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Spiritual Import of Religious Festivals : 12-17.

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26/01/2017 Chapter -12. Yajna – Quintessence of the Culture of India-17. Deepavali message given on the 25th of October, 1973. Dipavali means the line of lights. 'Dipa' is light, and 'Avali' means line. So, Dipavali, or the festival of the line of lights, is the celebration of the rise of Knowledge. It is also the celebration of the victory of the Sattvic or divine elements in us over the Rajasic and Tamasic or baser elements which are the real Asuras, the Rakshasas – Narakasura and others. The whole world is within us. The whole cosmos can be found in a microscopic form in our own body. Rama-Ravana-Yuddha and Tarakasura-Vadha, and all such epic wars – everything is going on inside us. This Dipavali is thus also a psychological context, wherein we contemplate in our own selves the holy occasion of self-mastery, self-subjugation and self-abnegation, leading to the rise of all spiritual virtues which are regarded as lustre or radiance emanating from Self

Spiritual Import of Religious Festivals : 12-16.

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19/01/2017 Chapter -12. Yajna – Quintessence of the Culture of India-16. Deepavali message given on the 25th of October, 1973. 1. So, the sum and substance of the message connected with Dipavali is : - that it is a three-day festival beginning with Naraka Chaturdasi, a day prior to Amavasya; then the main Lakshmi worship day, which is Amavasya itself; and the third day which is Bali Padya, connected with the honour bestowed upon Bali Chakravarti as a devotee of Bhagavan Narayana. 2. It is also an occasion for spiritual exhilaration, a lighting-up of all darkness, socially as well as personally, outwardly and inwardly, for the purpose of allowing an entry of the Supreme Light of God into the hearts of all people. Swami Krishnananda To be continued ...

Spiritual Import of Religious Festivals : 12-15.

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12/01/2017 Chapter -12. Yajna – Quintessence of the Culture of India-15. Deepavali message given on the 25th of October, 1973. There is a third aspect of it which is called Bali Padya, the day following Amavasya. It does not look that the Bali Padya festival is directly connected with Lakshmi Puja or Naraka Chaturdasi. But it has another background altogether, namely, the blessing Narayana, in His incarnation as Vamana, bestowed upon the demon-king Bali Chakravarti, whom He subdued when He took a Cosmic Form in the Yajnasala of Bali, the details of which we can read in the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana. Bali Chakravarti was himself a great devotee, an ideal king and ruler, and having submitted himself to being thrown into the nether regions by the pressure of the foot of Narayana in the Cosmic Form, it appears he begged of Him to have some occasion to come up to the surface of the earth and then be recognised as a devotee of Bhagavan Narayana Himself. This recognition, this

Spiritual Import of Religious Festivals : 12-14.

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05/01/2017. "Very important - A Nation is built from the tradition of family! Read carefully, understand, keep in mind and apply the lesson day to day life." Chapter -12. Yajna – Quintessence of the Culture of India-14. Deepavali message given on the 25th of October, 1973. 14.1.1 We have various occasions throughout the year to remind us of the threefold duty. They are called Vratas, some of which are annual, some monthly, and some daily. The Dipavali Vrata is observed every year on the fourteenth day (Chaturdasi) of the dark fortnight in the month of Kartika (October-November). 14.1.2 People take a holy oil bath, put on new clothes, and eat delicious dishes. Crackers are burst, and lines of light are lit everywhere. There is an atmosphere of gaiety and sanctity. Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped and Divine grace is invoked. 14.1.3 Though there are many stories associated with this celebration of Dipavali, the prominent one is the killing of the demon Narakasura by Lord Sri Kr