Spiritual lessons from a window pane

Spiritual Lessons from a Window Pane

While staying in Mumbai to support my daughter post-delivery, I often found myself with not much to do beyond some administrative duties. One afternoon, feeling a bit bored, I decided to clean the glass panes of my room. Living on the 9th floor, I waited for the rain to arrive, thinking it would help me pour water more easily outside the windows.

Once it started drizzling, I made a good effort. Tilting and stretching my hand out, I splashed water with force—and instantly, the pane looked clear and bright. I admired the scenic view through the freshly cleaned glass, feeling a sense of satisfaction. Leaving the curtains open, I went for lunch and then took an afternoon nap.

But at tea time, when we drew the curtains aside again, I was surprised to see the same hazy look return—mud spots, stains, and streaks were back as if nothing had been done. It was disappointing.

So my husband and I decided to clean it again—this time with newspapers and Colin spray. We put in real effort, going over the glass two or three times, scrubbing patiently. Finally, our hard work paid off. The window panes sparkled, both inside and out.

As always, I couldn’t help but relate it some lesson or spiritual practice 

Just like those window panes, our ātman—our soul—also gets clouded. Every day, we gather layers of sanskārs from our thoughts, actions, and emotions—not just from this life but from countless past ones. Some can be washed away with a simple splash of awareness. Some need more effort, like rubbing with sincerity and prayer. And some stains are so deep, they take repeated effort, humility, and time to fade.

I reminded my daughter that regular cleaning keeps the glass shining. Likewise, we must regularly cleanse our inner self—our ātman—to let its light shine through. Repent, ask for forgiveness, forgive others, and refrain from repeating 

One simple but powerful practice is the Ho’oponopono prayer. Repeat it often, for yourself and others:

I’m sorry.

Please forgive me.

Thank you.

I love you.

With these heartfelt words, we begin to wipe away the layers, one at a time—bringing our soul back to its natural state

My daughter was quite upset as why at this age we did this type of work she could have called the urban clap guy who could have done it in no time with little effort  

I thought ..may be Living Guru is like the Urban clap guy who in a single go clean our accumulated dirt?