 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Jan 12: Today, on 13th January, the festival of Lohri is celebrated in many parts of India. It is believed to be the coldest time of the year, so a sacred fire is lit to protect us from the cold and to pray to God for warmth and life energy. But Lohri is not just a seasonal festival-it carries a deep spiritual message.
The world functions according to the laws of 'maya' (illusionary world). If we observe closely, festivals like Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Diwali, and Dussehra all convey the message of 'Brahm' (God) in different forms. Outwardly they appear as celebrations of maya, but within them lies the hidden truth of Brahm. Human beings get trapped in duality-happiness and sorrow, profit and loss, mine and yours-and spend their entire life stuck in this "two-ness."
In the creation made by Brahm, when a person allows maya to occupy the inner space, that very maya turns into a demon. A demon does not only mean a mythological character; a demon is someone who is constantly unhappy. Maya becomes dangerous when it enters within, not when it stays outside. When maya replaces Brahm inside a person, their nature turns destructive and their life becomes full of suffering.
That is why Ravana, Kumbhakarna, or Meghnad were not demons merely because of their forms. History shows that perhaps no one worshipped as intensely as they did. Yet they were called demons because they lived in "I" and "mine." Even when they asked God for boons, they asked for maya. Worship becomes meaningful only when it does not give rise to ego.
Today, every person must ask themselves: if life has been reduced only to outer celebrations-eating sweets, lighting a fire, warming our hands-then the true purpose of the festival is lost. Every festival is a symbol to understand life. The fire of Lohri is the same sacred fire that burns in a havan kund. The purpose is not to burn wood, but to go beyond "two" (duality) and realize "one" (oneness).
Offering something into the fire with the word swaha does not mean only offering material items. It means burning the maya within us-"I" and "mine," my wealth, my possessions, my family, along with lust, anger, greed, attachment, and ego. Lohri's fire inspires us to offer all these inner impurities into the flame.
This process is not external; it is internal. Lighting a physical fire is not necessary. Wherever a person is sitting, they can close their eyes, light the inner fire, and offer their weaknesses into it. Inner purity is far more important than outer rituals.
If there is celebration outside with sweets and joy, and purification inside with burning of inner evils, that alone is a true festival. When maya burns within, inner light appears-and nature itself becomes a witness to it. Revealing the moon within us leads life toward the supreme life.
This is the true message of Lohri: this birth is not just to follow traditions, but to realize the Self. Only when a person becomes free from within does life-and every festival-become truly meaningful.
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