By Brahma Kumari Centre
As the vibrant festivities of Navratri and Diwali unfold, they bring with them a profound message of spiritual awakening and self-realization. During Navratri, fasting is observed as a vow to overcome vices like anger, criticism, and irritation.
Consuming Sattvic food reminds us that everything we read, listen, eat and drink needs to be high vibrational in order to purify the mind and body. Jagran is the call to awaken to a righteous way of thinking and living. At its core, Navratri celebrates invoking of the divine feminine, the ‘Ashta Bhuja Dhari’ Maa Shakti, the embodiment of 8 inner powers within each soul. Each power, when awakened, leads us towards self-realization.
Parvati Devi: Power to Detach – withdraw from dependencies, give unconditional love.
Maa Durga: Power to Let Go – release past hurt.
Jagadamba: Power to Tolerate – nurture ourselves and others.
Santoshi Maa: Power to Accept – accept everyone and embrace contentment.
Gayatri Devi: Power to Discern – distinguish between right and wrong.
Saraswati Maa: Power to Decide – make accurate choices.
Kali Maa: Power to Face – confront and finish anything that is immoral.
Lakshmi Maa: Power to Co-operate – support and empower people selflessly.
Together, these 8 powers help us finish the inner ‘Ravan’ of 10 vices: lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, jealousy, hatred, deceit, stubbornness, and laziness. This victory is celebrated as Dussehra, where ‘Dasa’ means ten and ‘Hara’ means to destroy.
Dussehra is soon followed by Diwali, the festival of light, traditionally honouring Sri Ram’s return to his kingdom from exile. In fact, Sri Ram’s journey symbolizes our path from darkness to light, from ignorance to wisdom. It reminds us that by overcoming our vices, we restore our natural state of peace, love, and happiness.
Diwali transcends mere festivities, with each ritual carrying a deeper meaning that reflects our journey back to our true divine self.
Cleaning the House: Just as we sweep away dust and cobwebs, we must clear out accumulated emotional stains of hurt, anger, resentment or stress. This inner cleansing requires intentional mental reframing. For instance, replacing lingering thoughts like “Why did they wrong me?” with “It was their perspective, their mood. It was a Karmic account. It is over now.”
Wearing New Clothes: New attire and household items symbolize the renewal that follows cleansing. As we clean our mind to release old patterns, we learn new ways of thinking, speaking and behaving. Old sanskars of anger, hurt and criticism give way to understanding, compassion, respect, forgiveness and acceptance.
Exchanging Gifts: The most meaningful gift we can offer each other is not material, but spiritual — blessings and good wishes as our constant offering, not just during the festival. Giving everyone a symbolic “Gift Card” that says, “From this moment onward, no matter what you say or do, I respond only with pure thoughts, pure feelings, and blessings.”
Savouring Sweets: Sweets are prepared with love, and offered to God, allowing His blessings to infuse them with divine energy. These sweets remind us to “sweeten” our words as well. Let our mantra be: “I speak less, I speak softly, I speak sweetly. My words are filled with kindness and the sweetness of love.”
Lighting Diyas: In Hindi, ‘Diya’ translates to ‘Dena’, meaning ‘to give’. Its clay form symbolizes our physical body, and the wick within it stands as a metaphor for the soul, patiently awaiting to be illuminated by the oil of wisdom.
“I am a soul. Love, peace and happiness are my original qualities. I am a giver of these qualities to everyone.”
Our hands, like those of Sri Lakshmi Ji, should always be extended in blessings. Sri Lakshmi embodies divinity and the true “Mann ka Lakshya,” the aim of life, which is to give endlessly.
New account books: Just as businessmen close old financial accounts and open new ledgers, we must do the same with our karmic accounts. It’s time to clear the debts of past hurt, unresolved conflicts, and any lingering negativity with others. No matter how deep-rooted these issues may be, or how heavy they weigh upon us, we have the power to close those accounts and begin anew, filling our karmic ledger with acceptance, forgiveness, and love.
Bhaiya Dooj: Applying a Tilak reminds us to remain in constant awareness. “I am a pure soul, and so is everyone else.” When we maintain this soul-to-soul connection, our interactions transcend the barriers of roles, status, relationships, position or age. Ego dissolves, expectations are finished, and we let go of desires and dependencies.
This shift in consciousness becomes a powerful force, and through our collective awareness, we pave the way for a new, harmonious era — the Golden Age — where divinity, harmony, and prosperity for all is a natural way of being.
