My Deepavali- 2026
Renovation, clean up and Divinity
Why do people clean their houses during Deepavali? Why is there such a fuss around cleanliness during Deepavali? And why do Indian moms look at us with big eyes during Deepavali, as if we are the only garbage left in the house! (Just kidding!)
I used to wonder about this and later got to know that it is done for Goddess Lakshmi.
- We clean up our space to invite the Divine.
- We clean up our space to remove outer clutter.
- A cleaner, organised outer space also helps with internal cleansing.
By the way, here is an anthem to play while cleaning up!
I wanted to share this experience, so, writing it here.
Mop it! Clean it!
Renovation was going on in my house. In Hindu homes, generally, people try to wind up all the cleaning by Dhanteras, which falls a few days before Deepavali. But that wasn’t the case with the house I live in. It was in need of renovation, and things were scattered and packed away. What went into which bag? Even we had forgotten!
On the evening of Dhanteras, I came back from my workplace, moved the furniture in the temple room back to its original places and started cleaning it thoroughly.
The space was cleaned with normal water mixed with Gangajal. Freshly washed clothes were spread out for the Divine, the pictures were wiped clean, and the murtis were given a little abhishekam, one by one, using the little copper pot I have.
I had bought a yellow dress for my Devi, and She looked lovely!
It was past 11 p.m. when I finally got up after offering my sadhana to the Divine on Dhanteras.
The temple room now looked and felt much better, with the walls wiped clean, the door painted and things organised. It was certainly better than before! But the other rooms, including the living room, were still in complete disarray.
But the temple was clean now. At least I had some space to do my sadhana during this holy time!
It was Chhoti Deepavali, a day before the main festival. I offered my sadhana to Devi and later went to sleep. Towards the morning of Deepavali, I had a dream in which I had darshan of my Holy Mother and Swamiji. I don’t exactly remember the dream, but yes, I saw them smiling.
I woke up feeling blessed, but the house was still upside down!
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It was around 5:30 p.m. when we somehow managed to at least clean up the surfaces and organise the stuff. Since morning, I had been running hither and thither to get things done, and finally, I took a bath.
Swamiji came live on YouTube, and I did maanasik puja with Him. Of course, without breaking the continuity of my sadhana, I also chanted the mantra that I chant daily.
I wished to chant 10 rounds of that mantra, but I was tired. I had tried my best to clean up the house by Chhoti Deepavali so that I would have plenty of time on Deepavali to chant. But that just couldn’t happen!
What’s the point of chanting if all I am going to think about is taking a break, sleeping or eating? I listened to my body and my temperament and just chanted a few times. I gave my best, I guess.
Whenever I remembered, I chanted. I was chanting when I lay down to sleep, and when Nidra Devi took over, I don’t exactly remember!
Dream- A Game
Again, the next day, early in the morning, around 5 a.m., I saw another dream. This dream involves the name “Sri Vidya” and has my brother, “Hanumanji”, in it. So, I feel, it’s a good dream!
I don’t know the exact specifics or deeper meaning. Neither do I know why I am sharing it here, but here it is-
We are a group of girls/women who have decided to enter a massive structure called the ‘Sri Vidya Building Game’. It has white walls and vast corridors, like a modern building. We are all full of energy, and it is said to be difficult to cross all the levels of the game. It’s like this: if one makes a wrong move, one dies!
We run into the building together with a lot of zeal. Suddenly, one girl goes straight in, and we hear her shriek. We now know that we don’t have to take that path. We change our course and take a right turn. Likewise, we go through small staircases, and one by one, we hear the shrieks of our friends who have made a wrong move. We take another route so that we don’t fall into the same traps.
I change my way and climb up a staircase. I am with a few girls/women now. The ground floor looks normal, like what we see around us, but the upper floor looks a little lavish and cleaner.
I suddenly spot a coffin made of white marble. I am shocked and scared. I realise that these are the people who could not make it ahead in the Sri Vidya Building Game.
Suddenly, I see a man coming upstairs on an escalator. He is wearing dark blue pants and a white shirt. He is muscular, with his bulk visible through his fitted clothes. He glances at us as if he is used to seeing visitors around every day. Things are spick and span, except for us, as we have been running and rushing around, hearing the shrieks of our group members. He has a suitcase in his hand, a sombre smile on his face, and seems to be in a rush to go somewhere.
I look at his face. He looks like Hanumanji.
He is Hanuman incarnate! I recognise Him!
I am happy. Now nobody can harm me! Nobody else in the group recognises Him. For them, he is just another man. They have all run away somewhere in this Sri Vidya Building whereas He is going as if He knows the way.
Hanumanji, in human form, is not bothered by the coffin, as if it is just another piece of furniture lying around! He is strong! I am in awe of Him!
I stop there, feeling happy and elated because I have recognised my brother in the Sri Vidya Building!
I got so happy and excited to see Him that the dream breaks and I wake up.
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A good plot for some movie, isn’t it? Believe it or not- or maybe read it for fun! Have a good day ahead!
Om Tat Sat!
