Introduction: The Light We Keep Searching For
Every Diwali, lamps are lit and the night glows with celebration. We call it the victory of light over darkness, the return of Rama to Ayodhya, the triumph of good over evil. But when the diyas fade and the noise settles, what remains?
Sri Ashish reminds us — the real light was never gone.
The true Diwali is not an event in time, but a moment of remembrance. It is the soul’s quiet homecoming — the awareness returning to its source after wandering through the illusions of identity, success, and separation.
The Inner Ramayana — The Journey of Awareness
The Ramayana is not just an ancient story. It is the map of consciousness itself.
- Rama is the Self — the still awareness that never wavers.
- Sita is the purity of awareness — momentarily forgotten in illusion.
- Hanuman is remembrance — the power of practice, devotion, and surrender.
- Ravana is the ego — ten-headed with desires, pride, and fragmentation.
- Ayodhya is not a city — it is the inner seat of peace that can never be conquered.
When Rama (awareness) rediscovers Sita (its own purity) through Hanuman (practice), the inner kingdom awakens. This is the real Diwali — not the lighting of lamps, but the illumination of consciousness.
“The story of Rama is the story of your own awakening. Diwali is the remembrance of the light that was never lost.” — Sri Ashish
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The Darkness That Teaches
Before light returns, there must be darkness — the sacred exile. Rama’s exile is not punishment; it is preparation. It is the stripping away of falsehood so that truth may shine unobstructed. Likewise, every seeker faces this night of the soul — when what once felt certain dissolves.
In that silence, something deeper calls. And in answering it, the seeker begins the real journey — from the outer to the inner, from knowing to being. This darkness is not an enemy to be conquered. It is the womb of awakening — the space in which the first spark of remembrance is born.
The Three-Fold Path of Illumination
Sri Ashish’s Three-Fold Path mirrors the Ramayana’s own progression — from exile to homecoming.
1. Right Understanding — Knowing the Light
To see that what we call light and darkness are movements within the same awareness. Rama is that still presence, untouched by both.
2. Right Practice — Living the Light
Like Hanuman, we bridge the distance between mind and Self through remembrance, devotion, and silent observation.
3. Right Experience — Being the Light
When Rama (the Self) and Sita (its purity) reunite (metaphorically), peace arises naturally. No seeking remains; only shining.
“Real Diwali begins not when lamps are lit outside, but when the flame of awareness is seen within.” — Sri Ashish
The Homecoming
When Rama returns to Ayodhya, it is not a kingdom that is restored — it is wholeness. In that return lies the end of fragmentation. The battle was never against Ravana; it was against forgetfulness. When awareness reclaims its throne, life itself becomes celebration.
The lamps of Diwali become symbols of this recognition — small reminders that the flame of truth cannot be extinguished, only forgotten. In the quiet after celebration, when all lights go out, the inner light remains. It was always there — watching, waiting, shining.
Closing Reflection — The Light Beyond the Lamps
As you light a diya this Diwali, pause for a moment. Look not at the flame, but at what it reveals — the still presence that watches the light dance. That awareness is the true Rama, the unchanging home. The outer lamps may fade, but the flame within you never flickers. And when you see that — not as belief, but as direct experience — you will know that Diwali was never about lighting lamps, but about awakening the light that was always here.
🎥 Watch the short video reflection:
“From Light to Awareness — The Inner Diwali”
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