Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Bramham Gardens Ashram, London, UK
27 October 1981 

But today I want to tell you about the celebration of this night called as the Lakshmi puja, is the day when they worship Lakshmi. So one has to understand that Lakshmi represents the power by which we evolve. Is the power by we are redeemed, redeeming power; by which we improve from baser self to higher self.

To begin with, you see, is the Lakshmi form. First is the Lakshmi form.

Now this Lakshmi came out of the great churning called as Amrutmanthan, for which Ì’ll give you another lecture some other time. But this Lakshmi that came out of the churning represents our seeking into our own wellbeing.

So, first of all we have basic seeking like food; in the animal stage we seek food. And, with that seeking only we developed into sometimes very cunning animals, sometimes very ferocious animals, and sometimes very timid animals because they could not find food so they had to hide; and sly animals.

So the food was the beginning, I should say, of this Lakshmi tattwa. But when She becomes actually the Lakshmi, then She has a form that suggests that the Spirit of Lakshmi is for the total well-being of human beings, total well-being. Now, totality is different from partly because in evolution, you see, you grow partly till you reach a stage where you really achieve your total well-being.

And now, you know that without Realization your wellbeing has no meaning.

So She has arisen out of the sea, so She is Miriam, you can call Her. She is Marie, She is Marie. That’s why Christ’s Mother’s name was Mary because She came out of the sea. People, I don’t know if they think about it – why She was called Mary of all the things. Why this name Mary? Now, this power which came out of the sea, because the whole thing, the seeking started in the sea first of all, as you know.

It had to be in the sea because first the animals were born in the sea only. Becomes, when She comes out of the sea, becomes a Raja Lakshmi and a Gruha Lakshmi.

Raja Lakshmi is the one where collectively, collectively you enjoy your wellbeing, collectively, on the right hand side, you can say. Like, we have some places which are for public usage here, public wellbeing. And, Gruha Lakshmi is the one which is for the individual, individual wellbeing.

So, we have the essence of Lakshmi and then we have, when we evolved, we started having our homes, houses, our own family, our own private life, our this thing. So, we had Gruha Lakshmi. And then we started having collective, like we can say the Queen represents here Raja Lakshmi. The Queen represents here the Raja Lakshmi of England. She is a symbol of that. Our Queen here is the symbol of that Raja Lakshmi. You know, the word Raj means the kingdom or you can say the royal, royal side of the – regality. So, when the Lakshmi is a regal Lakshmi, She is for collectivity. So, the Queen doesn’t live for herself, she lives for all the collective being. In the same way, this Raj Lakshmi is the One that is for all of us. For example, this place we got here is through the blessings of Raj Lakshmi. She gave us.

Her power gave us this place to live because you are all Sahaja Yogis. You are the epitome of the evolution, you are highest people in the evolution, you are the ones who are looked after by God, you are the most important people.

It’s true! And you must be provided for. You should have no problem of money, you should have no problem of housing, you should have no problem of anything.

So, it is She, the Raja Lakshmi who gives you all these thing. Then you have your wife as Gruha Lakshmi. So we have to have a wife as Gruha Lakshmi. These two things one should understand very, very clearly because we confuse them. Wife is the Gruha Lakshmi, is the one, she is the goddess of the household. Now she has to be the goddess also, I mean she just doesn’t become goddess just by becoming. You have to become again. You have to become the Goddess. And, the Goddess of the Gruha Lakshmi is, we can say, that the deity of the Gruha – of the house – is a Gruha Lakshmi.

Now, this deity must become one with the housewife. Then the blessings of the Lakshmi essence is of well-being comes to you. If she is not the Goddess, you will always suffer.

You will always have problems; you will always have all kinds of untold miseries. It is Her blessings which brings you solace, peace and redemption – redemption is the word – of anything. So, that’s why the left Nabhi is very important as we know and that is always bad in the West.

So, I would say that the whole society is responsible for spoiling that because housewife is not respected. First of all, we should blame our society. Our housewives are not respected. Housewife is the one who is a dedicated wife even placed higher than Yatis. Yatis are the highest evolved you can say, Avadhutas, are the highest evolved seers. And, a dedicated wife has got more powers than even a Yati, it is said so.

And, even Krishna was little worried about that. Everybody had to worry! So, the dedicated wife, you see, the Gruha Lakshmi, is such an important thing because she is the essence of this well-being which is peace.

I think I have so far never talked to you about peace. And, peace is only achieved through the Gruha Lakshmi, through your proper adjustment of your spleen I should say. Because spleen is the giver of the blood cells, all right?

It creates the nutrition for the whole body. If there is no peace in that area within us the whole system can go out, because that’s the nourishing center within us, that’s the nourishing center. And that center which nourishes also peace, you see, the peace. You must have heard this ‛Ya Devi, sarva bhuteshu shanti rupena samstitha“, the Goddess that is the Shanti which is present in every human being as peace. So this peace is only possible if the housewives realize their importance, bear it upon themselves, are forgiving and are redeeming the family life. They have to redeem the family life, and where this gets spoilt the whole system goes out. See, America I went, I found all of them have got left Nabhi, all right, and they are very violent, very violent, extremely violent.

And what I felt that in the beginning the society neglected the housewives. The institution of housewife which is the Goddess. And now the women cannot forgive them. Because the women cannot forgive them, you see, it has become a big struggle there.

The children have become violent. I mean, if the housewives are not all right, there will be always violence.

I’ll give you the example in India. We have in the north and the south two types of system. Because in the north the Muslims ruled and they had the system of keeping the women in the purdah system and all those, and lot of prostitution and all those ideas came through those horrible nawabs who ruled in the north. In the south, it was the other way round because they kept to the dharma and all those things and they wouldn’t accept this kind of a nonsensical ideas. They looked after their women. Even the people of the north sometimes say that the, I mean, the south people are very sort of henpecked, whatever you say, say Maharashtra downward.

Now, because of that there’s so much of difference in the law and order system in that same country. For example, in Maharashtra if you are going by bus in the night anytime, two o’clock, you have seen nobody plunders you, nobody is bothered. The bus is going through. You can live here, stay here, nobody steals anything. The servants in Maharashtra are so good. They will never touch your things. I mean, you can leave the keys with them. They will do all your house up and they will never touch anything, your money, anything they cannot touch. They will never touch.

Same about, say, any funds or anything like, we can say our Sahaja Yoga funds, never a problem in Maharashtra. The Puja funds and all that – all these things they understand.

But the main thing is the housewife in Maharashtra is an important thing, very important. So, in the house she is the lady and the lord is outside. Whatever she says, goes. But when it is the other way round, everything goes upside down. It can never be blissful.

But that doesn’t mean that the women should also say outside as well as inside. I mean, the women should not interfere with the husband’s work in the office, should not dominate there like so many these women, like Chiang Kai-Shek’s wife did and all these people did. That’s not necessary. She should be a support, but in the house, she is the one who should be respected. She must be respected in the household otherwise there cannot be auspiciousness; there cannot be peace. And, peace is the gift of Gruha Lakshmi. Now, some people may say, ‛It’s all right. They are not having a good time. The wife is bad but she’s got money.“ Money is not Lakshmi. This confusion must be absolutely removed from your mind.

The last time, I explained to you what Lakshmi is. But you can go through again that tape if you want to. But I’ll tell you first in short.

That Lakshmi has got four hands and She stands on a lotus. And, She is a body with a, which is, I mean, not a slim type of a body, but She has a substantial body. But She stands on a lotus. Means, wherever She lives, you see, She doesn’t show Her presence by staying. She is so, so beautiful that She adjusts Herself even on a lotus. She doesn’t exert Her weight like cheap women do. Anywhere they go, they’ll say, ‛Oh, I don’t like this and I like that. And, I would like to have this. And, I would like to sleep in a place like this. And, I like this type of thing.“ So, the first quality of a woman with the Lakshmi is adjustment. No one feels her.

When she is there, nobody feels. Only thing they can feel her fragrance like a lotus.

I mean, that’s the sign of a woman who adjusts herself. She is not bothered about her own life, but she is bothered about others.

Now, we had a very funny incident. We had a lady from Germany and I told them that, ‛It’s better that the girls should wait till the boys have their food, look after them and then the girls can have their food you see. It’s better.“ And, she felt insulted.

On the contrary, it is invariably done in India, invariably. That the woman will always wait till the husband finishes the food, because she can look after him better. I mean, it’s a privilege. It’s more matured that you can look after your husband; that you can look after your children. It’s your job; you are responsible for it. You are the lady of the house, you are supposed to do it.

Like, Hema told Me that here nobody asks you for food or anything. Everybody is eating whatever they want to eat. They go and eat anytime they want. They will eat anytime and they go on eating and eating and eating. Nobody asks that, ‛You come and have food or drink.“

That’s done in India. So, she said, ‛I waited for a day. Nobody asked me. Then, I said I better take something for myself.“

So, the ladies have to take up upon themselves that they invite people, ask them to eat, and cook for them specialties. You see, this is the job of a woman. She has to develop these qualities, the womanly qualities of feeding men, looking after them when they come to their house. She should not make faces and try to show ‛This is my private house. Nobody come in the house.“ She should be the one who’s welcome more than the husband should. She should be! She should be the one who people should feel closer to, like the brothers and sisters of the husband, all relations. She should be the one who should give that feeling of security, of peace and of welcoming. It is her job. Then she becomes the Lakshmi.

So, the wellbeing is not only that you have money. So, what happens with that, to the well being part of it?

That, She has in one hand; hand is like this.

That means that with one hand it should flow, remember, it should go. She must give, she must give, she must give. And she should not demand at all. Others should say that ‛You must have this.“

For example, I’ll say that for the last, I think, four years C.P is trying to buy one solitaire ring for Me because I gave away all My diamonds to My daughters. Try, try … cannot do it, just try, just try, he won’t realize it, no, not this time, next time, this time, that time, I’m just…

Because, you see, I know He wants to buy. That’s sufficient for Me. Isn’t it? So, I’m postponing it, that, ‛It’s all right, we’ll do it. Now you have to have a house.“ Like this.

So, the demanding, you see, that ‛Give me this“ – there’s no need. Let the men start seeing that, ‛Oh, She doesn’t have it. She should have it.“ It is they who should do it and the women should never demand. It’s a sign of bad manners actually according to Sahaja Yoga. You should never demand for anything.

You should have forbearance; you should be able to bear it. Not with a sort of a big martyrdom, ‛Oh, I’m bearing up and all that.“ No. But with the understanding that you are grown up and you are matured and you are supposed to bear.

Now, the responsibility on men also is there that when she is giving they should allow her to give, you see. But I find it’s the other way round here. It’s that the women are not so generous as the men are. It’s the other way round in India. Women are, you see, if they find somebody has come to their house, they secretly go and cook something and pass it on, they let their husband not see. They feel that satisfaction of Annapurna. You see, the feeding – that feeling of feeding your own child. That feeding somebody else who has come, you see, from the backdoor[unclear].

Very sweet it is, very sweet you see! It is something they, I think, they are brought up that way (…). So, it’s such a nice thing that you can feed somehow. Or, if somebody is coming then they know what that person eats. So, they will cook it very sweetly and keep it and then when the person comes in they’ll put forward, it should be given. So, the man has to hide his money because the wife will be giving away. It’s the other way round.

But when the woman starts becoming selfish and self-centered and worried about money and all that, then it’s a wrong thing. She should not be extravagant about herself. Like, going to some place, buying something expensive for yourself, then going somewhere and buying something expensive for yourself. But doing for your husband, doing for your children, doing for others and automatically they do it. They are anxious to do it. Just start thinking on those lines. But now for men, they must also understand that they have to have that too.

You see, this ego-oriented society is very stilted one. If you just say, ‛All right, do what you please. You’ll have this money, you spend this money.“ Then the men you see, they can just take it for granted, ego-oriented you see, they can just take you for granted and say, ‛All right, then don’t give her anything.“

So, when the mutual understanding is not there, when there is an imbalance then these things come up. But in Sahaja Yoga we should understand. You have to look after your wife, her needs, everything. You have to give her due respect. You are never to insult her in the presence of others. It’s absolutely forbidden. But the women also should know how to respect their husband, not to be provocative and use all their cunning against their husband. You see, I have seen people sit down and plan out how they will insult their husband, use what means.

This is absurd, you have to love your husband. You have to really love him and forgive him like you would forgive your own child in the same way. But the husband also… it’s a very mutual thing. I cannot just tell something to the women and not to the men. It’s absolutely essential that men must respect their women as Goddesses – as Goddesses. But women have to behave like Goddesses. They behave like street women then a competition starts. The man behaves like a street man and the woman behaves like a street woman. Then they behave like Soho people and then they behave like… I mean, it goes on – competition.

But if you have to synthesize, is to bring to the balance, then both of you must decide that you can only enjoy if you have proper balances among yourselves.

One person goes one way, another person goes that way. There’s no end to it. There’s no end to it and the chariot will never move forward, you see. Both the wheels have to be balanced realizing that without this wheel the another cannot exist. So, this is as important as the other. But they will say that, ‛I am important.“ No. ‛She is important if I have to exist.“ Or, she has to say, ‛He is important because I have to exist.“ It’s such a mutual thing. So to get to Gruha Lakshmi point I must say that the woman should behave like a Gruha Lakshmi, with her dignity. I mean, it is really indignified even to ask something.

Why? What is to ask? It’s all your own whenever you want you just get it. Try to develop that glory within you. And, the men respect their women as, really as Gruha Lakshmis – is very good. Respect them, look after them and know that the deities, once they are identified with your wife, you will have no problems.

Now, on the other hand She has one hand of protection. Then the Lakshmi gives protection. Always gives protection to everyone, even against the husband. Even against the husband, She protects. Say, for example I’ll say, My own sister-in-law was such a Lakshmi like that, we have My own sister-in-law was like that.

And, if My brother was little… because they were much older than us, you see, if he was hard on us. So, she used to come out with the protection. She said, ‛No, how can you say that to them?“ So sweet she was, you can’t imagine. And, then the brother, I mean, My own brother, you see. She would say that, ‛No you can’t do this to your sister.“

Same thing with Me. My own sister-in-law was more attached to Me than to My husband for the same reason because I would always protect her against even the husband. Though he is her brother, I mean, naturally they are very close to each other, naturally. But you should protect their interest to that extent. Then protect your servants, protect those who come to your house. That is her duty. If she does it, she can do it very well.

Now, I will give you one of the examples in My own lifetime. I was in Delhi and that time this trouble had started of what you call the partition. And, many people ran helter-skelter. And, once I was just sitting outside My father’s house, I was knitting. Because Kalpana was to be born and I was knitting outside.

And, a lady came to Me and she said, ‛We are refugees, we have no place to go. And, will You be able to give me some place in Your house?“

I said, ‛All right.“ It was a huge house of My father. I said, ‛It is such a big house. And, we have a room which is outside which you can use and also, you can have a kitchen there and a bathroom. You can stay there.“

She said, ‛We have a friend and my husband. Can we stay here?“

I said, ‛All right.“ So, we arranged for their stay there. And, it so happened that people in My family didn’t like it very much. Especially My brother, you see, My husband told him that, ‛I wouldn’t like this lady to be here. God knows, what sort of a lady she is.“ And, My brother said, ‛Now, if She has said it, if my sister has said it, I can’t say anything; but She is the one who has to decide about this house. So, it is Her job to decide. So, I can’t say anything.“ So, they all kept quiet about it. And, they stayed over.

And, this man, her husband’s friend, was a Muslim. And, there was a big riot in Delhi. Very big riot! And, so many Hindus, you see, like these Jansanghis and fundamentalists – they had formed a horrible group which was killing many Muslims also.

So, from the servants and all that they must have known that there is a Muslim staying in this house, you see. So, they came to My house, about five, six of them with clubs and this and that. So, these people got frightened.

So, I told this Muslim, I said, ‛You go and hide in My room. I’ll go and face them.“ Went outside. So, they said, ‛We’ve heard that there is a Muslim in Your house.“

I said, ‛No, there isn’t.“ Because that’s not their right to know. So, I said, ‛There isn’t any Muslim in this house.“ They said, ‛We’ll have to go and search.“ I said, ‛You cannot. If you have to go, you have to kill Me and then go.“ Now, they saw My big Tika and all that. I said, ‛You cannot get inside the house. If you have to go, I’ll stand here. You cannot go in My house at all. You cannot enter.“ So, they left. They knew there was a Muslim otherwise I would not protest so much. But because I was protecting they could not say anything, just went away and the fellow was safe. Then this lady became a very big, well known actress in India. She did lots of things I mean. I mean the whole thing then changed.

But what I’m saying that a housewife has to protect. The Lakshmi has to protect. The man who has money must protect.

See, they must have people in his ashraya, means in his protection, like servants you can have. Servant’s families.

Some people treat their servants very badly and they are very, very, very… they ill-treat and that’s not the way a Gruha Lakshmi needs to be. Or, anybody, say some students are staying in the house, or some children are staying, some say you have some people in the house, like lodgers you can say. Or, Sahaja Yogis now staying say with people who are to be looked after, with women. They have to protect them always from others. That is the job of a Lakshmi. The mother has to protect her children. Whatever may be the wrong with the children but she has to protect her children against all the rest of the people.

Of course, not in wrong things. I mean, she should not tell, I mean… always, I have to tell the other side of it because you might say that ‛My child has gone and beaten somebody else.“

So that’s not good, that is not protection. What I’m saying if the children are under any peril or any trouble, it is the Lakshmi who has to protect. This is a job of the Gruha Lakshmi.

Right side is the Raja Lakshmi. The Raja Lakshmi is the, we can say, the queen of a place.

Now here the queen and king is one. But what I’m saying where the king and the queen are two different. Then the queen of the thing has to have that dignity. Thank God, our Queen is quite a Raja Lakshmi. I must say I am very happy with her. She has that dignity and she has that sense and she is a sweet lady. And, she is really a good person. Thank God! You have a good lady. And, this Diana also is another realized soul who is coming now. Will be another blessing for you!

So, it is her well-being, you see, her I should say the essence of well-being permeates that peace, that happiness, and that’s a good thing.

If supposing a man is a president is there and his wife is a very funny woman like this Kennedy’s wife was. There can never be peace. Neither in the society nor… because wherever she’ll go, she’ll create a problem, you see. She’ll go to a society, she being the first lady everybody will try to follow her. You see, here also, you know that when Queen Elizabeth had some sort of a problem on her neck, she had some sort of a patch or something. So, she started using a collar. And, everybody had that Elizabethan collar, you see, all this thing like whatever problems, say, Victoria had and she made a dress, others had to wear the same types of dress.

So, all the collective patterns and fashions and all those things come through this first lady. So, the first lady is the Raja Lakshmi. And, one has to respect that Raja Lakshmi as the woman, is the queen. Now, for example, this country is already cursed because seven queens were killed in this country. I mean, already cursed I must say. It’s a horrid thing. I mean, how did people allow any one king to be doing that! Seven of them is too much, is already a curse then. So this kind of a thing is – we can go to a point with these things. At the most you can arrest, all right, at the most. I mean these are not of course, good women. I was telling you about those who are like that.

For example Mao’s wife, they thought was not so good and all that. But one should not humiliate because if you humiliate them then you are humiliating that principle of Raja Lakshmi.

And then to put them in prison and then to kill them like this, and wash their dirty linens on the street. Means, there is no dignity at all about it, you see. One has to keep the dignity, the serenity of a Raja Lakshmi. And, that Raja Lakshmi is very important for England because we are missing in Raja Lakshmi now-a-days. And, that Raja Lakshmi comes through the activity of the people. And, if you are inactive, Raja Lakshmi will go down.

So, we come to the point that we have to be active. We have to be active producing more wealth. You see, not like taking out the wealth from here, putting to something else but we should produce more wealth.

Now, how do you produce more wealth, we should see that. By changing forms, by anything we should get to it that we should produce more wealth.

For example, if Sahaja Yogis think that, ‛All right, I’m not going to work and I’m going to sit at home and I’m just going to be, say, sort of a dish washer.“ That’s not the way. Sahaja Yogis have not only to work, but to work according to their deserving. Apart from that, they should improve. Like you see somebody, ‛Oh I’m all right, I can paint a little bit but if it is comes to something better painting then I think I’ll have to get somebody else.“

That means at least you don’t know even painting. You have to, in activity, you must know that you must perfect that profession. All the Sahaja Yogis must have a profession which is perfected. It’s not like this that ‛I’m, I’m just a waster.“ All right, accepted the situation, ‛I’m a waster, sitting like a waster and doing no activity.“

Only, then the problems like the ones we had come up that you start earning money out of women, or do sort of useless things like swindling and telling stories, taking out money.

So wasters are not allowed in Sahaja Yoga. Anybody who tries to be a waster will be thrown out.

Never justify your inefficiency, inadequacy or incompetence. You have to be first class, competent people in every respect.

There should be no diffidence in you. If there is diffidence you are no good for Sahaja Yoga. So, not that you should get after the money but Raja Lakshmi. Means, there should be complete activity of your complete manifestation of all your qualities.

Try to improve, try to improve. That doesn’t mean you run a rat race, like a mad cap, nothing of Sahaja Yoga. Not that. It doesn’t mean that. I have to warn you there. But you should not be just a waster, you see, that you don’t have to pounce here and like a beggar you are moving about. This is not proper.

Try to improve your conditions, try to improve your techniques, try to improve your competence and understanding of the whole subject.

Whatever you take up, take up this or that. Get into it and work it out, sort it out. You should become… you can do it with Sahaja Yoga.

This is one of the big problems we have of Sahaja Yogis, do you know this? One of the biggest problems! Because nobody is impressed by you, nobody is impressed. They think some loonies have gathered around Me. Nobody is impressed. Everybody looks like a confused personality, you see, walking like this.

They think that Mother must have mesmerized them and they are all moving like a wave to this and that.

So, today on a Diwali day we have to say that we will become more competent, experts in whatever we are doing. We have to be! We have to be people with impressions.

Now, what impresses people in this world? Only two things. Either… in the beginning, in superficiality, only two things can impress in superficiality. Because firstly they are superficial. When they will see us they’ll see our first impression. First, they will see what are you. I mean, if you look like a drunkard nobody is going to follow you. If you are look like a hippie, nobody is going to follow you. Nobody has any faith in hippies, I must tell you very frankly, anymore.

It’s an individual system – it works on… You cannot be leaders. If you have to be leaders you are not to be hippies at all. Which hippie has been a leader so far you tell Me?

Of course, this, now this thing is dying out. This thing is dying out. We should think about it seriously. Now this hippism was just a craze, it’s dying out. Then another craze came in, dying out. That another craze! We are not crazy people. We should know our goal, how we have.

We have to impress people. Now, only we can impress them superficially because in the beginning people just see superficial side. So, the first thing is that we should be such that we should have competence.

We should say, for example, if you have to make speech, you should know how to make speeches.

Now, people when they speak either they cannot impress or they go on like mad, they put down their heads and say something. That’s not the way. You must practice it.

Go to the sea, go anywhere in the open say loudly. You can go, say for example, to this Hyde Park [laughter] and say loudly what you have to say. Say it loud, practice it. Say how you say.

Practice it. Overcome your defects. Do not enjoy your defects, it’s not the way. Now, no more time left for that kind of a thing. Because you see there’s no impression of people on others. They are not impressed by you.

You see with Me whatever is impressed is all right. But you have to become the gurus, you have to become the leaders. And, the impression should be on people that you are people who are smart at it, you know the job, you know how to speak, how to present Sahaja Yoga and do it in a way that’s congenial, loving, affectionate and not like a volcanic stuff also.

Sometimes, you see, people get very volcanic with others. That also. With complete poise and self-control. Self-control.

This is only achieved through self-discipline. You must discipline yourself and do not waste yourself; must have self-esteem.

This is one of the biggest lacking in Sahaja Yoga today. There’s no impression on people. And, this is what one has to do in your dressing up, how you talk to people, how you behave – that’s very important in the outside.

But inside if there’s all the time you harp upon it, ‛Oh, I can’t do it. This is not for me. This much I can do.“ Then you have not been kind to yourself and to anyone else. So, come up to it. I would say everybody must come up to it. Now, forget those days of taking to drugs and sitting down. Whom are you going to impress with the drugs, tell Me? The another thing that impresses people is hypocrisy which we cannot take. If you are a hypocrite, you see, wear a bhagwa dress, have a chilam in the hand and go round and you say, ‛Oh ah, I’m chosen by God.“ Go on sing that way. That you can’t do.

So, the whole thing is: both the things, the Nabhis are for our well-being which is manifested outside as well.

I mean, it’s all right we should have a good hotel to live in. All right, given! Have you got the eliteness of living in a hotel?

Let’s see. Just put a question to yourself. You asked for a hotel, you’ve got a hotel, all right. Have you got that eliteness or how are you behaving? Just think of it.

In this hotel, supposing somebody has to live, for example, XYZ. He will have a particular type of eliteness. Isn’t it? Even sometimes I find the bags you carry are so dirty, filthy, dented, holes in it. Somebody might think that somebody is running away from this hotel, something is taking away. The rags and things should be given up and thrown away. Now, I hope there is one word like throw – which is not used. I’m sitting down I’ve never come up to see anything.

But the throw part of it is less. Throw away all nonsensical things like rags and other things which you think is very good looking but is not. Please throw it away.

See, for example, some of sweaters and blankets and things that people carry are horrible. Color should be smart. The…everything should be smart. You should not look a ragged person. I mean, how are you in Raja Lakshmi state? One has to see the Raja Lakshmi standing.

You see, there is no need to show that we are beggars. That’s only good for the people who are hypocrites. Not for us. You see, beggars are normally not beggars, they are hypocrites. So, they beg. They earn money.

In India, you will be surprised some of the beggars have got huge, big buildings on Marine Drive. They own it and still their profession is begging. So, they are not really beggars, they are hypocrites, you see. They make money like that.

So, why should we be dressed up like that? Moreover, if you dress up like that, the other side will follow and that is the bhoot that will sit on you because they want bhootish people to look at. You see, they won’t sit on a person who is properly dressed, who has got properly done his hair and who is taking bath and all that. They like filth, they like dirt, they like dirty smell and if you have all these things in you they will be just on top of your head, walking with you wherever you go. They like such things. You see like you put something filthy you’ll find all the flies come down there. You see, simple thing. Anything you put filthy there will be all the worms getting inside that. It’s like that. So, the way you are, that’s how it works out.

So, for your Raja Lakshmi, for your Gruha Lakshmi it is important that you should have self-control in your behavior how you talk. When you talk if you talk like a cheap person or like a person who is dosed with something then nobody is going to be impressed. How you behave is very important. How you sit, how you talk.

The other day Nima, you see, they asked Nima to speak and Nima said, I’ve never spoken and she was quite nervous. But Gregoire said, ‛You should tell us about our defect.“

And she said really something very sensible. She said that ‛I have so many defects and we, Indians, all have defects but what I find about you people is that, that before Mother when you behave the protocol is missing. You take it for granted. It’s all right, She is Mahamaya and all that, but there also“, what she said that ‛for us She is just like a setting we had that this is the Goddess. The tradition of Goddess is there. And, we found Her like a diamond, we put Her in the setting. So, it’s just done. We have no problem. But sometimes, I find the way people walk before Her, just like horses. The way they talk and all those things are surprising. Their behavior is surprising. I can’t understand how you can do it when you know She is the Goddess. Of course, She is!“

So, in that case, I would say once this Raja Lakshmi business comes up, then you will understand the respect, because once you respect yourself you start respecting others also. And that you are all saints, you have to respect each other in the same way. You should really call each other… I mean, if it is in Hindi language, I would say, you should call ‛thou“. Because we say it to elder people like that, ‛Please be seated. Please be…“

With great respect talk to each other.

It will impress others. Instead of that, in the program you find somebody slapping each other, holding each other’s hair and shouting. What will they think? What saints, from where these new type of saints have come?

Saints have to respect each other. They come to your house, offer them some nice seat to sit down. You must see how the saints respect the saints. That respect should be there among yourselves, the oneness, the understanding. Without respect you cannot have any rapport. And, to have a rapport, there should be equal level of understanding that, ‛As I want respect, others must be respected.“

You should be respectful and to be respected.

Both things should be done. This is the Lakshmi’s thing is. And today now the light, the light is there. Light is a very important thing. From the very beginning, you see, when a man discovered the fire, the fire was used in the Gruha Lakshmi state where the food was cooked and the fire cooked the food, and was used. You see the warmth of the Mother, you see, was shown through that hearth that she used in the house to warm up her children, to give them food and all that. That stage. Then it became in a, say, in any collective thing, it is expressed as lights, you see. If you have to celebrate say your Republic Day or your Independence Day we put the lights on, or we have fireworks, you see. To express ourselves that way is in the Raja Lakshmi.

Now the Mahalakshmi. Mahalakshmi is the evolutionary state. In the evolutionary state, when the evolutionary state starts, then the Mahalakshmi starts asserting Herself and that comes when your well-being is established fully. I mean, if you are still worried as to how to get a cup of tea for yourself, you cannot get to Mahalakshmi state.

So, once that is little bit established and you feel that peace within yourself and that dignity, then the Mahalakshmi’s power starts acting on you. And the Mahalakshmi power is that it really makes you the light. You have now become the light. Don’t have to have any lights. You are the light. When you go anywhere, when people see you they take guidance from you. They use you as a torch which guides them. They will come and consult you and ask you how to do it. It is you who are the light.

So, this is what it is. One has to know that Mahalakshmi tattwa is represented here as the light. And, you see these lights when enlightened, even a small light, how it reacts and how it shows. And now, you have become the light, you see. Even this light can do it. You see, I put My hand to it and it recognizes and knows that because it is now enlightened. It is put before the Photograph, it’s enlightened. It works that way. Now what about you? You are the light now; you are the Diwali of God.

Diwali means the, the rows of lights. So, you are going to make this beautiful mansion of God full of Diwali light. You have entered into the kingdom of God and you have to enlighten it. So you are the decoration of God on one side, you are the glory of God and also, on the other side you are the guide, guidelines – you are like the torches, you can say, you are like the, what you call them, which are used by ships those…

Yogis: Lighthouse.

Lighthouses? You have to become lighthouses. So that people see you, you stand out, a light see. Like that you have to be. And, for that you have to have self-discipline. Put your will power. Put it. Will power! Put it down. How can I not do it?

Now, in this place I’m going to start within say two-three days after this Diwali, a morning session. Say, about, we can start about five o’clock every morning or five-thirty every morning. You have to have your bath before coming here. Say, five-thirty or five o’clock? Will that be all right? Your Mother gets up at four-thirty whatever may happen. You have to change your habits. You have to!

Get up in the morning. You know, by getting up in the morning you finish off so much of work because in the night what do you do? Lay, gossip, waste your time! But if you say that, ‛Tonight let me sleep late and tomorrow I’ll get up early.“ You’ll never. First get up early and then you will sleep early. The other way round! You see, you have to see your mind how it works.

So, get up in the morning, have your bath then sit down for meditation. It’s quite a warm room. Have your nice hot bath; sit down for your meditation for about an hour or so. Meditate. You will feel so nice, after sometime you cannot sleep after four-thirty.

Now, look at My system. I mean, whether I am in America or whether I am in India, and when I get up at four-thirty. How do I manage? I’ve no watch, nothing like that. I just get up at four-thirty. I’ve tuned Myself to the sun. You are tuned more to the moon. I have tuned Myself to the sun.

When the sun comes at this angle I have to get up because that is the time vibrations have to flow. All over the world, at four-thirty in the morning all the vibrations, the best time, flow in the purest form.

That’s why all the seers, get up very early in the morning, have their baths and sit down for meditation. It’s too much I know, especially for English men but you have to train up yourself. You will do it; you will like it if you do it like a festival. See today is a festival day, let us get up and have a nice bath and have a nice soap, you see, perfumed one and nice things. You will enjoy, you see. Bath should be a ritual. But should not be all the time because I see Reg is sitting there quite happy. [laughter]

Like Indians also, they bathe too much. That is not necessary. Too much not, but once. And, then if you sit at home for about an hour or so the house is lighted.

I could get this place lighted in the morning, you come here, you will be amazed that if you develop this habit you can do such a lot. Because in the evening you are tired and you cannot do many things and you are absolutely fagged out, you see, so you will sleep early.

And this is English saying: ‛Early to bed and early to rise“. Not Indian, is it? [laughter]

And, that’s what we have to do. And, you will be amazed you’ll do thousand and one things, thousand and one things if you get up early in the morning. So, we are going to try that after Diwali. I’m going to announce those who can try with Me can do it. And, I used to sleep sometimes at two o’clock, two-thirty, mostly at two. And, get up at four-thirty, finish My bath. Everybody was still sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb them. Then, at about eight o’clock I would say, ‛Now will you please get up?“

While Gregoire you see, the day he had to leave, was saying, ‛Oh, it’s already two o’clock. There are only three hours.“

I said, ‛Gregoire, you better sleep now. Worrying about it you won’t sleep. So, better sleep.“ ‛How will I wake up? What will happen?“

At five o’clock, I just said, ‛Now.“ I got up four-thirty. Five o’clock, ‛Five o’clock.“

And, they all got up. Ask him. And, it’s very easy to do it, you see. It’s very easy. You need not keep like Me till two o’clock. Then but if I keep awake then in the daytime I sleep for an hour or so. I make up. But then you will feel sleepy, go off to sleep. In the night, it’s a waste of time to keep awake. It’s really waste!

What do you see these dirty pictures in the TV? After nine o’clock, is there anything worth seeing? Nine-thirty, ten at the most! Then all filth is there. You’ll feel healthier, you’ll be much better off.

Harry has improved very much with this kind of thing. And, morning time you don’t think much, you really meditate. It’s a very good thing. So just I’m giving one thing for your understanding that let us work it out something or towards self-discipline. Very important.

See, the ego doesn’t allow you to have a discipline. It’ll say, ‛Oh, What’s wrong?“ That’s the way we have to put our ego down.

And self-discipline will give you really, I tell you, self-control. Self-control is very important. And, that self-control is only possible if you really know how to develop it, inculcate it and become yourself.

It’s a beautiful analogy given in Katha, Katha Upanishad that, you see, the body is like a chariot. It says body is like a chariot and the charioteer is the buddhi and the Spirit is the master. The charioteer is the buddhi, is the intellect. Buddhi is better word than intellect is, you see. I mean, you can call the wisdom, wisdom. Now, the senses are like the horse. Senses are like the horses. They are running here or there, hither-thither and all that, you see.

And, the controlling of it, the reins are in the hand of the buddhi; in the person who is handling is the charioteer, is the wisdom or the intellect within us. The intellect has to control the senses and the reins are to be controlled. Now, when you allow these senses to go wherever it likes, you see, and you do not control it, then you are neither here nor there.

You’ll say, ‛I know, I know, I know.“

What part knows, what part goes wrong, where are you? And, then why are you doing it?

‛I know I should have been. I know it’s very bad. I know.“

Why? If you know, it should be your knowledge; it should be your complete being of that kind. If you know it’s done. Knowledge should be one with your behavior. I mean, I know this is white. All right. Then I treat it like white or do I treat it like black? If I know this is the fire, I don’t put My hand there. I say, ‛I know it is fire; do I put hand there?“

So, to control our sense organs, we have to have our buddhi, our mind, quite intact and put in the hands of the Self where ‛I“ doesn’t do it. That ‛I do it; I, I“ – all that. Spirit doesn’t like it.

You have to have a very disciplined mind which should improve your methods of everything – of talking, doing things. I mean, you must improve. All the time, you have to improve. If you reconcile with yourself then it’s finished; then the whole thing is settled down. So, that’s how you progress and you grow better and better with it.

And, today’s day is a very great day for us because the saints are celebrating Diwali. I’m celebrating My Diwali enlightening light in your hearts that you enjoy your own joy and your own beauty; that you are now the Spirit. Enjoy it. That you are there. Now, you are in the kingdom of God. No doubt.

I mean, even if you don’t do anything anymore, you will be all right there. But you should not take it for granted. You have to come forward because your Mother needs your help. You have to stand up. You have to rise. You have to come up. You have to become the leaders of tomorrow. So, you have to work it out. And, not just be talkers and thinking big and saying big, big things and even if I ask you to wash a spoon you cannot do it. What’s the use?

So, you are tomorrow’s citizens. You are the ones who are going to impress people. I expect you to have an understanding about what you have to achieve, but don’t sit down and plan because planning means you will never do it. You will sit down, plan, ‛Tomorrow morning I’ll get up in the morning, I’ll do my meditation.“ Write it down in a book and three days you will never get up because you have already written it down; you have planned it. [laughter] You have planned it. The planning is done, why should you do it actually? It’s done; you have done it; in the diary it’s all there. That’s what planning is.

Planning is you sit down, ‛All right, so what should we do?“

Sit down… this… then this… then this… [more laughter]

Nothing happens. What happened? Everything in the planning! Who is going to revise it and see it is done? And, that’s how mentally we have a satisfaction.

‛Oh we’ve done it, you see, all of us sat together, we had a big committee meeting. We You all talked, talked, talked.

We decided this, Mother. We have decided on this and decided this.“

What have you achieved? Nothing! How is it? What have you decided? Achieve! That is what it is. That’s not planning. So, you do not plan, but just get up tomorrow morning. All right? Try that. Do not plan because planning is the one that fixes you up not to do a thing and that has led to this kind of a chaos in this country and everywhere else. Just a plan. Plan for what?

Now, is there any question?

We have to have now collective understanding also that we have to do some programming: every Saturday, Sunday I should be free after the …. Saturday, Sunday if not, we can have it during week days. After the 24th, I’ll be quite free. But even before that, you see, we can have it on Saturday, Sundays.

Now, there are two Saturday, Sundays in-between. You can plan something if you want Me to go somewhere, you want to have a meeting anywhere or here or if people want to meet Me, we can do it.

But we cannot get Caxton Hall on Saturday, Sundays. I cannot go on week days. So, get some hall where I can go there. Some school hall or something on a Saturday, we all can meet.

There are two Saturdays we can use or Sunday, anything that you want to.

A school hall will be all right on a Sunday, Gavin. And, you can advertise in the papers about it. Now, this, for example, I’m going on the 20th.

So, there are two Sundays now where we can meet. All right? And when I go and I come back then also we can meet on week days. Then, I can meet on week days.

But before that I can meet, meet you on any Saturday or Sunday, there are hardly two Saturdays-Sundays. To arrange it there or if you want we can meet in Chelsham Road, in the ashram. Anyway. So, any problem, anything you can tell Me. Now again we are having a puja in any case, on this Sunday. Thirtieth. Friday. Thirtieth. Friday. Alright.

So next Sunday you can have a meeting if you want to. On the next Sunday you can have a meeting.

Now, what about Brighton? How are they? What meeting are they having today? They are having a regular program?

Yogini: Yes, Mother. We are having programs on Tuesdays and Thursdays and now we started Fridays at…

Shri Mataji: Where? In the house or in the?

Yogini: No, we have a public meeting every Tuesday in Brighton Hall and we also started another public meeting on Fridays and we have a meeting at a house on Thursday.

Shri Mataji: I would suggest that public meetings, whatever you people have, should be on a Saturday and a Sunday. Would be better if you can get a hall. Because, you see, week days, we have programs here.

Isn’t it? For the time being it’s all right because Saturday, Sundays now we’ll be having, these two Saturday, Sundays but normally. You know, Friday is a puja now. If you have a meeting you should consult people here also, because then they would like to come for the puja. Now, this Friday, you all should come for the puja. All right? We can have some music.

Yogi: What time will You have the puja on Friday?

Shri Mataji: Puja we should start say about… about… It has to be evening time. So, whatever time suits you people. But after that, I mean, you have to have some music or something we can have.

After that. Seven is alright, because all of you will be working. We can even have it on Saturday if you like. So whatever it suits you. Does it suit people? Friday? Or it will be tiring? (laughter) Put your left to the right. I see always. Put your left to the right, so you won’t be tired. Because you think too much, see? That’s why. Put left to the right, 108 times. All the time tired. Left to the right. Good for your heart, good for all these things. Good, see, is much better. Agnya. Now I would like to see your dear husband tomorrow, if you can come and see Me. Is he here? Could we?

[Shri Mataji talks to sahaja yogis and says She would like to see them the following morning, and anybody who would like to see Her should come the following morning. Then She asks some people how they are and how they feel, gives advice to a yogini to put right to left and not to think by watching Her].

Good. Now inform all the people in Cambridge, everywhere, you see, and then what we can do is to, I can stay over and next day already I go Saturday so that people stay over there, and I can talk to them Saturday. So if any personal problems are there I can solve it out. Or else, if you have the puja on Saturday evening it should be better idea (hindi) Let us have it on Saturday evening. Thirty-first? Is it?

Yogi: Halloween.

Shri Mataji: Eh?

Yogi: Halloween.

Shri Mataji: Hallo…?

Yogi: Halloween, Mother, it’s a festival… (laughter)

Shri Mataji: Eh?

Yogi. Halloween is the abbreviation of the term Hallow’s eve, because November 1st is supposed to be All Saints’ Day. November 1st, so the last day of October is Hallows’ eve, it’s called Halloween. It’s supposed to be the night when all demons and witches fly through the sky …it’s like that Mother…

(Shri Mataji pulls a shocked then an amused face)

Shri Mataji: Then we should do it on a Sunday day! (laughter)

Yogis: They tour as dress up as ghosts, spirits, witches and carry lanterns.

Shri Mataji: Very bad.

Yogi: It’s supposed to be the night when the spirits, the dead come out.

Shri Mataji: Then the fourteenth…then we should have it on a Sunday day, let us have it on the Sunday, Sunday. I would not like to do that day.

Yogi: Sunday is reputed to be All Saints’ Day Mother, the day of all the Saints, November 1st.

Shri Mataji: Yes. Good. That’s a good day. We can have All Saints’ Day plus Diwali day. Saints’ day, it’s good! So we’ll have it on Sunday. So Sunday we can have the puja, I mean, we have to have puja then in the morning and, we can have morning puja and then I can stay over and in the evening we can light the lights and all that, and have some fireworks and things.

Yogi: Fireworks?

Shri Mataji: Hm. We can have some music. The whole of Sunday we can spend together. There. Alright? Keep it Sunday. Sunday I’ll be there. Sunday.

Yogi: What time is the puja, Mother?

Shri Mataji: Then Sunday should be about, we should start at 10, you see? Because we have sufficient time then. Ten o’clock, would that be alright? For all of you? What time will you get up Sunday?

Yogis: Four thirty, Mother!

(Shri Mataji laughs)

It’s so simple, you know, I don’t know why people find it so difficult. It is just matter of self-discipline, just matter. I know everybody has this problem.

Even Indians now, young people have this problem. They are taking it from you people. They are becoming now more westernized and they can’t get up early.

But even you see, My husband, he cannot sleep after 6. We are brought up like that, our generation was brought up like that. A lot of self-discipline, because we were born at the time when we needed our independence, you see, so we had to become like military people, you know, we had to really look after (?) things. We are very well disciplined that way.

So it’s a good day. Sunday we’ll have it on Saints’ day. Alright? And this day with all these witches and all that it should be finished, it’s all nonsense, they are not to be taken too easily.

It must have come from since long I’m sure, in this country, where people were indulging into nonsensical things, see they were barbaric people.

Barbaric people always go to these things, you see. They must have done it and still that is continuing.

Yogi: Halloween has come because of All Saints’ Day. Spirits are frightened because of the next day.

Shri Mataji: See it’s like Naraka Chaturdashi we have. That is the day all the devils are put in the Naraka. Only yesterday was that day.

(laughter)

Yogi: This is a tough week for bhoots, Mother.

(laughter, Mother laughs)

Shri Mataji: But that’s why Diwali. That’s why the light. That’s why you have to have light, you see? After the 14th day, then the 15th day they celebrate Diwali. That is the darkest night.

Yogi: Which night is that, Mother?

Shri Mataji: That is tonight, that is the darkest night. And then tomorrow is the day that is the first day, see? It is celebrated as the New Year. For many people. Not in Maharashtra they celebrate from My own dynasty, that they do.

But in the North they celebrate first day tomorrow. And the second day is the Brothers’ Day, when brothers and sisters tie the… that we can do also in the Puja. The brothers and sisters they tie the thing.

Where is your husband, he has not come?

Yogini: He’s not well, Mother.

Shri Mataji: What’s the matter?

[Back problems]

Shri Mataji: When did this happen? When did this happen?

Yogini: The day before yesterday.

Shri Mataji: I know why. Now tell him not to use his hands too much.

Yogini: He was trying to shut a window.

Shri Mataji: Tell him that I came to know about it and I knew it was going to happen that way. Alright? Tell him not to use his hands.

So, can I take your leave now?

Today’s happy. Happy Diwali to you.

Yogis: Jai Shri Mataji.

[Shri Mataji asks somebody how he/she is and tells them: ‛Put right to the left, put right to the left“. Then She discusses with Gavin problems of organization of journey to India.

Then She talks to a lady in Hindi and says: ‛Women should not become horses“. Then a card is given to Her with a present]

Shri Mataji: Thank you very much. Lakshmi and Ganesha. Good.

Yogi: Happy Diwali. From everybody.

Shri Mataji: What’s that? Sweet! What is it? (Reads name of shop) What is that? Something expensive? (Pulls angry face. Laughter)

Too much. This is too much.

Yogi: This is from all of us.

Shri Mataji: This is too much.

Yogi: No, Mother.

Shri Mataji: Is it for Lakshmi?

Yogi: Yes.

Shri Mataji: Too much.

Yogis: Bolo Shri Nirmala Shakti Mataji Shri Nirmala Devi ki! Jai!

Shri Mataji: I would like to wear this now. Can you take it out? […] This is a big halwa. May God bless you. […]

[Shri Mataji puts on the necklace] Good. Thank you. It’s all right, eh? Thank you.

Yogis: Very beautiful.

Shri Mataji: Thank you very much. We shouldn’t do all this, you see, otherwise I’ll be considered as other gurus.

[A yogini brings flowers]

Shri Mataji: Thank you very much. Thank you. Now, these flowers must be put, you have to put them somewhere. Thank you very much, thank you. Very kind of you. But why go to … they are very expensive people.

Yogis. It’s just the vibrations. It has very good vibrations.

Shri Mataji: I know. I have so many things, I have never worn a chain all My life. It was a good idea. Now you have really chained Me. (laughter) Chained with your love.

Yogi: And you chained our hearts.

[Shri Mataji laughs]

[End of video]