Year after year as Divali approaches, everyone is involved in house-cleaning, painting, scrubbing, etc. So much effort at external cleansing! But what is the condition of the ‘inner house?’ Is it also cleaned? If yes, then keep polishing it to maintain the brilliance! If not, here are a few ways to cleanse the inside and brighten the inner light.
- Scrub the dirt of ‘agyaan’ or ignorance with the detergent of Gyaan or knowledge.
- Pull down the cobweb of hate, lust, false pride, greed and anger using the brush of ‘Santosh’ or contentment.
- Sweep away the dust of falsehood and deceit using the broom of honesty, straightforwardness and clear thinking.
- Wash away the grime of egoism, arrogance and discord with the clear, calm waters of humility and quietism.
- Paint the walls of your life with hope, faith and positive thoughts.
- Hang new curtains of satsang or true association with worthwhile company.
- Re-furbish and re-decorate your life with practices such as worship of the Guru, self-study and other forms of spiritual discipline.
- Get rid of the rats and roaches of cruelty, selfishness and uncouth and rash behavior. Do so with the cleaning agents of compassion, charitable attitude and service to others.
- Purge yourself of negative thoughts, words and actions with the detox-agents of fasting. Avoid listening to and ingesting words that berate and degrade others. Instead, practice silence both outwardly and inwardly.
- Finally, sanitize and deodorize your life by listening to uplifting music, scriptural verses and other motivational words. Use the God-given gift of the voice to sing the praises of the Divine.
The pre-requisites to cleanse the inner house are the desire for self-improvement and application of self-effort. Following thorough purification, Lakshmi Mata enters with her gift of overflowing wealth. These gifts are the valuable assets of faith, endurance, serenity, contentment, tranquility of mind and the renunciation of selfish desires. What more can anyone desire?
May Lakshmi Mata find a seat in the inner house of our lives.
Shami Maharaj
Sorry my mis-spelling should read :
Light your surroundings with the light emanating from righteous and religious persons, programs and association.
Devika Rambalack
I really appreciate that your teachings are both negative and positive. Too often we are told what not to do and not many of us know or can figure out or take the time to introspect, so some of us need to be told what to do. Really good article. Thanks, Seeta Ram and may you and your families at SWAHA have a happy and safe Divali.