Spirit of Diwali
Every being is a poorna ansh of the creation. All the forces that run the creation exist within the being. However these energies are bound, due to the dominance of rajas in a being.
Let me explain with an example. Diwali is round the corner. On the days that lead on to diwali, you will see people shopping, exchanging gifts, feasting and making merry. And on the day of diwali each one would be waiting for Goddess Lakshmi to come to their house and shower wealth and prosperity on them.
Lakshmi is not a lady with a pot of gold who will walk through the open doors of your decorated house. It is the shakti on which creation is run. To invoke that energy calls for intense tapa under the guidance of Guru. The days leading to diwali must be accompanied with the observance of strict austerities and abstinence from all kinds of indulgence – food, sex, luxuries. These are means to purify the being so as to prepare the field to experience the shakti of Lakshmi.
The night of diwali, is a very powerful night. It is the darkest night of the year and marks the onset of new beginnings. It is the night of mantra-sadhna and havan under the sanidhya of the Guru. A sadhak who has observed strict discipline, is then able to harness the energy of Lakshmi within his being. For specific Lakshmi sadhnas and to gain maximum benefits this Diwali, get guidance from your Guru.
The purpose however is not self-gratification. Lakshmi is the goddess of material and spiritual wealth, however, her essence is in giving away this wealth for the proper functioning of creation. Likewise when a sadhak invokes the shakti of Lakshmi within, the purpose is to channelize that energy, the immense spritual and material power, for the running of creation. In the process one imbibes the qualities of Lakshmi, detachment and selflessness, which are the key to self-evolution.
The true spirit of Diwali thus lies not in buying expensive clothes, decorating the house and eating sumptuous foods. It is in internalizing the energy of Lakshmi and spreading the light of Diwali to millions, through selfless charity and service. When Rama, Lakshman and Sita returned to Ayodhya, all the houses were lit up. The moral is to not light up your houses and attract Lakshmi with this artificial light, but to be the force that can aid the Ayodhya of creation and attract divinity.
Om tamaso maa jyotir gamaya.
