Dia Bale Agam Ka, Bin Baati Bin Tel.
Whatever we know, whatever lamps we are familiar with, they all burn with oil, and they all need wick to burn. Nothing in our knowledge is bereft of reason. If the fire burns, it will be due to fuel. Food is important for a man to live. Food is fuel.
Whatever we know, whatever is our knowledge, is all bound with some logical reason. This formula seems to be so simple, that the lamp of that unseen Providence, the divine light of Almighty and Guru, has been burning without any oil or wick, yet is exceedingly difficult to comprehend because we are not familiar with any such source. We only know about those trees which germinate from leaves. We do not have any acquaintance with lifeless, seedless trees. Therefore, it is difficult to comprehend.
The lamps that you have, the lamps which support your life, ask yourself a simple question – Are these lamps given by others, or have you built them? If someone tries to give you a lamp, thank him politely, but do not accept the lamp. Tell him that you yourself will search for the lamp.
A young man brought some curiosities to a SadGuru. His questions were long, curiosity was deep and soon it turned into the dark of night.
So SadGuru asked – The night is dark, aren’t you afraid?
The youth replied – you rightly recognized my fear. I have to pass a big forest to reach my village, and the forest is full of ferocious animals.
Guru said – I wish I could support you. But everyone is alone in this world. The forest is dense, full of wild animals. The trail is confusing, with many possibilities of getting lost. Oh, How I wish if one could support others in this world.
The young man got surprised and surmised that he was being tricked. He can support him, accompany him, and is familiar with the forest. A thought came into his mind to comment on the hut of the Gurudev. However, he didn’t want to be rude and stayed quiet.
Then Guru said – I can do one thing, I can give this lamp to you. The night is dark. Take the light of this lamp with you.
Guru handed over the lamp to the youth. The youth replied – This is enough. Something is better than nothing. This lamp will at least show me the way, and identify my path.
However, as he started to climb down the stairs, SadGuru blew out the lamp. The young man asked – What are you doing? Is this a joke?
Guru replied – The lamp given by others cannot work. Every road is solitary. Every man is born alone, walks alone, and dies alone. Borrowed knowledge doesn’t yield any sense. I am not your enemy, and therefore do not want to give you an illusion that borrowed knowledge can be useful. Let me blow this lamp before the flowing winds extinguish it. Venture in the dark, find your way.
Be aware. He is within you. I cannot give you that, and this night is invaluable. The darkness is dense and wild beasts are prowling in the vicinity. The trail is unknown and the village is far away. Anything can happen in this dangerous situation. Take hold of your senses. Tread carefully through this danger. We always tend to move on paths guided by others, which makes us lose our own senses.
Therefore, you should never take light from others. It will be illusionary and you will certainly collide. All of our knowledge is borrowed from someone else. Whatever we know, is known from others. Soul, Almighty, Salvation are all mere talks. Words are written in the scriptures, but the feelings have never been experienced.
There is a sweet incident in the Mahabharata. A beggar was begging at the gate of Yudhishthira. The Pandavas, all five brothers were hiding in an unknown place. Even the beggar did not know that he was talking to the king. He beckoned Yudhisthira, who answered – Come tomorrow. Bhima started laughing atrociously. Yudhishthira asked that have you gone mad? Why are you laughing?
He answered – I will go and announce to the entire village that my elder brother has conquered the time. He has promised a beggar to come tomorrow.
Yudhishthira ran, brought the beggar back, and said that Bhima was right. Generally, he is dim-witted, but his eyes were wide open. He had his own luminous lamp.
Hence SadGuru does not give you any scripture. Rather He gives you the knowledge to craft your own lamp so that you can become a light yourself. He does not tell you what is right or wrong. He bestows eyes to you, to enable you to see accurately. So that you can light the extinguished lamps lying with your own self with Dhyan-meditation, Yoga, and Sadhana.
Therefore, those who know Buddha, address him as a doctor. Folks who knew Nanak called him a doctor. They did not bestow any philosophy. They just bestowed a path, a technique, a method, to open the closed eyes.
And it would have been very difficult if you were blind. You are not blind, only your eyes are closed. However, they have been closed for so many centuries that you have forgotten that the eyelid can be opened. The lids have been paralyzed, that is all. The lids have become heavy. You have forgotten the art of opening the eyelids since they have not been opened for many births. The real meaning of Dhyan-meditation, Yoga, and Sadhana is – Lighting the light within your own self, to open your own eye-lids.
All darkness vanishes, as soon as your eyelids open up. Eyes enable us to tread in the dark. It is difficult to walk even in the light, in absence of eyes. Thus eyes are the real light. The eyes represent the Sun within you, and if the inner Sun is bright, then it automatically connects with the external Sun. If the inner Sun is not burning, then the Sun outside is meaningless, there is no possibility to forge a connecting bridge. Therefore, Guru transforms you into a lamp that burns without any oil, without any wick. Whatever is within you, you have never lost it, not even for a split moment, else you would not have been.
Therefore Dhyan-meditation is a process, Yoga is a practice, Sadhana is a cure, to discover that inner-eye.
With divine blessings,
Kailash Shrimali
