<p>In a spiritual journey, the absence of knowledge or wrong knowledge of the Supreme makes us ignorant of the absolute truth and keeps us in darkness. Aren’t we the self-effulgent light so beautifully brought out by Adi Shankaracharya in his <span class="italic">Eka Shloki</span>? Do we experience darkness? </p>.<p>The answer is in the affirmative. After sunset, if there is a power shutdown, we plunge into darkness. But upon the passage of time, our eyes naturally start to adjust to the ambient light and things around us start to appear albeit a bit hazy.</p>.<p><strong>Do we know we are in darkness? </strong></p>.<p>One evening as I prepared to enter a park from a well-lit street to walk along its tiled path, it appeared extremely dark. Nevertheless, as I entered my eyes adjusted to the surrounding which became visibly clear. It was my mind that cognised the absence of light inside the park as darkness. We require to query our mind to realise that we are comfortable with our mind’s projections and need to shake ourselves out of it. Many will agree that the Supreme is unknown to us as our own self. We need to come out of this darkness through inquiry.</p>.<p><strong>Can we come out of darkness? </strong></p>.<p>When we spend some time to learn in order to acquire the knowledge of the unknown, as in our s<span class="italic">hastras</span>, in incremental steps it reveals to us as known. That light within us is the Supreme which is self-effulgent and omnipresent. This light is revealed to us if only we are ready to see, and hence mandates an earnest attempt.</p>.<p><strong>How can we see this light?</strong></p>.<p><span class="italic">Ajnana</span> is nothing but the absence of knowledge which shrouds our path in darkness. The Grace of the Supreme, the blessings of a benevolent guru, and commitment through surrender with devotion helps us to dissipate our darkness. </p>.<p>We don’t need a torch to search for sunlight; a patient journey along the spiritual path will reveal the sun as the natural source of light. In this case, our own <span class="italic">Atma</span> will shine in all its brightness and absolute glory.</p>.<p>A good friend remarked that in physics we study a chapter on light, but do not have to study a chapter on darkness. Isn’t this profound thought now self-explanatory?</p>
<p>In a spiritual journey, the absence of knowledge or wrong knowledge of the Supreme makes us ignorant of the absolute truth and keeps us in darkness. Aren’t we the self-effulgent light so beautifully brought out by Adi Shankaracharya in his <span class="italic">Eka Shloki</span>? Do we experience darkness? </p>.<p>The answer is in the affirmative. After sunset, if there is a power shutdown, we plunge into darkness. But upon the passage of time, our eyes naturally start to adjust to the ambient light and things around us start to appear albeit a bit hazy.</p>.<p><strong>Do we know we are in darkness? </strong></p>.<p>One evening as I prepared to enter a park from a well-lit street to walk along its tiled path, it appeared extremely dark. Nevertheless, as I entered my eyes adjusted to the surrounding which became visibly clear. It was my mind that cognised the absence of light inside the park as darkness. We require to query our mind to realise that we are comfortable with our mind’s projections and need to shake ourselves out of it. Many will agree that the Supreme is unknown to us as our own self. We need to come out of this darkness through inquiry.</p>.<p><strong>Can we come out of darkness? </strong></p>.<p>When we spend some time to learn in order to acquire the knowledge of the unknown, as in our s<span class="italic">hastras</span>, in incremental steps it reveals to us as known. That light within us is the Supreme which is self-effulgent and omnipresent. This light is revealed to us if only we are ready to see, and hence mandates an earnest attempt.</p>.<p><strong>How can we see this light?</strong></p>.<p><span class="italic">Ajnana</span> is nothing but the absence of knowledge which shrouds our path in darkness. The Grace of the Supreme, the blessings of a benevolent guru, and commitment through surrender with devotion helps us to dissipate our darkness. </p>.<p>We don’t need a torch to search for sunlight; a patient journey along the spiritual path will reveal the sun as the natural source of light. In this case, our own <span class="italic">Atma</span> will shine in all its brightness and absolute glory.</p>.<p>A good friend remarked that in physics we study a chapter on light, but do not have to study a chapter on darkness. Isn’t this profound thought now self-explanatory?</p>