HIDE AND SEEK PLAYED BY SUN

HIDE AND SEEK PLAYED BY SUN

Recently I had an occasion to take bath in the holy waters of Ganga near Kankhal at Haridwar. The gushing water was clean reflecting the images of even non-luminous objects like railing on the ghat. The weather was cloudy. I entered the river water from western side. While paying oblations to deities and ancestors, I found a shining dot in the sky on the eastern side which gradually expanded in irregular form.

This was because the sun behind the cloud made a sudden bright appearance much like a diamond ring seen after the lunar disc moves past the sun after fully covering it during full solar eclipse. The bright patch continuously kept on changing its shape depending on the extent of covering by the dark clouds. For a while, the sun shone brightly in entirety and clouds soon began to cover the sun significantly in random zigzag manner. In other words, sun appeared to align with the clouds and lacked its original luster.   I enjoyed the hide and seek played by the sun behind the clouds. Interestingly, image of the partial luminous sun could be seen in the clean waters of Ganga.

I started pondering whom the sun was playing hide and seek with? I realized that sun was playing with me and vice versa. I pondered further as to what does this mean to me? Sun is regarded as pratyaksha devta (directly revealing deity) and is considered to be one of the five prominent deities. The sun is the presiding deity of Vayu mahabhuta (air element of the nature). The modern science regards sun as mass of elements mainly Hydrogen, Helium and Oxygen.

The sun is taken as a symbol of Parmatma, the Supreme reality ever radiating light (knowledge) and bliss (ananda). When this is reflected in our inner self (antahkaran) comprising mind and intellect and identifies itself with the reflecting medium, it is known as chidabhas, kshetragna or jivatma (individual self). This reflected consciousness is analogous to partially covered or eclipsed sun hiding its splendor behind the clouds.

This condition of twilight is our own condition as individual self with perpetual experience of knowledge and ignorance, pleasure and pain, good and bad. This can also be described as a state of superimposition on the Self (atma) of the nonself (antatma) comprising body, mind and intellect equipment). What one has to realize is that eclipsed sun representing eclipsed Self is a temporary phenomena and simply wait for the clouds signifying ignorance to disperse. And the sun representing the Self will glow in its full radiance. Formation of clouds, its covering the sun and eventual dispersion is a natural phenomenon and this does not affect the original luminosity of sun. Likewise, the covering of Self by five sheaths do not influence its absolute consciousness and bliss in the least.

One cannot experience the Self directly just as human eyes cannot face the sun directly. A clouded sun is a blessing in disguise that enables one to contemplate on its radiance and eventually attain oneness with it.   

Jayant B.Dave

Vadodara