Divali, festival of light and love

THE EDITOR: Divali, the Festival of Lights, is intended to teach the lesson of light and love, according to the Avatar (God on Earth) Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Light spreads; it mingles with the light from other sources of light; it has no boundaries, no prejudices, no favourites.

When the lamp of love is shining, God manifests! Keep it burning bright and pure, God persists! Allow all to light their lamps from it, God showers grace! Sai Baba says, “I call upon you to celebrate the Divali not by feasting and exploding crackers to disturb the peace of the neighbourhood, but by silent lighting of lamps and silent service through love.”

All festivals of India have an inner divine significance. In India, the festivals are celebrated to prove the immanent divinity in humanity. No other element in this world is as significant as light. It is the light that shows us the way, dispelling the darkness. It is because of the light that man is able to attend to his daily duties.

The flame of a lamp has two significant qualities. One is to banish darkness; the other is a continuous upward movement. Even if a lamp is kept in a pit, the flame is directed upwards. The ancients have taught that the upward movement of the flame denotes the path to wisdom and the path to divinity. However, the external light can only dispel the external darkness, not the darkness of ignorance in man.

When Hanuman set Lanka ablaze, though there was light all around, Ravana’s heart was filled with darkness. Such a powerful and highly educated Ravana could not get rid of the darkness of ignorance. Ignorance is the cause of birth and death. One with ignorance is born again and again. But one with wisdom has neither birth nor death.

Renunciation is a must for every spiritual aspirant. Renunciation does not mean leading a life of seclusion, leaving wife and children. Giving up evil qualities is the real renunciation. First and foremost, develop detachment. Even the detachment has to be within certain limits. Extreme detachment will lead to danger. It is impossible to live in this world giving up everything. So, lead your life with equanimity. To travel along the path of wisdom one needs to develop sacred thoughts, sacred words and sacred actions.

There is significance in lighting lamps. The flame of one lamp can light the whole array of lamps. That one lamp symbolises the supreme effulgence. The others symbolise the light in individual selves. Divali is celebrated in order to teach this truth to the world.

The festivals of India teach us the importance of internal and external cleanliness. God is present within and around. So, one has to be pure both internally and externally. It is the water that helps to keep the body clean. But it is love that keeps the heart clean. The inner meaning underlying the festivals of India should be rightly understood. The festivals should be celebrated in full realisation of their inner significance.

“You should not hate anybody. Hate your own anger, do not fight with others; fight with your bad qualities. Give up your bad qualities. It is possible only if you surrender yourself to God. Be happy. Never be narrow-minded. Expansion of love is life; contraction of love is death. Expansion of love is possible only if you have love for God. God can confer anything if you have love. There is nothing that He cannot give. God is always ready to give Himself. If you totally rely on God, you can achieve anything.

"All your material and secular knowledge are of no use in the field of spirituality. Give up materialistic thinking. Develop spiritual knowledge. Think of God. Constant contemplation on the divine will free you from all worries. Love is God. Live in love. You can light a million lamps from one; but yet the first will not suffer a jot! Love too is like this. Share it with a million, it will still be as bright as when it was alone.”

DR ANAND CHATOORGOON

member, San Fernando

Sai Devotional Group