The human being instinctively seeks happiness and fulfillment of his mundane desires. This is how the soul is innately programmed—everyone wants to see their wishes fulfilled. Whether one strives sufficiently to realise them is a different matter. Everyone wants to be healthy and wealthy and, desires to realise their dreams.
In the struggle for health, wealth, fame, recognition, power and authority, people face many experiences—sweet and sour; they undergo trials and tribulations and have to squarely meet the challenges of circumstances. Life is never easy. Adversities strike in the form of illness, natural calamities, bereavement, financial losses and physical accidents. The most important tool or contrivance to withstand it and make way for success and happiness is knowledge. Ignorance is a great curse and knowledge is the greatest boon. The festival of Diwali represents the power of knowledge for human fulfilment and liberation. It stands for banishment of the darkness of ignorance from our lives to illuminate the path to prosperity, glory and happiness.
In our relentless pursuit of happiness and success, we have started seeking positives, hankering after goodies like never before. Today everyone wants success in the maiden attempt. It is often heard—‘Do
it right the first time.’ While the emphasis on doing a thorough piece of work is always laudable, to expect a favourable outcome in the first try is far-fetched. Failure and success are two sides of the same coin. We need to come out of the wrong notion that the results of our efforts are in our control. This ignorance hinders our temporal and spiritual progress.
The festival of Diwali exhorts us to refine our understanding of positive and negative phases in our lives and maintain mental equanimity during both. It teaches us to look at the significance of adversity, and the meaning of negatives—they all are rooted in positivity. An episode of physical illness happens to give us a reminder to follow the laws of nature and be moderate in indulgences. The loss of money in business signals that somewhere and at some time in the past, we had accumulated money wrongfully. This becomes a lesson in honesty and perseverance. Bereavement occurs to tell us that physical existence is ephemeral, but the soul lives eternally. Everything in the universe and every phenomenon of nature is, in the final analysis, positive in effect. When we understand these divine truths, we are dispelling the darkness of ignorance, which is the root cause of all sorrow. Diwali brings us this message.
Let us find positives in negatives and opportunities in adversities. In life, there is always a bundle of chances available. The fools miss or fritter away these, while the wise grab and fully exploit them. Opportunities lie hidden in the darkness of adversity. They have to be identified by throwing the light of knowledge in a composed mode. In every loss, there is a long-term gain. Every episode of pain and privation passes off into a lasting spell of pleasure and well-being. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. The problem with most human beings is that they are overawed by the ambience of the dark cloud and fail to see the bright lining with silvery shine.
The entire universe is filled with a spiritual substance or God, which as one unique entity is omniscient and omnipotent, and possesses eternal existence. He is an embodiment of positivity and bliss, and the light of true knowledge. He constantly and inexorably pushes living souls towards the stage of greater refinement, marked by greater enlightenment. Hence negativity is only a façade. We need to see through it, discard emotional negativity and imbibe and live positivity. This is possible only by refining our understanding of facts and truths, and the festival of Diwali returns every year with this sublime, enlightening message.Sehgal is the author of Guide to Inner Wellness and The Essence of Bhagwadgita—70 Verses at its Core