Chapter 7 - From Darkness To Light
Day 44
Every time a fire-cracker is lit, it creates a loud sound, bringing your mind and consciousness into the present moment. That is why we use fire-crackers. It is like shock therapy.
Without the noise from the
bursting fire-crackers, the mind does not come into the present. The mind is constantly dreaming and wandering elsewhere.
Observe the mind's fantasies. We have no time to study them, though dreams constantly come up. When knowledge is lost, dreams start.
You are continually day-dreaming. This fire-cracker is only there to wake you from your dreams. Every sutra is a fire-cracker. It should bring light to darkness.
Do you know why we celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights? The month of Karthik has the longest nights of the whole year. It is the month of darkness.
In this darkness we need to light lamps. There is no point lighting a lamp where there is light everywhere. Darkness is not unnatural.
Many dark moments come in life, and people keep sleeping in the darkness. That is why we celebrate this festival, in which we burst fire-crackers to wake up.
Living in society, among people, sometimes hatred and anger arise. Some disturbance or argument takes place with those with whom we do not have a good rapport.
All the differences of opinion we have are not with enemies, but only with friends. We store all this anger and hatred in some corner of our mind.
Let it all come out at once and be sent away. This is the reason for bursting fire-crackers. Normally we do in the outside world whatever is happening inside us and vice versa.
Whatever happens inside is reflected outside. When you are in a good mood, you give someone flowers, but if the mind is disturbed, then you stare at him or you pick up a rock.
There is a relationship between our mind and our behaviour, and our behaviour also gets reflected in the mind. People always mix up one with the other.
That is why the mind is happy when you burst fire-crackers, light candles or arrange flowers for offering. Diwali is celebrated to kindle a light inside you that will never die.
Why are we in such a state when our nature is light? Why are we not happy? Knowledge is lost, so dreams arise. It means that somewhere inside, the link with knowledge has been broken.
What are you dreaming about? There are three types of dreams. Dreams of success- we think, "Everyone must garland and clap for me and should appreciate me.
The cause of the mind's dreams is the desire for praise, and no amount of praise is enough. Mullah Nasruddin was honoured in some country by someone.
Once the program started, Mullah eagerly looked around to see who was present at the event. Somebody asked him, "Why are you upset today? Why do you not look happy? What's the matter?"
Mullah replied, "I have been given so many garlands, but I cannot see anyone from my village in the crowd. It would have been fine if I was not
honoured. I am unhappy because I was honoured, but nobody from my village witnessed the event."
We desire that our own people praise us. In every house the husband is pleased if the wife praises him. Sometimes, though the whole village praises him, his wife will scold him the moment he walks in the door.
His own wife does not praise him. It is the same with the wife. While others may praise her, she will only be satisfied if at home her husband praises her.
She is unhappy if someone comes home and praises her while her husband is out of the house. There is eagerness that her husband should hear the praise being showered on her by
others.
She thinks, "If only he had heard". Suppose that somebody compliments her in the presence of her husband then she looks at him, as if to say, "What do you think of me?
See, you do not praise me. Do you know who I am? Now at least do not sav, 'the shrubs in the garden are not of any value." We carry on this way in all situations. While sitting, we dream of praise.
Dreams start small and grow big. It starts with wanting to be famous in one's village, then in your country and then in the whole world. One desires that all the daily and weekly papers should publish one's photo and name.
Those in the film industry want recognition. After gaining recognition, they are afraid that someone else will reach the same height of fame, they want only themselves to be at that level, and that the fame they have gained must not be lost.
They want to hold onto that status. This is another great problem, everyone wants to everyone else to think that there is nobody like him. It would be difficult if there were somebodv else like him.
Someone went to Rishikesh, met a great sadhu, a holy man, and told him, “I have not seen anyone who has renounced more than you have”.
“The swamis of other mathas enlist more and more disciples in order to be called 'Guru, but look at you - you have no disciples or anybody with you. You are truly detached”.
The sadhu was very happy. He said, "Yes, what you said is true. All others build institutions and live there. I am a real sadhu, a truly great soul."
The visitor said, "Yes, you are a real rishi. In Uttarkashi I saw another rishi like you. You at least keep a water-pot and wear clothes. That sadhu does not have even those. He wears only a loin-cloth."
The sadhu was crest-fallen because of pride. Arrogance is a lack of knowledge. The moment knowledge is lost, arrogance starts to grow.
