Patanjali Yoga Sutra - 2-26

The light is you

Vivekakhyatihi Aviplava Hanopayaha|

The means of removing that Avidya or attachments to the people, things and happenings in life that are transient and come and go - is by identifying oneself with the ever- present awareness that helps you to discriminate between what is temporary and what is permanent. Awareness is like a floodlight on a football field. The light illuminates the field. Players come. Some win, some lose,some retire hurt, some abuse, audience cheer or swear. The light does not take part in all this. It just throws itself on what's happening. When the match is over, the ground becomes empty again and the light continues to reveal the empty ground. Similarly our awareness is theinner light that helps us to be aware of what we see, hear, taste, touch, smell and think during our waking hours, watch our dreams during the dream state and realise the next morning that we slept well in the deep sleep state. Identifying always with this awareness is the only way to come out of the ignorance of clinging on to the transcient things and fretting or getting excited about it. - Swahilya Shambhavi.
(Pic. Lamps lit by members of the Gayatri Parivar, chanting the Gayatri Mantra. - SS)

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - 36

See the light and you become it

Vishoka Va Jyotishmati

Another form of meditation is on the luminous effulgent light that is beyond sorrow. Practices in many religions have a lot to do with light. Traditional Hindus light a lamp. Christians

light the candle and many light fires and invoke the presence of the divine too. There is also the worship of the sun, moon and many stars in the galaxy. What your mind watches for a while, it takes up that form.

In my own experience, I have always loved to gaze at the illumination of the serene soft light from a lamp placed in a dark room. Seeing the light even for a while, can throw up great visions that take you to the pleasant light that all of us are composed of. We are in essence beings of light.

During one such time spent in gazing at a lamp a couple of yeas ago, I had an arresting vision of a Jyotirlingam - a huge cylindrical column of light, fire compressed in the shape of a Lingam that has a flat circular base and ends in a round dome - orange in colour. As if covered by a sheet of glass, there was a layer of water, with more water constantly flowing over it. The circular base of the Lingam was of solid matter in the form of a black stone. After the water, there was air and then came space.

First I saw this apart of myself. Then analysing the contents further revealed that it was myself - the fire within, covered by the constant flow of water, air passing through and surrounded by space. The whole subtle structure is supported in the base of the body, that is gross matter. A moment of intensely watching the lamp led me to this inner realisation. - Swahilya Shambhavi swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com (Fitness, Satori)

Pic: The full moon and its reflection in the Bay of Bengal on Guru Purnima this year.