Proceeding from darkness to light

Although there are many legends that are associated with Deepavali it is essentially the spiritual significance that could be universal to all people, irrespective of whether they are born to Hindu families and thereby inherit Hinduism or not

By Suryamithra Vishwa

The following are some well-known stanzas of the Upanishads which are part of the ancient Sanskrit Vedic texts: ‘Asatoma sath gamaya’, ‘Tamasoma jyotir gamaya’, ‘Mrutyorma Amritam gamaya’.

The meaning of the above could be translated as ‘The journey from falsehood to truth, from darkness to light and from death to immortality’. The term falsehood could be explained as that which is founded upon ignorance – an un-awakened state. This is because our weak actions lie in the ignorant stupor that we are assailed by when we commit those actions. None of us who are so quick to blame others for wrongdoing can escape the fact that we have at some point or other thought or acted in a manner that does not befit an awakened, thinking person. Falsehood and ignorance are fruits of darkness. It is only the ‘light’ that consists of attributes such as truth, understanding, kindness, empathy and pragmatism that can dispel the diverse clots of darkness that spring in the mind. Immortality as a concept that is relevant to Hinduism can be seen as the final freedom and liberation one gets when freed from the vain fetters of the mind and has reached a state of bliss. 

At a secular level knowledge acquired about something dispels the earlier ignorance that existed. This knowledge in its true essence, absorbed in a fertile mind and cultivated for the purpose of benefitting self and others can be described as a ‘light’. All creativity and intellect within us that is used for a greater purpose beyond ourselves is therefore part of that great fountain of light that illuminates the world. 

We can reflect on the above as we prepare to celebrate the festival of Deepavali that is described as a festival of lights. Although there are many legends that are associated with Deepavali it is essentially the spiritual significance that could be universal to all people, irrespective of whether they are born to Hindu families and thereby inherit Hinduism or not. A sure fact is that we cannot before birth choose our religious label. But we can experiment in practice, with the paths that diverse religious philosophies promote, which at varying degrees have great similarities (although outwardly appearing different to each other) but all acting as routes to make the human experience on earth a more meaningful one.

Spirituality as many today are aware of is the concept of oneness – we are all connected – just as the different parts of our body are linked – and just of the eco system of the planet is connected to each other and to the wellbeing of humans; each human is connected to the rest. One awakened human brings bliss to all. Therefore, if we light up the life of one human and change it for the better, it would be like lighting up the lives of many. If we hurt one human, we hurt all. One troubled human is clearly a trouble to all, as many examples in the world today show us. Just like a virus, our darkness is also contagious. The best example is how an angry and depressed parent teaches all that darkness to their offspring through their actions.

Also in similar vein, blind rote learning acquired through mere memorising and replete with envy and jealousy and superiority does not represent light. It represents a veiled darkness. True education begins with an inquiring mind that first seeks knowledge within and then expands onto all other forms of knowledge, acquired with a sense of purpose and meaning, with humility being a central focus. One would not then be preoccupied with some doctoral title, but rather with what could be done for fellow humans through the knowledge acquired in getting that title.

Let us therefore during this Deepavali, light the lamp of wisdom in our minds and begin a path of true contemplative knowledge that begins with our self and then progresses to see how that knowledge could be used for the benefit of our beloved motherland and her children.