Articles

Deepavali – The Festival of Lights


 

In the days of Deepavali festival, we do the following four things:

1. Clean our houses, etc.
2. Buy new things
3. Eat & distribute sweets
4. Light Lamps & do Lakshmi Pooja

So, the first work is – houses, shops, factories, etc. have to be cleaned during the days of Diwali. Similarly the blessed ones, who realize the importance of purifying their heart, keep it thoroughly illuminated by the Light of Knowledge imparted by the Guru. Recollection of God, faith, Jap, meditation and selfless actions clean (purify) one’s heart, thereby putting an end to all his miseries.

The second work is – bringing in new things. To attain God-realization, one should adopt some such divine and pious vow or spiritual discipline as would be a direct means to Self-Realization. We get overwhelmed by trivial matters, and succumb to the fear of pain and desire for pleasure. No! Just as Gandhiji took vows in his life – a vow to observe a day long silence once a week, to observe celibacy, to speak the truth alone, to pray to God – similarly, we too should take some vrat in our life, by sticking to which, we may progress towards our goal with determination, and evolve our divine part.

The third thing is – eating & distributing sweets. Along with external sweets, the sweetness of meditation on the divine inner Self, that of Vedic contemplation, as well as of the knowledge imparted by the Guru is essential. “Vaasudeva is all that is…” – The more the people became ignorant of this Advaita Gyan (Knowledge of the non-dual Self), and the spirit of “All in One and One in All”, the more they got mired in misery. A sweet like SadGuru’s knowledge is a privilege, a treasure, strictly reserved for the worthy disciple.

The fourth work is – to light lamps, i.e. light the lamp of “witness consciousness”, that of the Ultimate Knowledge. If you get sorrow or pleasure, it is bound to pass away, but “Who am ‘I’ that remains constant in past, present & future?” – such practice of Self-enquiry will kindle the lamp of Knowledge. The Real Self, the Supreme Soul is immortal; while the body is destined to die anyway. We are the eternal children of the Bliss-personified Lord, and May we live in the effulgence of the Supreme Self, discarding the wrong identification with the body, and the folly of drowning ourselves in sorrows and pleasures.

Deepavali is the birthday of Lakshmiji. On this day, we should pray to Her, “O Mother! That Who is dear to You, may also be dear to me”. And it is Lord Narayan, who is dear to Maa Lakshmi. If Lord Narayan becomes dear to us, Lakshmiji will obviously be pleased with us & bestow Her blessings upon us.

During Diwali, Goddess Saraswati is also worshipped along with Goddess Lakshmi, so that we may attain learning as well, along with wealth. Not just bread-winning education, but also the Knowledge that makes our life fragrant with the flower of liberation.

Kartik – The Holiest Month


 

Kartik is the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. It usually overlaps with the months October & November in the English calendar. Kartik Maas, also known as Damodar Maas, is described in the scriptures as the best among months for performing austerities.

Lord Shri Krishna says, “Of all plants, the sacred Tulasi is most dear to Me; of all months, Kartik is most dear, of all places of pilgrimage, My beloved Dwarkais most dear, and of all days, Ekadashi is most dear.” (Padma Purana, Uttara Khand 112.3)

Kartik or the festival of offering lamps to Lord Krishna, glorifies Lord Krishna’s pastime of being bound with ropes by Mother Yashoda. Observing vrata in the month of Kartik is glorified in the Puranas.

“As Sat-yuga is the best of yugas (ages), as the Vedas are the best among scriptures, as Ganga is best of rivers, so Kartik is the best of months, the most dear to Lord Krishna.” (Skanda Purana)

This vrata begins on 15th Oct (this year, 2016), and one may observe the following foremost activities throughout the entire month of Kartik:

>> Japa – chanting the holy names of the Lord.

>> Worship the Lord by offering ghee lamps (diyas), flowers, incense, food, etc.

>> Practice brahmacharya – celibacy.

>> Worship of Tulasi Devi.

>> Give charity.

>> Perform austerities.
The month of Kartika is the best of all months, and it is in this month that many special festivals like Dhan-Teras, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Duj, Tulsi Vivaah and various others take place.

Following are excerpts from some scriptures (Puranas) describing the glory of the pious Kartik month:

“If somebody performs even a little worship of Lord Shri Hari in this month, He offers that devotee His own abode.”

“If somebody burns a lamp in the temple of Lord Shri Hari even for a short time (in the month of Kartik), then whatever sins, he has acquired for millions of kalpas (one kalpa equals 1000 yugas) are all destroyed.”

“A person, who for the entire month of Kartik eats only once a day, becomes very famous, powerful and heroic.”

“O Narada! I have personally seen that a person who happily reads the Bhagavad Gita in the month of Kartik does not return to the world of birth and death.”

“Of all gifts, the gift of a lamp during the month of Kartik is the best. No gift is its equal.”

“The pious result obtained by bathing in all holy places and giving all charities is not equal to one ten-millionth part of the result obtained by following the vow of Kartik. ”

“By sleeping on the ground during Kartik, one is entitled to the same religious merits as are obtainable by donating a piece of land to Brahmins during solar and lunar eclipses.”

In the holy month of Kartik, which is very dear to Shri Hari, one who bathes early in the morning (before sunrise) attains the religious merit (punya) of bathing in all places of pilgrimage [Padma Purana, Brahma Khanda] and is absolved of all sins.

Pujya Bapuji has advised that in case, one is unable to do this for the entire Kartik month, he should try to ensure that he bathes before sunrise in the last 3 days of the month (Trayodashi, Chaturdashi & Purnima). This also affords the same religious merits as bathing before sunrise during the entire Kartik month.

The Wealth-Giving Sharad/Kojagar Purnima Fast


 

(Sharad/Kojagari Purnima)

The Kojagar vrata falls on the full moon day of the month of Aashwina. One should take a bath in the appropriate manner, observe a fast and maintain complete continence on this day. If one can afford it, a gold-idol of Goddess Laxmi, adorned in proper clothing, should be installed on an earthen or copper pitcher and then worshipped in the manner prescribed by the scriptures. In the evening, after moonrise, one should light one hundred gold, silver or earthen lamps using ghee. Then one should prepare plenty of Khir mixed with ghee and sugar. The Khir should be poured into several vessels and exposed to the moonlight. After exposing the Khir to the moonlight for three hours, one should offer it to Goddess Laxmi. Then the Khir should be served with due reverence to pious Brahmins. One should remain awake that night engaged in singing devotional songs and other auspicious activities. In the morning one should take a bath and offer the gold-idol of Goddess Laxmi to a preceptor.

On this day Goddess Laxmi moves around the world at midnight, with boons and assurance of protection, resolving, ?Who is awake on earth? I will grant wealth to one who is awake worshiping me at this hour.?

This vrata is observed every year and it pleases Goddess Laxmi immensely. Propitiated with this fast, Goddess Laxmi grants one prosperity in this world and a supremely elevated state in the next.

-(Narada Purana)