From Darkness to light….
Right from childhood we all are
nurtured to sing a prayer: the words may
vary the language different but the seeking is universal…… lead us from
darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge. The purport of this prayer is
deep and sublime. The manifest gross form of this prayer is witnessing the
sunrise. Typically when excursions are arranged for a sunrise point, the tour
guide will arrange to drive you to the spot at wee hours when it is full
darkness with only the moon and the stars standing sentry in the wide black
dome. The sunrise at Tiger Hill in Darjeeling is one such memorable experience,
of the several sunrise that one may have witnessed. Even if more than a decade
has passed since one has witnessed this sunrise, it vividly flashes on the
inner eye as if it just happened right now.
As the land cruiser (now SUV)
drives through the winding roads with thickets on both sides, in deep sleep one
wonders whether its worth the toil involved. Even before leaving, one is cautioned that after the entire effort
one may ultimately end up not witnessing the Sun, due to the thick cover of
clouds or fog. Yet the undulating human spirit always desirous of glory, takes
the chance. Covered in woolens from tip to toe, thumb sucking babies clutching
their mothers, all tourists - young and old, half awake half asleep, amble from
their hotel rooms to the waiting vehicles. The trained drivers are to be lauded
at the speed with which they drive the terrain.
In pitch dark we are taken to a
spot atop a hill top more popularly
known as the view point, where railings have been erected as a safety measure. It
is so dark that one may not be able to see his own finger even if it is held
right in front of the eye, leave alone watching anything else around. As time
fleets by, there are some eerie sounds from the woods or a bird call in some
distance. Slowly but surely the dark night is giving way to deep hues of violet
or purple. You wonder whether it is real or your imagination but sooner the
violet flushes into an amber pink. It’s the background canvass being created by
Nature for welcoming the Sun – giver of energy.
The tour guide points out that on
the right is the East and on the left along the western horizon as he points
out one is awestruck at the sight of the
profile of the towering Himalayas. As the sky starts its show of a riot
of colors, the pink light has unveiled the tips of the beautiful Himalayas, a
medley of white, light blue mountains, a tawny pink sky in the background and
you are standing right in the middle viewing it all. It’s unfeasible for the
human mind, albeit a supercomputer in its own right, to capture in words the
array of colors on the sky palette.
Like many other things in life, this too is
experiential to be absorbed by the human eye and writing about it, one
realizes, is just a feeble attempt in encasing the experience. As the light
progresses , you realize that the darkness was not alone as it was accompanied
by thick shroud of clouds and fog that had blurred the vision. You gaze below
you grasp that thick sheets of clouds are enveloping all around and they move
about in a rhythm akin to the waves of the sea. They seem still at one moment,
while moving at the other as the pace is much slow and they seem to float
upwards and downwards at the same spot, with hardly any space to move farther
as it is like a body of dense clouds all around.
Nonetheless more wonderful scenes are yet to
unfurl before you. As you see the first rays of the sun appear on the horizon,
its reflection kisses the mountain tips and it appears as if the Himalayan tips
are blushing like the soft pink cheeks of a newlywed bride. Once the first rays
appear there is a momentum to the happenings with every ascending move of the
Sun. The red- pink sky turns yellowish-brown, then a mix of tangerine red and
finally as we see the Sun – a ball of red, the whole sky is golden yellow. These very
shades are also reflected on the mountains in a band .The pink moves downwards
to give way to paint the tips orange. As the sun rises, the orange now moves
down and the tips glow in the golden light. In the meantime there is activity
happening elsewhere. When the Sun is out in full glory, the clouds that were
jostling for space earlier, start scampering and rushing as if they fear the
Sun. As they wither away due to the force of the cool breeze, one is awestruck
to see the deep valley below. The deep violet brown shades of the dark sky have
now occupied the valley and in the distance you see tiny houses with little
chimneys spewing shafts of smoke.
At once one comprehends, that all
this while you had been standing on a ridge protruding from a mountain and in
fact surrounded by valleys. While people are clicking away at their cameras,
generally yelling and happy , forming groups for a snap and enjoying, it dawns on you that you are a part of a large
group and yet when it comes to witnessing, you are all alone. Deep within you
have experienced a joy – a divine feeling that belongs to you and no-one else.
It is this inflection point that makes you realize the poignancy, the meaning
of the prayer – lead me from darkness to light.
The darkness within are all our
negative thoughts – could be a result of disappointment, pains, hurts, cheats,
frauds, fears which then manifest in the form of physical ailments – many of them hidden within the sub conscious
akin to the deep valleys and invisible due to the clouds of anger, hatred ,
greed, jealousy and many more shades of
green. However as the knowledge of light pervades you, there is utter clarity
in whatever you do – and just like the Sun rises every day , it is said that knowledge
is surely to emerge within you – perhaps in this birth or perhaps after many
births – which the seers call ‘self realization’
Can this be achieved through effort?
Or is it destiny that leads the way? Considering that the whole universe is a
crucible of chemical reactions – does everything happen at random or does it
follow a law? Do events happen in a predestined design or do they evolve and
unfold like the glass pieces of a kaleidoscope?
Considering that human bodies are
also chemical factories, even our thoughts are chemical reactions within. So it
is believed that if we fine tune our feelings to emerge into strong elevated
thoughts through astute and dedicated efforts, the human being with his power
of thinking, can remove the cause at its root, thus ensuring the desired
effect.
It is that inner light which
shows the way. So when a painter paints a picture, a danseuse dances, a
sculptor chisels and carves – it is this creative force within which is at play.
The vision is so clear that when Michael Angelo spotted the stone from which he
sculpted the statue of David, it was actually a piece of stone lying wayside. When
he was interviewed after the unveiling of the fine statue, one of the questions
was as to how he could visualize that it was the right stone. He replied that
he had actually seen the carved out David within the stone and he had merely
chiseled off the unwanted part. This is the power of thoughts. This creative
force is not limited only to the field of arts but to all walks of life. We
call it inspiration, gut feeling, passion – name it any which way, it is this
force which awakens us to the higher glories. Some saints symbolize it as
cleaning of a vessel before we can boil milk in it. The process of cleansing
and enforcing elevated thoughts together with positive emotional content
channels our thoughts.
Also another aspect worth
mentioning is that it has been pointed out that the human body has a magnetic
force that attracts .Whether chemical energy, magnetic energy or any other form
of energy – it does not have a vision of its own and hence can be used for both
constructive as well as destructive purpose. It is the discerning thought
process that can harness this energy to the desired goals.
This ‘never say die spirit’ of
the human being is lost due to adverse situations but those who consistently
strive to keep this fire of the creative
force burning, sooner or later overcome all obstacles and the Sun shines with
full glory - suddenly but surely the clouds of gloom disappear .
Om asato ma sadgamaya –lead me from untruth to truth
Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya – lead me from darkness to light
Mrutyorma Amrutam gamaya – lead me from death to immortality
Anagha Hunnurkar
31st March 2013
