| Diwali or Deepavali is here, a time to brighten our homes and hearts. The messages of beauty, newness and freshness carried by the festival are being observed and celebrated differently in various parts of the country. Mythology shares that it honours the return of Sri Ram to the kingdom of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile, when people expressed their joy by lighting Diyas (lamps) to welcome him. So it is a celebration of victory and return of self-governance or sovereignty. But like every other festival, rituals followed during Diwali hold deep spiritual significance. When we understand their purity and imbibe them, it becomes truly festive and more meaningful.
Preparations begin with cleaning, painting or even renovation in many houses. What does this spiritually signify? It is a message for us to clean our mind. We need to cleanse it to remove thoughts of anger, criticism, rejection, resentment, hatred, hurt and jealousy. The weight of all this negativity we have been holding on to, is weakening the soul. Paint the mind with new colors of peace, love and compassion. We also need to clean our words, actions and behaviour. This has to happen every day and not once in a year, so that we eventually reach a stage where we have a constantly clean and pure mind and body. Regular practice of meditation and imbibing spiritual knowledge shared by God helps us achieve the stage. Gifts and blessings are exchanged during Diwali. Spiritually, it is a message for us to empower and care for each other. A blessing is a high and pure energy vibration which we create in our thoughts and also express it through our words. We have all experienced that blessings of saints, parents, teachers, family and friends have created miracles in our lives. Irrespective of people's sanskars and behaviours, when we create only pure thoughts and words, we empower them to change their sanskars. Our blessings radiate to them to become their reality and change their destiny. Not just on a festival, but our every thought and word everyday should be a blessing. Giving blessings is the easiest way to receive blessings. Also, by connecting with God or the Supreme Soul we receive His blessings of peace, love and power.
(To be continued tomorrow …) |
