Diwali with Shri Mataji

Diwali 1976

Diwali 1976

My dear Sahaja Yogis, my dear children

Let this Diwali enlighten you with light of love. You yourself are the lamps which burn high and don't get pressed by the cover. They become much more powerful than the cover. It is their own asset. When they are hit upon, they are disturbed and distinguished.

Why are our lamps disturbed? You should think it over. Is there no transparent sheath around them? Have your forgotten your Mother's love and therefore you are so disturbed? As the glass protects the lamp, in the same way my love will protect you. But the glass should be kept clean. How can I explain? Have I to say like Shri Krishna 'Leave all religions and surrender to me' or as Shri Jesus 'I am the way, I am the door'. I want to tell you that I am that destination. But will you people accept it? Will this fact go to your hearts? Although what I say is distorted, the truth will always bstand. You cannot changed what it is. Only you will remain ignorant and backward. I am unhappy because of that.

Diwali is the day of real aspirations. Invole the whole universe. Many lamps have to be lit, and looked after. Add the oil of love, Kundalini is the wick and awaken the Kundalini of others with light of the spirit within you. This flame of Kundalini will be kindled and one within you will become the torch. Torch is not extinguished. Then there will be spotless sheath of my love. It will neither have any limits or any end. I will be watching you.

My love for you is showering as many, many blessings.

Yours always loving NIRMALA.

October 21, 1976


Source: Diwali Souvenir 2009 (Sahaja Yoga Canada)

Jesus Christ was born at Diwali

The symbol of Mahalakshmi for me is Mary, for you it is Mahalakshmi is the symbol. And the symbol of Ganesha outside is Christ. He is symbolizing Ganesha. So, both of them are worshipped only on Diwali. Actually this is the Christmas. This is the real Christmas that was before also, and this was the time baby Christ was born, not the 25th of December. Though it's a misunderstanding, doesn't matter, keep it up. Doesn't matter, whenever He's born, because there used to be a very big festival, and after the festival He was born, called as Valaanan. I don't know what you call in modern times, that time it was called like that. And then this child was born and that was the time Christmas was celebrated. It was just tallying with that, but somehow it shifted, I don't know how, how it shifted. And there might be somewhere you'll find out that real Christmas was shifted.

H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, Diwali, London, 1980

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Diwali 2001

Today is a day of very great happening, I should say. Celebrating the Diwali is a very, very joyous thing. But this joy is not for ourselves; this joy is for the whole world. We have to work for the whole world. We work for ourselves, for our jobs, for our money, whatever it is, but what are you doing for others? That you should see for yourself, and that's very important. Only such people are useful in Sahaja Yoga because they have concern, they have care, and they are doing something for others. It's a great enjoyment with that, when the lights are burning, it's to give you happiness; they are burning their bodies to give you happiness. They are the ones who should teach us that we have to do something ourselves to enjoy our own higher awareness. ...

Now as it is, what is the aim after all, what is the aim of our lives? We have to change the whole world into a peaceful theme. Changing yourself, of course, is great thing, no doubt; but changing others also will stop all the problems of the world. If all the people of this world become good people, Sahaja yogis, then can you imagine what will happen? Think of that dream I have, that we have to change each and every person that we can change, and we have to transform them into good people. If they are not transformed they are like a candle without any flame in it. And if they are capable of getting transformed, we should try all methods, all the tricks to do that. I'm sure very soon such a day will come when you will say, "Mother, now we are very safe." Don't think of the past and the problems of the past – you have now overcome it. Just enjoy yourself and have faith in yourself, and work it out. I am sure very soon it will happen, very quickly it will happen. It is your desire, also your method of working it out, your anxiety to work it out. Main anxiety should be, "How can I transform this person?" You can transform anyone. ...

H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, extracts from Diwali Puja 2001, Lake Piru, USA

Diwali 2002

Diwali 2002 from Sahaja Library

Today on this day of Diwali, I would say that you enlighten yourself with thoughtless awareness. It is not difficult. It’s within you because thoughts are coming from this side and that side and they are not the waves of your brain - no, just your own reactions. But in case you meditate in the real sense of the word, then you’ll get into that thoughtless awareness, which is a very important point and all these nonsensical thoughts, which are of no use to you, will disappear. They won’t be there and then your growth is possible and you’ll grow very well.

Many people are here who will say, “Mother, we don’t get that state” - try. Try that. I don’t believe you cannot get it. All of you can get that thought that, “I can get it!” and you will get it. In that, you don’t have to discard anything, you don’t have to see anything, just go into meditation and you will be amazed how it will work. Of course, you are very much there, most of you, but still, I would say, increase that thoughtless awareness, that area.

Today is very important because of this day of Diwali. Diwali is supposed to be enlightenment day, but enlightenment within is how much you are in thoughtless awareness and everything works out because you are the ocean of it. You have it within yourself. Only you have to tap it. If you don’t tap it, then it doesn’t work out. You have to just tap it and you will be amazed that you are a source of such joy, source of such happiness. I should say a source of real enlightenment.

So today’s message is that, while meditating, go into thoughtless awareness. No thought is important because it’s your own creation. But if you have to become with the Divine creation, you have to get to that state of thoughtless awareness, minimum of minimum. Once that comes to you gradually it will grow and you will be amazed how you’ll be able to grow into Sahaja Yoga in a very big way.

Thank you very much.

H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, conclusion to Talk at Diwali 2002, USA

Shri Mahalakshmi

It’s the day of Mahalakshmi Puja night, not only of Lakshmi Puja; there’s a difference between the two. Mahalakshmi is one of the main powers of Adi Shakti. As you know: Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati, Mahakali. Now these powers have powers at a material level also, at a subtler level also. So Mahalakshmi power is achieved after Lakshmi power, as you know. There are eight powers of Lakshmi.

This Lakshmi was born or came out of the sea, the great sea, which was churned thousands and thousands of years back. And She came out of the sea because She is the daughter of the sea. That's why She's called as Neeraja. Neera means 'water' and ja means 'born out of.' This has happened thousands and thousand years back that She was born. So what is that? What is this Lakshmi? See symbolically, what is it expressing? It is expressing the awareness. Lakshmi expresses awareness, and She came out of the sea, you know that; the awareness first started growing in the sea. The life started existing in the sea, to begin with, and then it grew out. Without the life there is no awareness. First the life, because everything is jarda, everything is dead, and when it becomes life it means it has awareness. So the awareness started growing in the sea.

This is the symbolic expression. In the gross level you can understand this way. But actually the subtle level, it is the other way round. But because we see things from the gross level, we say that "that is symbolic,” but actually from the other side if you say, “this is symbolic.” Do you understand this point? So for me it is symbolic to see how the life came into being in the sea and that it became aware. For me it is symbolic and for you it is symbolic the other way round. I mean if I see something from this side, I see this way and while you see from that side you see this way. Do you understand this? If you want to paint something on a glass, how do you paint it on the glass? Have you any idea? You start painting first the outermost things that you have to paint. For example if you are painting the Goddess, first you will paint Her ornaments, then Her sari, then Her body. Like that it will be moving deeper from this side, if you are painting it on the glass, because you have to see it from the other side. But supposing you have to paint it on a canvas, you’ll paint it the other way round. You first paint the body, then the sari and then the ornaments. So to one thing it is symbolic because they think this goes from their angle, to the other person who is from the other angle this is absolutely symbolic. And surprising that everything is so symbolic and so much just the same, that whatever you may say, the subtle remains subtle and the gross remains gross. The one who is at the subtle level sees the gross as a symbolic expression of his subtle attention.

Now She was born in the sea. She was called as Neeraja. Or Neera that means “water.” My name is – one of them is Nira as you know; out of Nirmala one name is Nira, Neema and Neela, like that I've got three names, four names I should say the big one is Nirmala. So this Nira part means what, that She was born in the sea, that… the name of Mary is also the same. Miriam or Mary, I don't know how you say in English, but Maria comes from Marie, the word Mari. Mari itself comes from the word Meri. So this Mahalakshmi, Mary is named, and She is, because She was born in the sea and that's how Her name was Mary. Mariana they call Her, some people call Her Mariana, sometime call Her Miriam. All these words are indicating that She was born in the sea. So She is Mahalakshmi. Now Mary is Mahalakshmi and Ganesha is the child. Now see how symbolically it works, that only in Diwali the Lakshmi and the Ganesha are worshipped, only these two personalities. Can you understand that?

The symbol of Mahalakshmi for me is Mary, for you it is Mahalakshmi is the symbol. And the symbol of Ganesha outside is Christ. He is symbolizing Ganesha. So, both of them are worshipped only on Diwali. Actually this is the Christmas. This is the real Christmas that was before also, and this was the time baby Christ was born, not the 25th of December. Tho it's a misunderstanding, doesn't matter, keep it up. Doesn't matter, whenever He’s born, because there used to be a very big festival, and after the festival He was born, called as Valaanan. I don’t know what you call in modern times, that time it was called like that. And then this child was born and that was the time Christmas was celebrated. It was just tallying with that, but somehow it shifted, I don't know how, how it shifted. And there might be somewhere you'll find out that real Christmas was shifted. ...

Now the awareness that was seeking up to Lakshmi, means you achieve money, achieve position for achieving Grace, once you have achieved the Grace of this, you want to achieve God. And this new awakening within you that you have to achieve God now, is the power of Mahalakshmi. By the power of Mahalakshmi only, you achieve your saintliness, your Realization. That's why She came on this earth as the Mother of Jesus Christ. That was Mahalakshmi, not Lakshmi but Mahalakshmi.

May God bless you.

H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, extract from Shri Mahalakshmi Puja, Hampstead, London, 9/11/80

Diwali 1980

First of all you have to know there are four days that are celebrated in Diwali, but there is one more day added to it in Maharashtra. The first day of Diwali is called as Dhanatrayodashi, is the thirteenth day of the moon. Because that day is the first day when Lakshmi, the first… was born on the thirteenth day. That means She was born as a Gruha Lakshmi, as a housewife. Now there are eight Lakshmis. ... the first is the form of a Gruha Lakshmi. She is born as a Gruha Lakshmi to begin with. That means the awareness of human beings also, started really getting into evolutionary process when they started their family life. When they were vagabonds moving about, then the awareness was just like animals. Though they had become human beings, but they were like animals. Then when they established their families, then the Gruha Lakshmi started working and that's how the first advent of Gruha Lakshmi was felt. So She is the first Lakshmi who was born, and that's why on that thirteenth day is the day of the Gruha Lakshmi, of the housewife. And so one has to go in the market and buy some utensil or something that she uses for cooking in the house. In India on the thirteenth day everyone goes and buys a pot or say… we can say, what you call, a cooking utensil or something. Or they may buy a sari or something or gold or something for the Gruha Lakshmi. That is the day of the housewife. So, to reach the Lakshmi one has to understand that motherhood is very important. The motherhood as a Gruha Lakshmi is important.

And the second day is even more important, because Narakasura was killed. Horrible Narakasura as you know him. But actually that day many rakshasas are killed in many… That's the day fixed for killing rakshasas. And then they are put in the hell; on the fourteenth day they are put in the hell. So that’s called as Naraka Chaturdashi, that is the day when the hell is opened out. That day Sahaja Yogis are supposed to sleep in the night while everybody does all kinds of tantrikavidya and all that on the fourteenth.

Then the fifteenth is that darkest night, that’s the darkest night when there is no moon. Absolutely that's the day when they celebrate the Diwali. But symbolically in India also, Shri Rama returned to Dwari, to his place on that day and was crowned on that day. So the significance of Diwali is expressed in this manner, that this is the day when Narakasura, with all of them are killed, they have all gone to Narak, they have gone to the hell, and the people now are safe from them and they are celebrating the joy. And that is the time when Christ was born. That's why lights are lit just in the night, ‘cause He was born at twelve o'clock in the night.

So the next day to that is the day is celebrated in India only in Maharashtra. ... That's the first day of the moon. That is the forefather of your Mother, Shalivahana; they started a calendar, from that date. And so on the first, that means the first day of the moon, the New Year is celebrated. Now see symbolically if Christ is born and the New Year is celebrated, next day. As soon as He is born New Year starts. So next year it starts: the New Year. That is a New Year in many parts of our country where Shalivahana lived. The Shalivahan was my forefather, I should say they were My… they were just a dynasty. And this dynasty ruled in India since very long. Even in the old puranas it is written that they helped Krishna in their war. You know all the story about Shalivahana quite a lot. And so the New Year started. So for us, that is the New Year, for Sahaj Yogis that is the New Year, you have to accept it. And your Mother is of that dynasty. I mean no force on you, but if you like you can have it.

Then the second day is also very important. Is the second day is the moon, that is the moon came out of the sea. According to this mythology, the Lakshmi came out of the sea and with Her this moon came out, which was only a two-day-old moon, the new moon but a two-day-old moon, and this was regarded as the brother of Lakshmi, because they were born at the same time from the sea. So He is the brother of Lakshmi. It’s all symbolic; this is very, very symbolic. Now you see the left side is… left side you know is that of… belongs to Mahakali, and a brother had to be on this side, on the left side. But actually you'll be amazed that he is the brother of Lakshmi. He is not a brother of Mahakali. But because he’s the brother of Lakshmi, he is accepted as the brother of all the goddesses, one brother for all of them. So he is the only brother who is this moon, so he is your uncle, he is your maternal uncle. It's very interesting, because we have a special right on our maternal uncle, we can always ask for his help.

H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, extract from Mahalakshmi Puja, Hampstead, London, 9/11/1980

Diwali 1983

Diwali 1983 from Sahaja Library

Now today we’ll not have any havan, that we have decided because, in the Diwali there is no need to have any havan, but we’ll have just the puja. Now today is the puja; as you know there are five days they celebrate there. The first day is the thirteenth day, where it is the gruhalaksmi’s day, that is the day when the gruhalaksmi is worshipped. But a gruhalakshmi has to be worthy of the worship, and then some utensil is given, to the gruhalakshmi. Some sort of a utensil is to be given to the gruhalakshmi as a present. That is the day Lakshmi was born, Lakshmi, was born out of the Mother Earth, out of the, we should say Mother Earth, but She came out of the Sea, after the churning, so that is the birth of the Lakshmi. She’s the giver of wealth. Wealth which is material as well as spiritual. ...

So that’s the day of the gruhalakshmi when She’s born. She must have these qualities, if she’s a miserly, calculating type of a woman, she is not a woman at all to begin with. If she’s worried about her own clothes and her own comforts and her own things then she’s not a gruhalakshmi. She makes others work and sits down and all orders about, she’s not a gruhalakshmi at all. She has to work, for others, she has to do for others, she has to look after. That’s the thirteenth day.

Then the fourteenth day is the day when Narakasura was killed. You know Narakasura has taken his birth, and he’s to be killed, the Sahaja Yogis are going to kill him. You have to come up to a point and definitely he can be killed. When Kartikeya is awakened within you, he can be killed. But for that you have to be just like gold, untarnishable. You need strong people to do that. A sword that can kill him has to come out of your [metals or mettles]. Then Narakasura can be killed. He is one of the worst possible asuras. That is the fourteenth day. When he was killed, the gate of hell was opened and, all those where, his disciples or his followers or satanic people were put. That’s the only day you can sleep late, and a good news for you.

Then the fifteenth day, is the darkest night, which we had, darkest night. That is the night when you put the lights on, because it is the darkest night the negative forces can walk in. So the lights are put, because Lakshmi can come in. You’ll be surprised how Lakshmiji is, that if a bottle of wine enters from one end, She disappears from another. ... That’s the responsibility of women, to keep the Lakshmi intact. So that’s the Lakshmi Day when we say that Lakshmi Puja takes place because that is the day you invite the Lakshmi to come in, the Rajalakshmi, the Lakshmi by which you become the king of the family or the, royal, benevolence you can call it, the regal, feeling in the family, that is the day.

Then comes the day, next to that is the first, of the month in, that is the calendar, My forefathers, because you’re all My children you have to use the same calendar Shalivahanas calendar and that is the first day of the Shalivahanas calendar. And what do they do in the morning time, to celebrate it, they take one of these, jars, Aquarius, and put a shawl with it, and that is put as a flag, representing the Aquarius and the Shawl of the Mother. That’s why they are called as Shalivahana, the ones who carry the Shawls of the Mother. The Carriers of the Shawls of the Mother. That’s how they put it up. The shawl on top of it the Aquarius, this should be actually the flag of the Sahaja Yogis, that you make it the, Aquarius or we can say the, jar, what do you call that, pitcher, or not pitcher but this lota business what do you call that - there’s nothing used like that here. That one is to, kumbha we can call in kumbha, and the shawl is there, so they put it up that’s why they call it as Gudi Padwa means - first day of the moon is Padwa Gudi means this. So they put it up and that is how they say that today is the New Year day, for the Shalivahanas.

Shawl is the covering of your Mother, which gives it warmth and also, it covers her modesty. Shawl is a sign of regality and modesty and chastity. So you stand for that, of your Mother. You protect it, like Ganesha does. Only on one point He gets angry, if anybody says or does anything against the Mother, then He comes down. That’s why Christ has said: ‘Anything against Me I’ll tolerate, but anything against the Holy Ghost, will not be forgiven.’ That’s the Son, talking about the Mother, that’s what happens.

So today is, the second day. Second day is the Bij, is the, they call it the, Bhav-bij or Bhaubij is the day when the brother, and the sister, who are the seeds, of one tree, have that, pure exchange of affection. The sister does the aarti of the brother, gives him a tika and then brother gives her something as a token of his love, as a present. ...

So this is the fifth day is Dwija. So from thirteenth, to the fifth day they celebrate Diwali. For us Diwali has a very great significance that is, from one light many lights are awakened and they are put in a line, so they are called as Diwali - means ‘the lights put in a line’. So when you hold My Hands together all of us, through that, the energy passes and the enlightened rasa is established, and the whole world has to become, that beautiful [rain or reign], of your Mother where, nothing but the bliss of your Father, and His enjoyment, when He sees, His Own Creation dancing, in that Ocean of Bliss.

May God Bless you.

H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, extract from Diwali Puja, Hampstead, London, 1983

Diwali 1982

Here we are here, all of us, to celebrate a four-day festival called as Diwali. Diwali comes from the word dipali in Sanskrit, the word deepa means ‘the light’, and ali means the ‘line’, the ‘rows’. Now, there are many things that have happened during these four days and that’s how it is celebrated with such a great enthusiasm. The first thing is the day of the Lakshmi’s birth, that is the thirteenth day of the moon: teras they call it. Is the real day when Lakshmi was born out of the sea; that’s why She is called as Miriam or Mariam. Word ‘Mari’ or ‘Marie’ also comes from the word ‘sea’. So, She’s born out of the sea, is created out of the sea. And the wealth of the sea, so far, thank God, human beings have not yet exploited, but they may one day start doing that also. And a lot of wealth is still there, so when people start getting worried about exhausting the Mother Earth, we must know that sea is much more than the earth is. So nothing is exhausted, still there is such a lot reserve for you, and one should not worry as to the supply of wealth that can come from the sea.

Now, this Lakshmi is the goddess, who stands on the lotus. She represents all the well-being, the wealth, the glory of wealth, the decoration of wealth; whichever is auspicious. Whatever is not auspicious is not wealth. According to Sahaja yoga, or according to any scripture, it is not wealth at all. So She’s a lady who stands on a lotus, showing that a person, who has got wealth, has to be a person who does not assert his pressures on people, who doesn’t push people around, who doesn’t pressurize. And then, She’s a lady, She’s a mother. So wealth, is the first opening to our seeking. But when you start seeking the wealth, you realize that the superficial wealth that you are seeking is not sufficient, is not going to give you complete joy. So you start seeking the deeper wealth. As I said that: ‘On the Mother Earth you’ve exploited all that is possible.’ Still there, deep down in the sea, lot of wealth still.

So then the seeking moves toward the deeper seeking. So the same Lakshmi becomes Mahalakshmi. When you start expanding yourself to higher and deeper valuables then this Lakshmi doesn’t lure you much; She’s just there for your glory, but not for your satisfaction. The wealth is there for distribution. You enjoy the - there’s no word for dhan, I think? Oh, ‘generosity’, but ‘generosity’ is different. But what I’m saying: ‘Generous fondness’; it’s a fondness, you see, that you should be generous. That is a very great happiness and joy that you feel. That is the greatest, when you are generous, when you give away. That’s a fondness, that’s a kind of a human expression of one’s own being, that you want to be generous. And this generosity only can come when Mahalakshmi principle is born in you.

H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, extract from Diwali Puja, London, 1982

Integration of Attention and Heart

As I said, Europe is the liver. That means all the attention is in Europe. But the attention, if does not have the heart [England] it is absolutely not integrated, nor it is enlightened. But when the heart is sleeping how to bring heart to the attention? But some tricks here and there played so well that the heart like a lion leaped and we are here. The joy of all the Sahaja Yogis is now going to fill the attention and new powers will be developed for all of you and you will all feel responsible for spreading Sahaja Yoga. It has to happen. Thus we realize that through effort we all can achieve the impossible. Brahmarandra is the heart, is the heart chakra and unless and until there is heart into our work we are not enlightened people. All our efforts will be futile. Without the attention the heart is useless. So this beautiful meeting that has taken place is writing in the skies with the warmth of the heart and light of the attention. That the glorious days have come for us to enjoy our complete freedom, freedom from all our enemies, all our ignorance.

H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, Evening before Diwali Puja 1985, Italy

Athena

"It is very, very fortunate and auspicious that we are celebrating the Diwali in Greece, specially in Delphi. It has a very ancient history, and as you know Athena resided here. She was the Primordial Mother. Atha in Sanskrit means "primordial." So this place has been described, has been described even in the Puranas as Manipur dweep. Manipur is the Nabhi. Also in Sanskrit Manipur means the Nabhi Chakra. So it's described as the Manipur dweep, is written Manipur e dweepe. Just imagine these Puranas, these ancient-time books – God knows how old they are, must be at least eight thousand or maybe more – and they have described Greece as the Manipur dweep, is the place of Nabhi and where resides the Adi Shakti, that's the Athena. So I mean, how it was known to them – maybe through torsion area, I would say; but it is written very clearly, and same we find here is the place of Athena which is in the Nabhi. ...
Now this Primordial Mother that we have as Athena also has in her hand a Kundalini, also She has one trident. All this is sign that when she was born she knew that she has to fight the evil forces in the Nabhi Chakra. All this history is really shown very clearly in the Greek mythology."
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, Diwali Puja, Delphi, Greece, 7/11/99

"...and so, this Athena has been described, and when I went to Her temple I found that there was a little temple for the child God. That was Shri Ganesha. And then, when I went to Delphi, also, when I went there I was surprised to see, they showed me a mound and said, “This is the Nabhi, navel of the whole universe.” I said, “That’s correct.” But when I turned round there were lots of vibrations and what I find is a Ganesha statue there."
(Shri Pallas Athena Puja, Athens, Greece, 26/4/93)

"I was amazed at the Temple of Athena when we went there. It’s so much so near to the thing that the Mooladhara is shown there where the Kundalini exists. Now she’s the one who has snakes around her, see? And she has little little snakes as her children. Can you imagine? And she’s one, and she has a daughter, which is the Kundalini in you and a God who is a child God. And when she stands she has a Kundalini in her hand, the snake coming out of her hand. With all the charkas she is made. It’s so beautifully shown. The best was her Sanctum Sanctorum where nobody is allowed to go inside where she resides. Is the Adi Kundalini. But they say that she came out of the head of Zeus, the Primordial Kundalini. And her place nobody can go inside, nobody can reach. Except for her son, the child. But her steps are very large also are roundish. She curved. Can you imagine? They’re curved as if part of the Kundalas they are. And they are three and a half in height, you can see that, in height and in width also. Like every place are made of big stones and the last one is made of the small, three and a half, and they go in a curve. And that is Sanctum Sanctorum nobody can go inside."
(Talk, Mill Farm seminar, Dorset, England, 2/8/81)

Jesus Christ was born at Diwali

Many years ago in London, Shri Mataji spoke about star signs. She mentioned that Lord Jesus was born under the sign of Scorpio, which is the sign of death and resurrection. He was actually born at Diwali, which falls at the time of year which is Scorpio in the astrological calendar. Diwali is celebrated in India in October/November as the Festival of Lights.

The chakra of Lord Jesus is the Agnya, and this is the chakra associated with the light element. So it is only right that Diwali is the festival of lights. Also, for the Christians Lord Jesus came as a light to lighten the darkness; so again there is the connection to light.

The birth of Christ is celebrated on 25 December because for nearly seventeen hundred years this has been traditional in most of the churches. The ancient and politically powerful Romans adopted Christianity in the third century CE/AD, and changed the date of Christmas to 25 December, because of various pagan Roman festivals which fell on and around that date. So now, of course, Christmas is on that date. But, as Shri Mataji explained, He was actually born at Diwali.

(LW, India; Light of Love weblog)

Hania (Poland) adds:
I found some interesting info about the birth of Christ. One Polish astronomer (Mrs. Jadwiga Donatowicz from the Technical University in Vienna, Austria) made a simulation in which she showed that on the 12th of November in 7BC there was a great conjunction of two planets - Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces. Moon was in its last phase so was not visible and this conjuncion was placed within a conus of zodiacal light. Shri Mataji has said that Christ was born in the darkest night. This astronomical event (Jupiter and Saturn together) was so rare and at that time so prominent that even about 20 years later in Syria (Antiochia) Silanus made coins with a huge star. There is a photo of this simulation (and coins) - two bright planets and the conus of light pointing towards Bethlehem. It is in Polish language but anyway here is the link.

Diwali

"The joy of Diwali is for the world. ... We have to change the world. Changing yourself is one thing - but changing others is quite another. ... They are all fed up with all the artificial things. You'll be surprised by how many are waiting for you. Diwali cannot be celebrated with one candle only. You need many."
(H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, Diwali 2001)

Thoughtless Awareness

Advice given by H.H.Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi:

"When you are in meditation, you must allow yourself to be in thoughtless awareness. There, the unconscious itself will take charge. You will start moving with the force of ‘Atita’ [Hindi/Sanskrit word meaning ‘beyond’]. The unconscious is going to work it out. It is going to take you there, where it wants you to go. You keep to thoughtless awareness all the time. Try to keep to thoughtless awareness as much as you can. When you are in thoughtless awareness, you must know that you are in the kingdom of God and His people, His arrangements, His consciousness, is going to look after you."
(Gudi Padwa, Delhi, 30/3/76. Sahaja Path August 2006)

"How to do meditation, many people ask. Don't do anything, just go into thoughtless awareness. Try to go to the thoughtless awareness. If you can get into that condition of thoughtless awareness, you can do your job because that's the point where you are with the truth, with the reality, with the joy. ... If you are in thoughtless awareness, what happens to you is that you get the confidence, complete confidence of divinity. You know you have it. ...
It's very important to become thoughtlessly aware because then there are no thoughts coming from the left or the right, from the past or the future. Just in the present you are there. It's something you all have. It's not that I'm saying that to you, but all of you have this, but steady yourself. You have to steady yourself at thoughtless awareness. How long - that's not the point. The point is once you've touched it, you'll go on touching it. ... It is always described in all the great books, but not so clearly as I am telling you. ... Even for a second, if you get it, it's a very good idea. Then you go on increasing that second. ...
So today's message is that while you are meditating, go into thoughtless awareness. No thought is important because it's your own creation. But if you have to become one with the divine creation, you have to get to that state of thoughtless awareness, minimum of minimum. And that comes to you gradually if you grow and you'll be amazed how you'll be able to grow into Sahaja Yoga in a very big way." (Diwali Puja 2002)