Diwali Puja. Moscow (Russia), 12 November 1993. It is so very gratifying to see so many people from all over the world have come to Russia to worship the Goddess Lakshmi. When you cannot explain everything intellectually then you take course to arts to express yourself; and then you take to symbols to express what you cannot say verbally or cannot express rationally. This is what an artist does, also a poet does that he extends his imagination to such an extent that he creates a symbol. But this mind is limited and it can only go up to a point and when it is not substantiated by truth and reality, after some time it falls. The whole linear movement falls down and there is a decline. That is what we find in every area today specially that everything which was sublime has declined. This decline takes place and people start accepting it. But after Self Realization when you have become the Spirit, your imagination touches the reality. Then the symbols which were perverted, which was misrepresented, drop out. And you touch the reality of the symbols. This is exactly what has happened everywhere. For example, we had in India the Goddess of wealth as Lakshmi, and this symbol of Lakshmi was described by saints and seers in reality. But later on people did not understand the symbol and the reality behind it. And they thought that the symbol of Lakshmi is money, is wealth, gold, silver, diamonds, riches. And they started worshipping money. That is how the symbol of wealth, Goddess the Lakshmi, was perverted. People don't understand that when they have money why they start doing wrong things. Even in India nowadays people are so perverted that if you give hundred rupees to a poor man, he will go to a pub. He will only think of self-indulgence, and not of others, not his family, not his children, not his country, but himself. But the symbol of Lakshmi is very different. Firstly the one who has Lakshmi has to be a mother, like a mother, must have the love of a mother who loves her children. She has to be a woman and woman stands for something very sublime. Mother is the source of all the energies but she has patience, and she has love, compassion. So a man who has money cannot be happy unless and until he is compassionate. He uses this money for giving it to others. But what has happened today in the countries which are supposed to be affluent? They have gone all out to destroy themselves with the money that they have. Also they have used money to express their anger, and their lust, their greed. Also they have wasted their money in trying to show off that they are something very individualistic. Like in America, went there and I met a very rich man. And when I got to his car, he told Me that, "My handles of the door open the other way around." So I said, "Why? What is the use of this kind of a thing? Anybody can get locked up in your car." So he said, "It is my individuality, is my genius, you see, which has created this something not so common." And then I went into his house, he told, "You be careful this bathroom is very special." And then he said, "If you press this button you will just jump into the swimming pool." I said, "I don't want to go into this bathroom." And then he took Me to his bed and he said, "This bed is special if you press this button your legs will go up, if you press this button your head will go up." I said, "I don't want to do these acrobats the whole night, I'll sleep on the ground." [Applause] So now the Eastern block people sometimes think that Americans, or the Europeans, or the people who are so called affluent are very happy people. They are not because they have no wisdom. They go on wasting money like this, they are bankrupt, good for nothing. One day they'll be moving in a Rolls-Royce, tomorrow they'll be on the street begging. Because there is no Lakshmi in them, it's just money. So the symbol of Lakshmi you should try to understand is very important. Because, if the Lakshmi resides in your Nabhi, and if She is satisfied, then only the Mahalakshmi principle rises means then you start seeing beyond. Now these people had so much money that they didn't know what to do and they thought now this not sufficient, we have to seek further. Then they took to drugs and all kinds of things. If you find anybody in England or America, any place with torn clothes, know that he is a rich man. This is the condition of perversion where everything is perverted. Now the Lakshmi principle is like this, that as I said, She is a Mother. In two hands She has got pink lotuses. Now the pink lotus means a flower which is come out of the pond and allows even a thorny insect to come inside it. That means a rich man, or a man with Lakshmi, must have a house, or a whole household, or a estate which is very beautiful like the lotus, pink in color, means in white, welcoming everyone, all kinds of guests. Now this insect with all the thorns in it comes in and sleeps on the corona of that lotus very beautifully and in the night the lotus covers it, so it doesn't feel the cold. So the man with the money, or man with the wealth, is not a Lakshmi Pati, he is not the one who has the blessings of the Lakshmi. But the man with wisdom and who has money we can call has got the blessings of the Lakshmi. So like the lotus is so hospitable, so anxious to get guests in his own being and to look after. In the same way a person who has money, who is supposed to be blessed by Lakshmi should be the same hospitable, of the same hospitable personality. But the surprising thing is all those nations today who look to be affluent have been parasites. They looted all the countries. They formed empires. Like in India now as you know we had for three hundred years the English, the British three hundred years as our guests. Without any visa, without any immigration they came. But now if an Indian has to go to England is impossible situation. And those who go there also are treated not on the same level as they treat their own people. Same with America. Thank God Columbus was coming to India and I think Shri Hanumana took him down to America, thank God. [Applause] Otherwise all the Indians would have been finished and I would not have been here. They killed all the Indians there, all the Indians and took away all their lands, all their lands. And now they are supposed to be rich. And the sins they have committed have to come back on them, isn't it. And you can't go to America easily as if that is their own land. All of them do not belong to that land. Then we can see about the people who think they are higher races because they can make more money. I mean they have killed people in gas chambers, did all kinds of things. How are they higher race, I can't understand. Is that the sign of being higher? For us if Christ is the symbol of higher personality then what were His qualities? He was the noblest man you could think of, the greatest personality as far as morals are concerned and such forgiveness, such magnanimity, such glory. He would, was the One who was blessed with Lakshmi. He was a satisfied soul. He would not do anything wrong, whatever money you might give Him. Nobody could purchase Him. So after coming to Sahaja Yoga is important to know that you are blessed by Lakshmi. With the one hand She gives, She gives to others that is Her nature, to give. Like if one door is open the air won't come in. But if you open the other door then only it will circulate. So to be satisfied is one of the qualities of a Sahaja Yogi. Some of them do ask for money miracles. That's not the way your attitude should be. You are now the Spirits. And the Spirit doesn't care for the comfort of body, mind, but for the comfort of the Spirit. Many of you have become Spirits, no doubt. But you are not aware, some of you, of your own status. You have to be aware about it. With the other hand She gives protection. Protection to all those who worship Her. All those who work for Her. So anybody who has money has to give protection to people who are employed by him or working for him. We have now transcended into an area where you have no fundamentalism in your head. But you worship all the great incarnations, all the great seers and all the prophets. Most of them did not have any money, but they were blessed by Lakshmi because they were satisfied soul. So this is the quality of a Lakshmi that She should satisfy. You know that in economics desires are not satiable in general. So what is the desire which is satiable is the pure desire, which is the Kundalini. When you are absolutely satisfied and you know that there is no sense in hankering after money, power and all nonsensical things, then the Mahalakshmi principle is awakened within you. And this Mahalakshmi principle gives you seeking. Then you become a special category of people whom William Blake* has described as men of God. Then you don't have these conditionings of your childhood, of your nationality, of your so-called outside religion, no conditioning. But you rise higher and you become the Spirit. That is the time when you understand the Lakshmi principle within you. The Lakshmi principle is that you enjoy doing for others. In collective consciousness you want to do for others. If you are still worried about yourself only, about your own comfort, about your own earnings, about your own glory, then you go into imbalance. Lakshmi is standing on a lotus, completely balanced. Moreover She doesn't assert, just standing on a lotus She doesn't assert Her power, that She is money or She is the Goddess of money. She is absolutely contented with Herself. If you are not contented that means you don't know yourself. You are yet a half baked Sahaja Yogi. A Sahaja Yogi is a person who is absolutely contented within himself. Because his self, his Spirit is the source of all the absolute knowledge. Is the source of enlightenment for your attention. And is the source of joy. Joy is not happiness and unhappiness, which depends on ego, but it is absolute. So such fun after Realization you feel that you don't care for money you don't care for anything. If you have it, well and good, if you don't have it, well and good. You are completely detached. Lastly, I'll tell you a story of Raja Janaka who was the father of Shri Sita, who was the wife of Shri Rama. He must have existed six thousand years back and He was a king. So He had to wear all the ornaments, and all the dresses that a king had to wear. But all the saints of those days used to touch His feet. So one disciple of one guru said, "Why do you touch His feet after all He lives like a king, and dresses up like a king?" So he said, "You have no idea as to what He is. If He has mercy on you He might give you Self Realization." So this disciple Nachiketa went to the king and said that, "Sir, I have come to get my Self Realization." He said, "I'm sorry, I can't give you Self Realization, I am sorry. You can take all my property, everything, but I cannot give you Self Realization. Because yet you haven't got that personality." So Nachiketa was disappointed and he said, "All right, Sir, I'll wait till you are ready to test me and see if I could get Realization." So He said, "All right, let's go and have a bath in the river." When they were having a bath, the people from the palace came and told Him, the king, that, "Sir, your palace is on fire." Still He was meditating. Then again they came and said, "Now all the people are running away from there, all your relations, all your family." Still they were meditating, He was meditating, and this Nachiketa was looking at Him. Then they said, "All the fire is coming here, now all your clothes will be burnt." Still He was meditating. But Nachiketa ran out and he picked up His clothes. Then he realized how detached this man is about His money, about His wealth, about His family. And look at me, I'm worried about these small things like this. He has to dress up like that because He is a king. So he surrendered himself to Him and he got his Realization. In those days it was very difficult to get Self Realization, even to give Self Realization. But these are special time, the blossom time. They call it the Last Judgment, you can call it the Resurrection Time, you can call it the Qiyamah, as they call it in Koran. It is said that people will come out of their graves and will get their resurrection. I mean what is left to the graves is nothing but a few stones and a few bones. No. All these souls which are dead will take their birth, take human body and take their Realization in these special times. This is a sensible thing to say and is also happening. So now you have got your Realization because of your good deeds you did in last previous lives, as we say purva punyas [MEANS past good deeds]. But you must respect It and you must understand what you have got is so great. You have to know you are the Spirit now. You are special people. You are going to solve the problems of your country, of your community, of your society, of your families. You'll be solving the problem of the whole world. You are the one who are going to bring peace on this earth. You are the one who are going to create a new world of beautiful divine people. So have faith in yourself. This faith works very fast. Because not a false faith, is a fact. And grow in Sahaja Yoga. Don't be a dwarf. I am happy to see the collectivity now in the Eastern block and also Russia, other countries which are here today. So now you are asking for the blessings of the Lakshmi. So the first thing you should ask is the satisfaction. Then the generosity. A person who has the blessings of Lakshmi cannot be miserly, cannot be. He is, he is a diseased person. Trying to save money here, trying to save money there. This doesn't exist in the mind of a person who is evolved. I am very happy I could come to Russia and that at this juncture will be able to create the atmosphere which is very good for your country. And all other people who have come from other countries also will carry this atmosphere to their own countries. Now you know that you have no karmas left. It's all finished. And now you are beautiful, new people. The blossoming time has brought you as fruits now. So don't pay attention to yourself, to your maladies, to your troubles. And things will improve, things will improve, things will improve definitely. Somebody was telling Me they have got pain in the knee. I just felt I get so many times pain in the knee. I have pain here, because I absorb from you. But I never think about it. I never bother. Because I see My body, all right. Like this machine if it is spoiled, we should cure it, finished. But all the time if you are thinking, "This is paining here, this is wrong, I haven't got money, I've got to do this business, that business", finished! So now we have to rise into the realm of super-consciousness. I can go on speaking about everything which is so sublime, so beautiful. There are many lectures which I have given. But lectures are nothing but words. These are the web of words. So you must get out of it. You have to go beyond the mind. That's what is My own vision. And so many have fulfilled it. I am always yours whenever you want. Whenever you want Me to come I will come. That My love is more than My own will. But you also must love yourself and love your Self-realization. May God bless you. There is one thing we have to know that in the Nabhi resides the Lakshmi, and you have reached the state where She is a reality within you. She is not a symbol anymore. So today after the puja this Lakshmi principles must be awakened within you and should spread all its light in the Nabhi centre.May God bless you. [Puja begins and Shri Mataji says:] All have become Nirvicharya. So first of all we say Shri Ganesha. He's the symbol, for you is the reality of innocence, of purity, of wisdom. So He was the One first created before the whole universe was created. So first we'll worship Shri Ganesha. The children will do that worship, because they are the symbol of that innocence. [PUJA CONTINUES AND SHRI MATAJI DOES NOT ADDRESS THE YOGIS ANY MORE.] *(about William Blake)