In plain words
Give one without śraddhā a basketful of embers, and he will put them all out. Though every provision is in his house, one without śraddhā cannot satisfy his hunger. One with śraddhā will beg at ten houses, earn his food and satisfy his hunger. The root cause of this is śraddhā. Good fortune too enters only through the door called śraddhā. Even with fertile land and rain in its season, there is no harvest if one does not sow the seeds with śraddhā. The reason is nothing but the want of śraddhā. If śraddhā is so necessary for such small matters, we must think how necessary it is on the spiritual path. In the branches of a tree, in every branch, fire lies hidden within. But only when branch rubs against branch is fire born. Though the butter is in the curd itself, we get the butter only when it is churned. Though the ghee is in the butter itself, the ghee comes only when we heat it. The oil is in the sesame seeds themselves. Only when we make the right effort does it come into our hands. None of these comes without śraddhā.
The divine Ātma principle is contained in man himself. Every individual is worthy of Mokṣa. But the fitness for it comes only when we do the sādhana that befits that claim. By practice every work is accomplished in this world. With the power of sādhana we must strive to develop the power of the Ātma, which is the divinity in man. That power of the Ātma is the very divine nature that dwells in our innermost depths. It is hard for us to see it. Every man keeps his precious jewels, notes and diamonds safe in a secure box. The worthless basket, pot and box he throws outside. The ocean too hides the precious pearls in its womb and throws the worthless snail shells out. In the same way, in man there is what is called the Ātma, which is most precious. But what shows outside is the worthless form and name. It is the worthless form and name that are given all the importance. The precious Ātma principle is given no value. In the same way, the one who gives importance to form and name and takes them alone to be Satya is Narakāsura. Form and name are not Satya. Some day or other, there is no escaping the gracious glance of God. For such grace, we must strive to cast off the vices in us, arrogance, anger, envy and the rest.
Many Dīpāvalis pass by in a lifetime. But the darkness within us does not go. We rejoice to see the light outside, but we do not grieve to see the darkness inside. That is why the Gopīs too: ‘Will You not set Your radiance in this mind closed in by clouds! The street of my heart and mind is very dark. So give it light with the lamp that is Your Name,’ they prayed.
There is another inner meaning to this Dīpāvali. We set out many lamps. But we do not go to every lamp and put fire to it. We light one lamp, and with it we light all the lamps. So all the lamps that are lit are lamps of life. The one lamp that lit them is the Supreme Light. So all the lamps shine in the light that is the Supreme Light. That Supreme Light which lit them, the First Light, we are forgetting. So all of us are Narakāsuras. The day we keep the First Light as our goal, that day we become worthy of the grace of that Kṛṣṇa. So the day we drive out the darkness of Ajñāna within us—from darkness lead me to light—that very day is Dīpāvali.
Some regions keep it as the day when Ayodhyā, filled with grief and darkness in its anxiety for Sītā and Rāma and its separation from them, lit lamps at the coming of Sītā and Rāma, rejoiced, and danced and sang. The word Rāma has an inner meaning, He who makes the Ātma delight: ‘Ramayatīti Rāmaḥ’. We say Ātmārāma, but we do not say Ātmakṛṣṇa or Ātmaśiva. That is why, because this Rāma principle, the Ātma, is forgotten, this Ayodhyā that is the heart stays sunk in darkness. This Ātma has a shadow. That is Sītā, supremely serene, spotless, formless and peerless. Because we forget this holy, cool Sītā and the ways of envy come in, our hearts are growing impure. The day we hold the Ātma before us as our goal, that very day the joy and good fortune that came to the people of Ayodhyā will come to us. So we must bring Ātmārāma into the Ayodhyā that is our heart, and light the cool primal light that is Sītā.
In the same way, this is the meaning of Śrī Kṛṣṇa slaying Narakāsura with Satyabhāmā at His side. Kṛṣṇa is He who tills the field of the heart. Kṛṣṇa is He who draws. There, Rāma is He who delights. Here, Kṛṣṇa is He who draws. There, Rāma who delights has Sītā, who is Śānti, with Him. Here, Kṛṣṇa who draws has Satya with Him. So Kṛṣṇa went with Satya to slay the wicked vices. Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa joined with Satya. Rāma is Rāma joined with Śānti. We must experience these two in a spirit joined with Prema. Bhārata has holy days that bring such sacred feelings. But, forgetting their inner meanings, people keep on Dīpāvali the custom of lighting lamps and bursting crackers. But there is no holiness.
In some other regions they keep it as Lakṣmī Pūjā, to slay these vices. Lakṣmī does not mean Dhanalakṣmī, Gajalakṣmī or Mahālakṣmī.