[On Śivarātri, both darkness and light are mixed. The night sky, black with clouds, symbolizes the human form, while the lightning that shines intermittently indicates the nature of Nārāyaṇa. The Veda says that Nārāyaṇa and Śiva are one and the same (Śivaśca Nārāyaṇaḥ…). If only the nature of Nārāyaṇa is revealed, the world would stop functioning, because all human beings would abandon their duties and surround Lord Nārāyaṇa. Consequently, worldly balance would be lost. Moreover, people would gather around Nārāyaṇa seeking selfish benefits, thereby falling in their spiritual path since one must progress without selfishness in spirituality. Testing the firm faith of devotees would also be impossible if Nārāyaṇa’s nature were fully exposed because then every human being would display faith, leaving no way to differentiate or reward based on sincerity. If God’s incarnation appeared entirely ordinary, without showing the nature of Nārāyaṇa, nobody would approach Him, thinking Him as just human. In such a case too, testing would be impossible, since none would come near the Lord. The Lord is embodiment of knowledge itself (Satyam, jñānam anantaṃ Brahma). Ignorance, the second item (other than knowledge), is created by the Lord for entertainment (Ekākī na ramate sa dvitīyam aicchat - Veda). For testing devotees, both faith and doubt must exist in their hearts. Human nature generates doubt, while the nature of Nārāyaṇa generates faith. Faith represents Śiva and doubt represents rātri (darkness). The Lord in human form plays with devotees in this world, making them sway between knowledge and ignorance and thus, He engages them in divine play. But, involvement in ignorance or liberation from ignorance are by the free will of the soul so that God is not responsible for involvement or liberation of soul.]

[The inner meaning of performing marriage of God Śiva and Goddess Pārvatī on the festival of Śivarātri is that every soul, whether male or female, is not only female but also the wife of the only male God (Striyaḥ satīḥ puṃsaḥ…- Veda). Hence, the real meaning of this marriage function is that the devoted soul is accepting himself/herself as soul-female-wife before the God-male-husband. The devotee is humbly praying God to remember His kind duty of the husband to protect his wife from all sides of difficulties. This should not be seen in the romantic sense. Bhāryā or wife means maintained (bhriyate iti bhāryā) and Bhartā or husband means the maintainer (bibharti iti bhartā). All the souls are maintained by God only. Upavāsa means staying close to God and not fasting without taking any food. Moreover, Śivarātri festival is the marriage day of God Śiva and Goddess Pārvatī. If anybody goes to a marriage function and does not eat anything, it means that he is protesting against the very marriage function. Moreover, a fasting person will have no energy to worship God. In fact, when somebody fasts, it is said that he eats his own excretory matter leftover in the last part of digestive system, called rectum. Therefore, the fasting person eats his own excretory matter on the fasting day. A person protesting the marriage of God Śiva and Goddess Pārvatī really deserves this punishment! Due to climax devotion, if the devotee does not sleep in the night, such awakening is called as real Jāgaraṇam. It doesn’t mean breaking the sleep by some cheap entertainments.]

[When Pārvatī started her penance, her mother obstructed her and hence, she was called as ‘Umā’ (U = O Pārvati!, Mā = don’t go for penance). She did penance for Śiva and she was called as ‘Aparṇā’ in the climax since she stopped eating even the dropped leaves (A = not even, Parṇā = dropped leaves). One shouldn’t leave food and sleep by force, which are of no use. They should be dropped spontaneously without any effort. Pārvatī became half of the body of Śiva through penance, which indicates that God and soul can become equal when God merges with the soul to form human incarnation. Pārvatī became Kālī and Kālī indicates climax of black Tamas or very strong determination in devotion to God, by which Kālī (master) dances on Śiva (servant) under her feet, indicating a higher stage of the strongest practical devotion. Pārvatī is also called as Gaurī or white Sattvam indicating knowledge and theoretical devotion. Pārvatī means born to inert hill indicating that the soul or awareness is born from inert five elements (matter and energy). Gaurī means white Sattvam of knowledge and theoretical devotion. Kālī means black tamas, which is the highest strength of firm decision resulting in practical devotion. These three names one after other indicate how a soul (awareness) born as just a modification of inert energy and inert matter became body and soul (Pārvatī), climbed to the higher state of equality in human incarnation (Gaurī) and then to the highest state by making God as its servant (Kālī)!]

[Gaurī means white color of Sattvam. Actually, Viṣṇu is also white originally (Ref.:- Śuklavarṇaṃ caturbhujam— Skānda Purāṇam, Revā Khaṇḍam) because Vishnu represents Sattvam quality, which is white in colour. Hence, Viṣṇu and Gaurī being brother and sister have the same colour or blood in their bodies. But, Viṣṇu needed the Tamas quality of Śiva for the sake of His worldly administration. Śiva also has no need of violent Tamas till the final destruction of the world and needed only Sattvam to be in the state of meditation. Hence, Viṣṇu and Śiva exchanged their qualities or colours and Viṣṇu became pale black while Śiva became white in colour. As Mahā Kālī, Śakti is blue (or black) in colour and hence, we can say that both brother and sister have the same blood as colour. Both these brother and sister often participate in Tamas to destroy demons. The essence is that Viṣṇu and Gaurī/Śakti are one and the same. God Śiva represents Father with masculine qualities and Viṣṇu represents the Mother with feminine tender qualities. The Veda says that the mother, the father and the preacher are to be worshipped as God (Mātṛdevo bhava, Pitṛdevo bhava, Ācārya devo bhava). So, God Himself took these three forms as God Śiva, God Viṣṇu and God Brahmā. God Śiva is the giver of knowledge, whereas God Viṣṇu is the giver of liberation from miseries (Jñānaṃ Maheśvarādicchet, Mokṣamicchet Janārdanāt…). This is the reason why God Veṅkaṭeśvara (God Viṣṇu) is famous as the giver of worldly boons to souls with motherly affection.]

[Males are not supposed to recite the Lalitā Sahasranāma stotram because the beauty of the body of the Divine Mother is frequently described in it. A son should not recite the prayer describing the physical beauty of his mother. During the day, one should worship God Śiva and at night, one should worship the Divine Mother. An alternative way is created for males to worship the Divine Mother, which is through the recitation of the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma stotram. Goddess Lalitā appears in the form of God Viṣṇu for males. The commonly conducted ritual worship of Satyanārāyaṇa Svāmī (Viṣṇu) is conducted at night (Yajet devaṃ niśāmukhe…—Skānda Purāṇam). God Brahmā, the preacher of divine spiritual knowledge is worshipped in the two twilights in which both light (Father) and night (mother) are mixed. God Viṣṇu is said to have become Mohinī by attaining His internal original form called Lalitā (Lalitāṃ svātmarūpiṇīm). It is also explained that the ten Incarnations of God Viṣṇu arose from the ten fingers of the Divine Mother (Karāṅguli nakhotpanna Nārāyaṇa daśākṛtiḥ). When such a wonderful facility is provided by God for the welfare of men, why to take such a risk unnecessarily? God Viṣṇu is fond of jewellery like the Divine Mother (Alaṅkārapriyo Viṣṇuḥ). God Viṣṇu as Mohinī united with God Śiva to deliver a child called Dharmaśāstā or Maṇikaṇtha. God Brahmā was directly delivered by God Viṣṇu from His womb-lotus (uterus) indicating the female nature of God Viṣṇu. Like this, there are several reasons for this concept. Even poet Kālidāsa got the deadly disease of leprosy for describing the body of Goddess Pārvatī in his epic called the Kumāra Sambhavam and the disease disappeared when he praised God Viṣṇu as God Rāma in masculine form through the epic called the Raghuvaṃśam.]

[Some ignorant people take lot of stress for finding the correct date of the festivals. The real festival is when one sacrifices his/her work or the fruit of work to the deserving divine people, without any selfishness. The place, time and the method of selfish worship are not important. One has to correct the inner selfishness and not the date of the festival. Every festival is mainly celebrated by eating special food items, by following processions in the streets, by arranging heavy music, etc. The actual idea of any festival is to increase one’s realization of spiritual knowledge. Holidays are given on these festivals so that one will allot time to think about the significance of these festivals and change oneself to some extent at least. If this aspect is not served, there is no use of the holiday. ‘Nārāyaṇa’ means a temple statue for beginners, but truly signifies the source of Knowledge (Nāra= Knowledge, Ayana= source), i.e., the contemporary human incarnation preaching truth and one must go to Sadguru for guidance in every step. Sadguru always gives the true spiritual knowledge and never modifies it to please His disciples. Truth brings highest power in the knowledge. Once the true knowledge (Jñāna Yoga) is given by the Divine Preacher, no time is required for the subsequent development of inspiration (Bhakti Yoga) and subsequent practical implementation (Karma Yoga), which brings the divine fruits. Therefore, this festival should be spent mainly in discussions and debates in the spiritual knowledge.]

[On the day of Rāma Navamī, one must remember the life lessons from Rāma. I came as Rāma to preach the behavior in the world (Pravṛtti). The main problem in every society is the ambition for money, which results in corruption. Due to this, the wealth does not reach the poor people. Rich becomes richer and poor becomes poorer. Even the members of every political party governing the country become corrupt. Due to corruption, poor people become more poor and revolt in the society that brings disturbance of peace. Leaders don’t do their duties for which they are elected by the people since their ambition is only for money, power and fame. Corruption is destruction of Pravrutti and the corrupt people are cold blooded demons, who will be punished by God severely here and there. Rāma as king stands as ideal for all the rulers. People often criticize monarchy and praise democracy. If the system is perfect, either monarchy or democracy is good. Rāma was in the system of monarchy, but was never ambitious of wealth or name or fame. Such good monarchy is better than the corrupt democracy. Rāma sacrificed His pregnant wife for the sake of the criticism given by a single human being in the public. A pregnant lady means wife and children. Rāma sacrificed His wife and children for the sake of public. But, the rulers in the kali age loot the public for the sake of comforts for their wives and children. Even if hundred persons criticize, they do not mind and give false replies. Unless the mind is changed, the system will not help in any way.]

[Even the government-officials become highly corrupt for the sake of comforts of their families. Even the ordinary person, who is expected to vote for a good person, become corrupt and votes by taking money. Therefore, both the government and the public become corrupt and there is no use of any system. Only the true spiritual knowledge can change the situation. Anybody does some action based on the strong concept present in his mind. The strong concept in corruption is that nobody will punish him or her here if the sin is done in an undetected way. Regarding the punishment in hell also, there is no fear because people think that hell is only imagination. When the kings and rulers became highly corrupt, I incarnated as Paraśurāma to punish them here itself to show that the sin will be punished here itself. All this earth was donated to sages by Paraśurāma and since then, the rulers started ruling the public under the guidance of sages. The council of ministers consisted of sages. The sages were very simple and did not enjoy any luxury. Rāma never preached anything and simply practiced the rules of God. Hence, Rāma Navamī is an important day for the rulers and officials. If they stop corruption and serve the poor people, they will be blessed by Lord Rāma. Even the common public should vote for good people rejecting the corrupt favors and get the blessings from Lord Rāma. Otherwise, there is no meaning in this festival and the holiday is unnecessary.]

[Devotees often get confused about the birthday of God Hanumān. The incarnation of God will have two birthdays. One birthday is when God merged with the human baby in the womb and the second birth day is the actual delivery day of the baby. In almost all the cases, the delivery-day is taken as the Jayanti festival. Añjanā, the wife of Kesarī was worshipping God Śiva intensively for a son. Due to the sincere worship, she conceived a boy from her husband, Kesarī. In the 8^th month on Caitra Pūrṇimā, God Śiva travelled over god Vāyu and entered the womb of Añjanā to merge with the boy. Hence, this happens to be the first birthday of God Hanumān. On this day, Hanumān became God Hanumān. Then, on Vaiśākha Bahula Daśamī, God Hanumān was delivered by His mother. This is the second birthday of God Hanumān. Due to the divine background, God Hanumān is said to be the son of Kesarī, god Vāyu and God Śiva. Every soul is said to have five fathers (Pañcaite pitaraḥ smṛtāḥ). The soul that is the biological father, the soul that initiated the baby to God, the soul that gives the spiritual knowledge, the father-in-law and the soul, who saved from life-danger are said to be the five fathers. Similarly, Kesarī, god Vāyu and God Śiva are treated as the fathers of God Hanumān.]

[Some Vaiṣṇavas, who are fanatic devotees fascinated only to God Viṣṇu, support the wrong concept that Hanumān is not God but merely a servant of God Rāma. Since Rāma is the incarnation of God Viṣṇu and Hanumān is the incarnation of God Śiva, they feel pleased to see Viṣṇu as master of Śiva. But, the Veda declares that God Śiva is God Viṣṇu (Śivaśca Nārāyaṇaḥ). Therefore, one need not always understand the personality of God Śiva/God Hanumān only with reference to God Viṣṇu/God Rāma. Rāma and Hanumān are two incarnations born to preach Pravṛtti and Nivṛtti respectively. Rāma behaved as an ideal human being, perfectly devoted, following justice and opposing injustice in practical life. Rāma never displayed miracles openly, but performed several indirectly. Ahalyā, who was living like a plant and suffering from inertness due to a curse, became normal by the touch of His foot. Rāma alone killed 14,000 demons headed by Khara and Dūṣaṇa. These are hidden miracles and a true incarnation performs such hidden acts because God incarnates on earth to spend time leisurely in secrecy, as an ordinary being among the humans. He does not exhibit miracles for name or fame, since He was already bored in the upper world with endless praising prayers. However, Hanumān exhibited several miracles. If Rāma and Hanumān were to exist in this Kali Age, Rāma would act as devotee and Hanumān as God. The reason is that in Kali Age, spiritual standards are so low that divinity is always identified with miraculous powers rather than divine love and divine knowledge.]

[The whole life of Rāma is simply based on action i.e., Karma Yoga. It is said that Rāma is Tāraka i.e., the Lord with whose help one can cross this worldly ocean. This means that one should concentrate on action and not on words and feelings. Thus, understanding Rāma is important for all Indians, who are very famous for sacrificing words and feelings to the Lord. Hanumān as perfect devotee did the service to God with perfect silence and perfect control of mind. Sītā indicates the ordinary soul, which follows the rules and regulations of the Prakṛti (nature). The marriage of Sītā with Rāma indicates the soul catching the human incarnation in this world. When Rāma went to the forest, Sītā followed Him. This means that even if the Lord gives troubles, the real devotee will never leave Him. The wealth and miraculous powers of Rāvaṇa did not attract Sītā. This indicates that the devotee of God cuts his bond with wealth and is never misled by the supernatural powers exhibited by demons and devils. Lakṣmaṇa left his wife for the sake of the Lord. Bharata left his wealth for the sake of the Lord. Śatrughna was prepared to kill the mother of Bharata (since she was responsible for sending Rāma to the forest) and thus, he left dharma (justice) for the sake of the Lord. These three devotees indicate that the devotee of God cuts his bond with wife (kāma), wealth (artha) and justice (dharma). Thus, Rāma is the embodiment of salvation (Mokṣa).]

[Vijaya Daśamī is the festival symbolizing the victory of knowledge over ignorance. When a sinner is punished, the sinful attitude is only suppressed temporarily because punishment is external, not internal. True transformation of the soul occurs only when the internal ignorance is destroyed by knowledge. Hence, such internal victory alone is real and permanent. The word ‘Durgā’ signifies that Knowledge protects the devotee from attacks of ignorant thoughts, just as a fort protects from wild enemies. The word ‘ignorance’ applies in many contexts, but in spiritual line, it refers to the context of human incarnation (Avajānanti mām…- Gita). This is crucial because it concerns recognizing God, who descends in human form before the eyes. What context could be more important in human life? Lakṣmaṇa, younger to Rāma and married on the same day, guarded Rāma’s cottage for fourteen years while Rāma enjoyed with Sītā. Lakṣmaṇa never thought of his own wife. Hanumān approached the Lord unmarried, yet the Lord, always weeping for His lost wife, engaged Hanumān in searching for her. Anyone else might consider it foolish to remain unmarried and search for another’s wife. But, Hanumān never thought so and remained unmarried solely for the Lord’s service while the Lord lived before him. The Gopikās become mad when this Krishna leaves Bṛndāvanam and even commit suicide by jumping into fire upon hearing My death. On festivals, one must remember the lives of such victorious devotees, who demonstrated supreme faith and practical sacrifice in their devotion to God.]