Diwali Puja. Lake Piru, near Los Angeles, California (USA) 18 November 2001.

It’s a very, very great day today, I should say, where the evil has been suppressed. The evil that spreads its power all over is only because of two factors: one is that you are not knowledgeable, you are still blind, and you follow things which are not right, but you think are powerful. This illusion creates not only problems, but absolute destruction.

So we faced a very big challenge, no doubt, and it was easily solved. It was based on all wrong basis just to create a problem. [The] problem was created with a purpose, and nobody could imagine that it would be solved so easily and so quickly. My desire was to get over it before Diwali. That has happened.

Due to ignorance, also, people do lots of things. Anybody who follows some religion or some sort of a thing. It’s only because they’re not aware of the truth, they are ignorant about achieving the truth, and they cling on to the fact that they know everything.

With all this happening, there have been so many fractions, so many stupid people, who are getting completely ruined by ignorance. Now you are coming to Sahaj Yoga, you know all the knowledge, very subtle knowledge; very subtle. It’s not superficial knowledge. It is very subtle. And because they don’t know this subtle knowledge, they fall into the wrong path of, I should say, ignorance, and then they try to oppose the people who are doing good.

But above all is the power of God. All this drama is played to prove the existence of that great power. It has all worked out so well. And for all of you Sahaj Yogis it’s a very great achievement that you can see the play. Many people who have achieved so-called success cannot see that point, but you can see it because you are spectators. Though all the world is a part and parcel of that drama, you are outside and you can see it so clearly. 

Whatever has happened, nobody could have believed that would finish before Diwali day.

So it goes like this, the stupidity, which is being created, and we also sometimes think that this kind of stupid thing will impress others. Impression is not the point. If you see, among all these people who have lost, what impression have they created? They were there to create a great impression on everyone, to show as if they were great warriors and fighters. But what impression they have created? Whether you are a realised-soul or not, they can see that it’s a miracle, it’s a miracle how things have worked out.

Now, the new phase has started. You all have a very, very open challenge to get people into enlightenment. People are not so ignorant now. They are not so much blasted. Moreover, I find them very much changed: their attitude towards truth has changed and they understand there is truth beyond all this that they have known. It’s very important, because if a human being starts thinking, “This is the truth!” he just gets stuck up. At any cost, whatever may happen, he’ll go on sticking to that. He won’t be able even to verify whether it is the truth or not. Animals can. How? Because they have got innate capacity to smell the evil, innate. We cannot, human beings cannot. If there’s an evil man, a dog will bark at him. Otherwise, he’ll go and throw him down. He’ll do everything which is not normally done. How is it he has developed this capacity to find out who is a thief and who is not?

We have a higher awareness: we think about many things which animals cannot think; we understand many things, which animals cannot understand; we cook our food, they don’t. But also sometimes I think we cook our brains, because the way people behave, and try to avoid the truth, with their ego, is surprising. 

All this happening is a drama, as I told you, but you better study it properly and apply it to yourself and see if you are also a part and parcel of that drama. For that, you have to rise higher. You have to rise higher — higher above your ego and your superego, your conditioning — and from there to watch yourself and see yourself. “What is this? Why am I doing such a thing? Why my attention is like that? What is the main reason for my own ‘possession’ or my own misunderstandings? Why do I accept wrong things?”

Once you will start seeing that, and if you find even a wee bit of such nonsensical understanding within you, then you can forgive also people who have been absolutely brainwashed — absolutely brainwashed — and they did everything under that influence. 

As it is now, you have risen much higher than all these people and [are] much more aware than all of them. So you have to just understand this point and then you can forgive all the mistakes they have committed.

And for the people who are actually bad, you don’t have to worry. That’s the work of the Divine Power to destroy them. But watch yourself and see for yourself. If you have any of such ideas, any lingering idea, if you try to cleanse the mirror so you see your complete image and try, you can then try, to cleanse it. It’s very important that you should cleanse yourself. 

There are people who have done lots of wrong things. I simply pity them. If they have done wrong things it is their responsibility to see what they have been doing. Why have they been doing like that? What is the need to do that?

All this introspection will work out so well. Then your real powers will come up. Your powers of giving Realisation, your powers to understand the problems of your country, of the whole world. And once you feel that you are the soldier to fight it out, you have the responsibility to fight it out, then things will work out. 

We cannot leave everything to the Divine Power. You have to use the Divine Power and you have to work it out because you are the soldiers of the Divine Power.

Of course, with that beautiful idea, we start cleansing ourselves. You need not know everything as to what things are happening and how they are happening, how they are working out, that’s not your work. You are a soldier, so you have to just fight; fight the ignorance: your own and of others. Because mostly soldiers fail when they have their egos. When they fail, they have other obstacles in their minds. There should be no obstacle, but you should just push forward and know there’s no obstacle at all. It’s just a myth that there are some obstacles and that you cannot do it.

It’s not easy to raise the awareness of people; because looks [like] there’s a very little of distance of crossing over, but it’s not so. It’s not. It is a very difficult task sometimes for some people to get out of the bandhans of Agnya. At that point, I find some of you fail. And for that, is best thing is to introspect. When you think you are always correct, and you are all right, it’s best to introspect: “Am I doing everything right or wrong? How am I working for my betterment?” The illusion is such that sometimes you think you are doing very well. 

Say, in our Sahaj Yoga, some people are very forward type: they’ll come forward, they’ll do this, do that. But inside, what is the purpose? The purpose is that people should see that you are doing this work, that work. The purpose should be that you should be able to see yourself within. You must see what is the problem inside and you can very well understand that you have been of great help to yourself and to others.

For example, there’s a very big building and all the buildings in the nearby area may fall down due to earthquake, but this one building which will be standing erect. The reason is that, that building is constructed on very solid grounds. In the same way, if Sahaj Yoga is constructed on a very sound wall, nobody can destroy it, nobody can distort it. And every person has to do that.

For example, some people told me, “Your Sahaj Yogis, you know, are like this, and they are big show-offs you know.” I said, “Really? I can’t believe it that they could be like that.” I said, “I would like to meet them, whosoever they are.” So they said, “No! You can find them out yourself, who are those people and why they behave like that!” I said, “Myself, I know everything, but I want you to know everything.” Finding faults with others is a very nice thing, very easy also. But find out faults within yourself! What are these things that are straggling us? This is the best way of improving your awareness. Like you are going in the car and you have to know the road. You have to know how you are driving. You have to see what are the problems. But instead if you think no end of yourself, it won’t work out.

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 [only], 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 — it’s very important. Only such people are useful in Sahaj 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 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.

All this will work out, I am sure. I am also trying my best to make this light un-shaky and full of enthusiasm. It’s there. It is you who are anxious to fill your pitchers. You can do it. It’s not my anxiety that’s going to help you. 

So even if you want to have the complete picture about yourself, you have to first give up identification with yourself, otherwise you will never know what’s wrong with you. If you are too much identified with you, you cannot come up.

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 a 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, Sahaj 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 am 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. The main anxiety should be, “How can I transform this person?” You can transform anyone. You know, you tell one person, another person follows it. 

Like when we came with the plane, I found at the airport so many people had put up their hands towards me like this. I said, “Who are these people?” They were not Sahaj Yogis. They had seen somebody, or what had happened I couldn’t ask them, but all them said, “We are feeling the cool breeze in the hand.” They didn’t know anything about it. They didn’t know about Kundalini, nothing! They said, “What is this cool coming in?” Basically they are there to get their Realisation, only we have to extend our ideas, we have to extend our love to them. Instead of getting annoyed with them, better is to give them a chance, and you will be amazed that they are very anxious to get transformed. They are all fed up with all the artificial things they are having. It’s over now. You will be amazed how many are waiting there for you to give them Self-realisation. And let them celebrate their Diwali with you. Enjoy Diwali. 

Diwali you cannot celebrate with one candle. You have to have more and more of candles, and that’s what is your job. Only by your own candle, you are going to do it. It’s your own and it can enlighten anyone. Then why not use it at any cost, at any place?

I have met some Sahaj Yogis. I asked them, “What did you do?” They said, “No, nothing!” “Nothing? You did nothing?” “No, nothing!” Then, what’s the use of getting your Realisation? If you have done nothing, you don’t want to give Realisation to anyone, you don’t want to talk to anyone, you feel so shy about it?

Then I met some who said, “Just now Mother, we are coming from a programme.” “Achha! How are you so late?” “Because they told us there’s a bomb scare.” “So you were waiting outside?” “Yes.” “How many?” “All of us. Thousands were waiting. There was no bomb. They said there’s no bomb. So we went inside and we all got Realisation.” “But you were realised-souls?” “No, we had our Realisation, that sometimes we have to wait also. And now we are convinced that nobody can harm us, nobody can trouble us, overpower us. Only we do it to ourselves.”

So again I will say introspection is very, very important in Sahaj Yoga. When the light inside is there, you have to look after it.

I was extremely happy to hear from many people that they felt the blessings of Diwali. But, you see, yesterday, you had these showers (of shooting stars). How timely they were! It never happened [before]. In the history of this world it never happened [so] why yesterday these showers came in and tried to give a new experience of the showers? All this is a time that even the nature knows. And we should also know, that this is the time for a special thing.

Normally I get letters about people who are sick and their parents are sick or their this is sick — all kinds of things. Then somebody’s marriage is broken. Then somebody has children, they are sick. I mean all kind nonsensical problems they do it. The reason is they themselves, those who write, are not realised-souls. Or maybe they are half way, because they could themselves say that, “Why should we write to Mother? We can get it done ourselves!” Instead of that, one has to write what they have achieved, how they have achieved friends, how they have got love from others, how they have worked out Sahaj Yoga in small villages. All this is much better to write than to write, “My mother is sick, my father is sick.” All these relationships, they go on killing you.

So no more is your brother; nobody is your sister. Only Sahaj Yogis are your brothers and sisters. Now you have some cousin and his cousin’s cousin, so let it be. That’s not your job. You don’t have to work it out. Even before coming, I got letters like that: Somebody’s cousin’s cousin’s this thing. So I asked this lady, I said, “Why do you write all these things all the time about this cousin and that cousin?” She says, “Mother, I am trying to spread Sahaj Yoga!” “How?” “Because if they’ll be cured, then they’ll come to Sahaj Yoga!” This is not they way we want to spread Sahaj Yoga. This looks like advertising or something, speciality, that if you should cure somebody, then some people will come to Sahaj Yoga. We just don’t want such people to come!

I don’t want to hurt, but I want to give you courage and understanding and the wisdom. Why are we Sahaj Yogis here? Just to cure all the relations of ours? They may be sick because of some mistakes they have committed.

Instead of paying attention to all these such people, you should pay attention to your Self and to your ascent. You have to respect yourself. If you are their relation it’s none of your business. Like understanding, wisdom, that we have come here for a very, very special work, of very high quality. That is not there. 

Then all such people write to me. Now one lady got married in Sahaj Yoga and she wrote to me that, “I was divorced about eight months back or nine months back, whatever it was. And all my relations are now saying, “Why did you marry in Sahaj Yoga?” And everybody is criticising me and Sahaj Yoga.” I said, “Who asked her to marry?” I never asked her. So the marriage has become the main point for her, that, “All my family people are saying…” What did they do for Sahaj Yoga? “If this marriage doesn’t become all right, then they will say there’s something wrong with Sahaj Yoga.” Let them say! We have not committed that way.

Every time I have told you that, “Don’t write to me for your mother, father, this, that.” If you don’t know how to cure them, better give up Sahaj Yoga. You yourself can cure them. You can work it out yourself. But if you see it, so many letters every day for me. I asked them, “Is your father in Sahaj Yoga?” “No!” “Mother?” “No!” “Brother?” “No, nobody!” “So why are you asking me? What relationship I have with them? They are not Sahaj Yogis. I am only responsible for Sahaj Yogis. They are not Sahaj Yogis, so why do you want to trouble me?” It is impossible to understand!

In Sahaj Yoga, you are supposed to get Self-Realisation, all right. Then those who want to have Self-Realisation, you can give them, and fix them properly. But instead of that somebody who is hanging in the air and who is following from the airport to some other place, all kinds of things: all this is really maddening and is sickening. I am not concerned. You should not be concerned, also. What you should do is to see that these people who are talking about it, should come to Sahaj Yoga. And you must tell them: “Because you are not doing Sahaj Yoga, that’s why it is like that.” Or “That person is not doing Sahaj Yoga, that’s why this is the problem is. We are all right. We are happy people.” Because Sahaj Yoga is an open thing, so everybody comes there.

I would request you all on a Diwali day to promise to yourself: “I will not waste my energy on people who are not Sahaj Yogis.” It’s very important now, because all the time the attention is on wrong things, and on wrong basis. If you have some intelligence, you must know that now you belong to a very high quality spiritual people, which are very few. In this world, there are very few. And you must make a concentrated effort to see that this quality must be in so many people and there must be lots of aspiration about it.

Find out such people. Tell them you have found it, “You can also get it”. But don’t worry about things which are of no value to us. 

You must know you are a special race. You are special soldiers who have been trained for doing Sahaj work only. So wasting energy on your relations and brothers and sisters is no good for you. It is to be understood now that you have your own energy reserved. For what? For Sahaj Yogis only.

You should help everyone who is a Sahaj Yogi or who wants to become a Sahaj Yogi. Who are established Sahaj Yogis, you must help them, because we are one personality and these are all the different hands of one personality, one God. So this oneness must be established within yourself and also others should see that oneness in you. 

There are some people who are very active. There are some people who are very active in criticising. All that will work out I am sure, because this is the year of great achievements and great success. But with that, if you start doing something nonsensical, nothing will work out.

Of course, I don’t say that we haven’t got such Sahaj Yogis with us. We have. We have all the soldiers with us, no doubt. All the armament they have, everything they have, but we need more. And for that we have to work out collectively. You must plan what we should do.

Recently there has been a big argument about the Islamic behaviour of people. We are neither Christians nor Islamic nor anything: we are not, because you cannot put yourself into a small arena saying, “I am a Sahaj Yogi, but I am a Christian!” You cannot be. You have to give up that margin. You are a Sahaj Yogi out-and-out and all the other nonsensical things are not belonging to you.

I have seen many Muslims also come to Sahaj Yoga. But out of them very few are real Sahaj Yogis. But they’ll come, listen to my lecture, this, that. But very few are really Sahaj Yogis in the real sense of the word. 

Then you will start seeing the defects of your community, of the so-called religion you belong to, whatever it is, you will see. And you will definitely try to correct it if you love them. Or you give up.

These are special people, specially selected for a very special cause and you cannot waste your energy on small, nonsensical things. That is one thing you should know.

On this Diwali day you have to know that you have to burn yourself for the light of the Divine to absolutely spread all over. But don’t do it too much. Like some people came to me and told me, “Mother, we have given up our parents. We have given up this. We have given up that. Still we are not good!” So I said, “Why should you give up? You are catching onto something, then you are giving up, or automatically it is just finished?” “Ah, we were, you see, very much attached to our family, parents, country, this, that. And now we have given up some, but some.” Such half-baked people are no good, and don’t pay too much attention to them. They don’t deserve any attention. That is very much to be understood: that you should not be also like that, nor you should have friends like that, nor you should make them Sahaj Yogis. 

A Sahaj Yogi is a special character of a soldier who fights for the truth. That kind of a personality, when you will have, there will be lights all over.

This Diwali day, I bless you all from my heart and I want you to respect yourself and understand what is the position of your being in this organisation, we can call, or in this movement of Sahaj Yoga, and how are we working it out. The attention should move from all these nonsensical, mundane things to your Self. It should be a very dynamic force that should work out. And I am sure next year it would be very different. We’ll have all the beautiful blessings of the Divine. We must do it collectively, understandingly.

May God bless you!