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
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