This night I had a dream, and I suddenly woke up from the dream. Some friends and family members are on a trip to a fort, and in the evening, we are discussing about the purpose of life. There were all types of arguments. Some people say that the purpose of life is to follow a religion. Some say that it is to be happy. Some say it is to enjoy life. Then we discuss that if the purpose is to live a life as per our belief systems, then that's like pursuing "known pleasures" in one way or the other. Then, in the night, there is no one around, and I start floating with a sense of joy, and there are stairs that appear to be quite scary. I feel quite afraid of going up. Yet, I decide to go up, and when I reach the roof, there is a strange light around, and I realise the fun of exploration, and then I get up.
After getting up, while I was sitting calmly contemplating the dream, something struck my mind. We have four stages during a day. The "morning" phase is when the sun rises, and we can see the Sun rising in the east very clearly. We no longer require artificial lights in our homes and switch off the lights. We look at the Sun directly, and even when we close our eyes, we can feel that orange light inside our head. In "Satyoga" too, everybody is directly in touch with the "source". We don't need artificial lights, and the light from the "source" illuminates our homes directly.
As the day progresses, the light of the Sun becomes brighter, and though we are still connected to the light, we lose awareness of the Sun. It is because the Sun is so bright that we don't look at the Sun directly. All of us go to offices and get busy with work. In that busy time, inside our close chambers, well illuminated with the artificial lights, we lose awareness of the Sun. We get confined to our offices and buildings where we work. The Sun is there shining bright, but we lose awareness. Somebody just needs to take us out of that office, and we will see the Sun shining bright. In "Tretayoga", also the Sun was shining bright, but a few, like Ravana and Bali, lost awareness of that shining Sun until Rama took them out of their closed chambers so that they could see the light.
In the evening, the Sun is about to set. The light inside our homes is insufficient, and we have to switch on the artificial lights again. Some of the homes have not switched on the artificial lights, but they appear to be quite dark. In "Dwaparyoga", there is despair almost everywhere. The Sun is going down, and people have lost awareness of that bright "source" shining bright. Some people still feel connected to that "source", but they are so dimly "aware" that they can't inspire many. In that state of despair, Krishna finds "Arjuna", who trusts Krishna completely. He, too, is unable to bear the vision of that "bright source", and when Krishna reveals that brightness to him, he requests Krishna to come back to the human form. But somehow, even among numerous doubts, he listens to Krishna and fights for the larger cause, leaving aside his limited understanding of reality.
Night is dark. There is no trace of the Sun. Everybody's home is lit with artificial lights. Some houses shine with the brightness of artificial lights, while have to struggle with darkness. The houses that shine quite bright are mostly the ones that have stolen the light that was never due to them, and claim to be generous by giving a few candles to a few houses. Everybody fights for more light. People want more and more light at any cost. They are ready to kill fellow human beings for getting more of the light. None remembers the Sun. Not so that the Sun has disappeared anywhere, it's just that the Earth has turned its back towards the Sun, and we are unable to see the Sun. In "Kaliyuga", there is a complete loss of awareness of the "source". People feel as if the "source" never existed. There is no trace of the Sun left in the sky.
In the dark of night, we may sit comfortably at home with our friends and family and celebrate. Have fun, party, and dance all night to the music. Those who celebrate the whole night are not going to see the sun rise. They are going to miss the beauty of the whole world being illuminated with the brightness of the "source" where none has to fight for the "light". In the night, we may also set targets to gather more and more "light" and make efforts to get that "extra" light. No amount of "light" is going to resemble anywhere near the brightness of the "source". The stupid celebration, as well as mindless running around, is not going to connect us to that "source". What's going to connect us to that "source" is the courage to climb the dark stairs to find that "source" on the roof. The "limited I" can never understand reality. It has to go beyond itself to realise the same. It has to dare to enter the domain of the unknown. A home, however well-lit, can never compare with the brightness of the Sun. Our lives may be very comfortable, and yet we may be nowhere near that "joy of being". For that "joy of being", we have to get out of the well-lit homes and wait for the Sun to rise. Looking at the rising Sun is always a wonderful experience. The sun never disappeared. The Earth just turned its back on it.
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