special significance, I think, that the light that we see here, you will see, always goes upward.

Fire is the element that always goes upward, it's always against the gravity, and it is against all that pulls you down.

And the light of the Spirit is also like that, it always takes you upward. And the person who is a Realized soul is called as an enlightened person, because he has the light. And the light has a capacity to give you a full idea, to see what is what, to relate to each other, to find out the distances, and the differences, and to discriminate. So the light represents discrimination. And when you are enlightened, the Spirit is enlightened, in the sense, Spirit is the light, but which starts expressing itself in the atmosphere, manifesting in the attention of yours. Now, what we have done in Sahaja Yoga is nothing but is Diwali.

First one light was enlightened, then that light enlightened another light, and now we have so many lights. This is the Diwali that I have, I enjoy this Diwali than anything else. (...)

Fourteenth day is a horrible thing, which I do not want to tell you much about, because that is the day the Goddess had to fight all the horrible rakshasas. So I don't want to talk about it much because you know all that; that is the fourteenth day.

Then the fifteenth day is the day when the moon is absolutely missing from the thing; it's absolute darkness, where you put these lights to suggest that: 'there are lights; now let Lakshmi come within us.

So there is no spot that should be left which is dark. So everywhere the Lakshmi resides, and give us the glory of Her blessings.'

Then it is the night when you have the dark night, as you call it, amavasya. Then the first night after that is the first moon that the, you say the – What? The waning moon?

Yogi: New moon.

Shri Mataji: New moon. The new moon comes up; the first day, is the day when the New Year starts for Shalivahana. As you know, Shalivahanas are My ancestors, or whatever you call it; think Dynasty; that is the day.

That day, they take a shawl, shawl of the Mother, like this, and put this water carrier on top, to suggest the Aquarius time. You see, the Aquarius time has started according to them; they put that on top of that, and put it, like a flag, on top of their houses to suggest now the Aquarius time is there.

With the Mother's shawl they make the flag and on top of the flag is the water carrier, is put upside down to suggest that the Aquarius time has started, that the time of Kundalini has started, and that this awakening has to take place.

That's the first day of the year they start. Then after that, the second day is – so it is five days actually; but why I said four-day celebration, because one day is a horrid day in between.

But also there's a celebration because, after killing all these rakshasas, there were Diwali.

Many-a-times you see these things happen, and every time She killed all these rakshasas they celebrated it by putting lights all around.

So after that is the second day, is very important, which is here, is the brother and sister special day, where the sister invites the brother to her house for food. And if he is a small boy she will give him a bath; even if he is a big boy he sits with all his clothes on and she will throw water on him and puts something very fragrant things on his body and gives him a bath nicely and gives him a protection. It's a purity of relationship between a sister and a brother.

And then the brother gives her something as a present at that time. He may give anything, it's just symbolic. Is the love and affection of a brother and sister is expressed at that time, is very important. And then the sister, you see, actually gives him a bandhan, with actual light, which we call as the aarti they do for the brother. And that's how they try to give a big protection to their brother. So this is the day of the – they call it in Marathi Bhau-bij or Bhaiya-dwij; or that is the Dwitya, the second day of the moon.

Now it has significance because it is very important that our relationship as a brother and a sister must be strengthened, must be purified, must be looked after. (1982-11-14)

The meaning of Diwali itself is that the way the lamps are lit outside, you too should be lit within- enlightened. In this dark world you see, you are the lights, you are the lamps and you have to give the light. But if you are not internally enlightened enough then how can you give out light? Realise this. So first of all, you Sahaja Yogis should get properly enlightened internally and maybe it is for this purpose alone that we have come into this world. (2007-11-10)

The significance of Diwali is spread out in about five days, and they are all together somehow, these five days are all put together. So they have different aspects, but in every aspect there's one common point is that the Goddess plays the main role. Now the first day is the worship of the housewife where you have to buy some sort of a utensil for the kitchen or for the use of the wife or could be a present for the wife, but is said that woman must be respected, but they should be respectable. If they are not respectable how can they be respected. (...)

On a Diwali day (...) I'll try to tell you about the Lakshmi, the symbol of Lakshmi. Shri Lakshmi is the symbol of the completeness of womanhood, she brings wealth, prosperity, auspiciousness, she brings in understanding, generosity, peace and joy, she is the giver of all the blessings. The symbol of Lakshmi is that she stands on the lotus which is pink in colour. Pink colour is the warmth of her Motherhood. In India even a small girl is called as Mother. So in the various aspects of Lakshmi, the symbol is that first she is a very warm person, also in one hand she has the lotus which is also pink in colour, that also suggestive of her warmth. (1992-10-25)

Diwali word comes from two words: 'dipa' and 'awali'. Dipa means, you know, lights, and awali means rows, rows and rows of lights. Seems it's a very, very ancient idea and all over in the world, you see, whenever they have to celebrate something then they put lights. And lights because light gives joy, gives happiness. So to overcome the darkness of ignorance also we have to enlighten ourselves. And that is why is important that everybody should get Self-realization to feel the light within themselves. And you must have noticed that after realization the eyes also sparkle. There's light in the eyes of every Sahaja yogi.

Today is the day when we worship the Lakshmi, Lakshmi principle, which is in our Nabhi. Lakshmi principle that is understood, I've told you many a time, described Lakshmi to you that She stands on a lotus and She has two lotuses in Her hands. That means She's so benevolent, so kind that She doesn't pressurize anyone. But normally you don't find that. Anybody who has money, he'll just try to pressurize or try to push down. Even in Sahaja Yoga I've seen people like that. If they are little better off, they try to push people, organize them, to control them as if they think this is a power they have got out of the money that they have.

But She Herself stands on a lotus – that means on the beauty. The beauty of Her being is shown that She doesn't trouble anyone, She can stand on a flower. So the first thing, those who have to worship Lakshmi have to remember one thing that they are not to pressurize anyone, to push anyone, to control anyone or destroy. But She with Her feet on the lotuses nourishes the lotus.

In Her two hands She has got lotuses. Lotus is a sign of beauty and they being pink, is love. So what does it symbolize? That a person who has Lakshmi, who has money, who has wealth should be extremely generous, like a lotus which allows a horrible gnat-like, black, porky, poking type, little beetle also to come into it and to sleep. And She provides in the lotus a beautiful bed of comfort to such a person. He is black, he's got thorns in it, but he's coming to rest, surrendered. And then She covers it with Her petals and makes it comfortable and protected. (1990-10-21)

Now She was born in the sea. She was called as “Neeraja.” Or… or “Neera,” that means “water.” My name is – one of them is Nira as you know; out of Nirmala one name is Nira, Neema and Neela, like that I've got three names, four names I should say the big one is Nirmala. So this Nira part means what, that She was born in the sea, that… the name of Mary is also the same. Miriam or Mary, I don't know how you say in English, but Maria comes from Marie, the word Mari. Mari itself comes from the word Meri. So this Mahalakshmi, Mary is named, and She is, because She was born in the sea and that's how Her name was Mary. Mariana they call Her, some people call Her Mariana, sometimes call Her Miriam. All these words are indicating that She was born in the sea. So She is Mahalakshmi. Now Mary is Mahalakshmi and Ganesha is the child. Now see how symbolically it works, that only in Diwali the Lakshmi and the Ganesha are worshipped, only these two personalities. Can you understand that?

The symbol of Mahalakshmi for Me is Mary, for you it is Mahalakshmi is the symbol. And the symbol of Ganesha outside is Christ; He is symbolizing Ganesha. So, both of them are worshipped only on Diwali. Actually this is the Christmas. This is the real Christmas that was before also, and this was the time baby Christ was born, not the 25th of December. Tho it's a misunderstanding, doesn't matter, keep it up. Doesn't matter, whenever He's born, because there used to be a very big festival, and after the festival He was born, called as Valaanan. I don't know what you call in modern times, that time it was called like that. And then this child was born and that was the time Christmas was celebrated. It was just tallying with that, but somehow it shifted, I don't know how, how it shifted. And there might be somewhere you'll find out that real Christmas was shifted.

Yogi: Yes it is, that's known.

Shri Mataji: [aside: ALL RIGHT?] And symbolically in this lifetime also, in the Kali Yuga also same thing happened that Mahalakshmi and Ganesha were born, and that's why they are worshipped. Now you ask anyone, why Ganesha and Mahalakshmi are worshipped, after all, on a Diwali? And it was the darkest night. It was the darkest night, and that night a star was there. And because it was such a dark night that star was very much noticed by everyone. It was cold night, very cold night and a dark night. So the symbol of Diwali is very great for Sahaj Yoga.

First of all you have to know there are four days that are celebrated in Diwali, but there is one more day added to it in Maharashtra. The first day of Diwali is called as “Dhanatrayodashi,” is the thirteenth day of the moon. Because that day is the first day when Lakshmi, the first… was born on the thirteenth day. That means She was born as a Gruha Lakshmi, as a housewife. Now there are eight Lakshmis, which she will read it now and I will tell you later on what is the meaning of them. Just one of them is Gruha Lakshmi. So the first is the form of a Gruha Lakshmi. She is born as a Gruha Lakshmi to begin with. That means the awareness of human beings also, started really getting into evolutionary process when they started their family life. When they were vagabonds moving about, then the awareness was just like animals. Though they had become human beings, but they were like animals. Then when they established their families, then the Gruha Lakshmi started working and that's how the first advent of Gruha Lakshmi was felt. So She is the first Lakshmi who was born, and that's why on that thirteenth day is the day of the Gruha Lakshmi, of the housewife. And so one has to go in the market and buy some utensil or something that she uses for cooking in the house. In India on the thirteenth day everyone goes and buys a pot or say… we can say, what you call, a cooking utensil or something. Or they may buy a sari or something or gold or something for the Gruha Lakshmi. That is the day of the housewife. So, to reach the Lakshmi one has to understand that motherhood is very important. The motherhood as a Gruha Lakshmi is important.

And the second day is even more important, because Narakasura was killed. Horrible Narakasura as you know him. But actually that day many rakshasas are killed in many… That's the day fixed for killing rakshasas. And then they are put in the hell; on the fourteenth day they are put in the hell. So that's called as Naraka Chaturdashi, that is the day when the hell is opened out. That day Sahaja Yogis are supposed to sleep in the night while everybody does all kinds of tantrikavidya and all that on the fourteenth.

Then the fifteenth is that darkest night, that's the darkest night when there is no moon. Absolutely that's the day when they celebrate the Diwali. But symbolically in India also, Shri Rama returned to Dwari- to his [PLACE?] on that day and was crowned on that day. So the significance of Diwali is expressed in this manner, that this is the day when Narakasura, with all of them are killed, they have all gone to Narak, they have gone to the hell, and the people now are safe from them and they are celebrating the joy. And that is the time when Christ was born. That's why lights are lit just in the night, 'cause He was born at twelve o'clock in the night. (1980-11-09)

It's a great day today for the whole world that we are celebrating this Diwali Puja in America. It's very important. Here, where people have been able to earn money, to have lots of money sometimes, and are also people who are ruined completely because of money.

When we talk of Diwali we should understand that – why on a Diwali day we have all these lights? What is the combination of lights and the Lakshmi who was born in the water, who stands in the water? Why this combination is there? She was standing in the water, as we know, a symbol of prosperity; that is built in the human awareness that he can prosper. Animals don't prosper. They all have their maryadas, trees have their maryadas. Only the human being can prosper. But if they have no sense of their own maryadas then there's very ruinous, and ruinous for the whole world.

So the lights are there that all the people who have Lakshmi's blessings must enlighten themselves, must have lights, and they should enlighten others also. But actually, as soon as they get the Lakshmi, so-called, they become absolutely blind, and they forget what is behind the blessings of the Lakshmi.

First of all, as we see, how this symbol of Lakshmi represents, I have told you before also, that a person who has Lakshmi should be very generous. [With] one hand she's giving to others. A person who is miserly with Lakshmi is absolutely against the principle of Lakshmi. And such a miserly person never can enjoy the blessings, and gradually he starts becoming poorer and poorer. When you start giving with the left hand, that means you have opened the door for your Lakshmi to come in.

Then comes the grace of Lakshmi on you. And this grace of Lakshmi also has another aspect, that you must give protection. Those who are people with money should protect like this. Protect whom? Protect the people who are in trouble, people who are having lots of cruelty on them, orphaned children who need your help. All these should be looked into, and the protection to the people who are dependent on you. So this has to be done with the right hand. That's the symbol of Lakshmi.

And there are two hands up there, which you have seen, with the pink coloured lotus. Pink colour lotus suggests that you must have love in your heart. Pink is the symbol of love and compassion.

As I've told you before also, a person who has Lakshmi should have a house where everybody's invited. Like the lotus invites all the insects, even the beetles who have got lots of thorns, and the beetle comes and sleeps the whole night very comfortably, and the lotus closes its petals so that the beetle has no trouble, be comfortable. So these houses must accept guests, any kind they are, and they should be treated very well, just like as if the Gods have come into your house. (2000-10-29)

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