Can there be light in a dark room? Or if there is light, can the room be dark? Think about it. There can be no light if there is darkness, there can be no darkness if there is light. You have to choose – darkness or light.
Deepawali is the darkest night of the year, the night of kartik amavasya. It is the night when the dark forces are at their peak; the night which is ideal for black magic and occult practices, and also a perfect occasion to veil oneself in the darkness of alcohol and gambling…if darkness is what you choose. However, the darkest hour also holds within it the promise of a new dawn…The night of Diwali is also the night when it is easiest to access the power of light – the residents of Ayodhya chose light. A single ray of light is enough to dispel darkness and Ayodhyavasis lit each and every corner because that was the intensity with which they wanted light. And so, Ayodhya was blessed with the homecoming of Ram, Sita and Lakshman.
The essence of Diwali lies in the shloka, ‘tamso maa jyotir gamaya’, that is, take me from darkness to light, light here referring to the light of internal gyan – the glow of which attracts the devi (Lakshmi) home. It is a night not to ask for more and more wealth, but a night to request the Goddess to give you wealth but also detach you from it, because all that is physical is nashvar (temporary)…it will go and when it does, it will give you immense pain. The pain is directly proportional to the quantum of your health.
Starting from the 13th day of krishna paksh of the month of ashwin till the 2nd day of shukl paksh of the month of kartik, the energy of various nakshatras is focussed on earth; and on the night of kartik amavasya, that is Diwali, the energy patterns are especially conducive for the manifestation of gods in general, and Goddess Lakshmi in particular.
The interesting thing about Goddess Lakshmi is that she cannot stay at one place for long. If one traces the life of Sita, this fact would be evident. She emerged from the earth, spent her childhood at Raja Janaks, to be married off in Ayodhya, to be exiled to the forests, to be abducted to Lanka and then be rescued and returned to Ayodhya, only to leave for Rishi Valmiki’s ashram and finally merge back into the earth. Neither Janak nor Ram; Ravan or even Luv and Kusha, could keep her for long…such is the swaroop and shakti of Goddess Lakshmi. It is foolish to even think that you can hold on to her and the wealth and physical riches that she brings with her…all of it is bound to leave. So instead of waiting for Goddess Lakshmi to come to your house and shower wealth and physical pleasures upon you, this Diwali try something different. Ask, but also give. Have fun, but also be prepared by asking for detachment from the physical.
The physical is governed by the energy world and each one of us has the potential to access these energies and create all that is physical. Sanatan Kriya details the shodakshri mantra, which when chanted along with lighting a lamp of cow ghee in front of the devi, bestows one with physical wealth as well as gives the route to exit maya. However for any mantra to have desired effects, it is important to receive it from your Guru, who is siddha in the mantra and hence has the capacity to transfer it to you.
If one looks at his/her life he/she will realise that there is pain in every aspect of pleasure – the pain of losing that pleasure. This is a trait of Lakshmi (maya), yet we run after that which is temporary and is sure to leave us…all in the hope that it would never leave us. We should not forget that the Goddess Lakshmi rides on an owl (ullu)…a being that lives in darkness. You must realise that the ullu that Godess Lakshmi rides on…is you.
Tamso maa jyotir gamaya….is the only hope and the only pleasure, rest all is pain. May you all realise the full potential of the shakti on Diwali…blessings.
