Diwali means lighting up of the soul within. Diwali is the time of cleaning and it is also a time for newness. So why is it important to clean homes during Diwali? It is the time of lights and gifts. It is the time to savor sweets and forget the bitterness and anger of the past.
Several days before Diwali, Hindus start the cleaning process. It is true that we should clean physically and mentally daily. It is also very important to keep our surrounding clean.
The cleaning during Diwali is special and it is of a different level. Every nook and corner of the house or shop or other establishment is cleaned. This is a not a superficial cleaning.
All the things that were dumped in cupboards, corners and under the bed are removed and given away. Only those that are essential for us are retained.
This outward cleaning should be applied to our minds too. We need to remove all anger, frustration and hatred. We need to clean every nook and corner of the mind.
It is widely known that Goddess Lakshmi resides in places that are clean. Many people think only about external cleanliness. They forget that Goddess Lakshmi will not bless a person with her presence unless the mind is cleaned.
Symbolically invoking Goddess Lakshmi means invoking the purity and divinity within us.
If there is an iota of dirt within, divinity will never emerge. Being stuck in the past and if you are a prisoner of negative emotions, Goddess Lakshmi will never appear.
All kinds of negative stains in the house and those within the individuals residing in the house should be removed. Diwali in true sense can happen only when there is purity, simplicity and love within us.
The best way to clean our mind is by filling it up with good thoughts. Each good thought removes the stains of the bad thoughts. When there is no place for bad thoughts in our mind, Goddess Lakshmi appears.
So along with cleaning homes we need to remove all kinds of negative stains from our minds.