Brahman is self-shining, self-luminous, and shines by his own brightness.

[Guest guest]

>

> God Almighty (Brahman) resides within all humans as Light, a fact

> that is supported by all scriptures. Thus we can meditate on Him

> within and that long search for the Creator is at last over,

> ending within ourselves. That is why Jesus kept telling the

> ignorant masses two millennia ago that the Kingdom of God is

> within.

>

> A few months ago i asked my daughter Lalita what is that Light

> above Shri Mataji in her Sahasrara (Kingdom of God). She

> replied " God! "

>

> i remained silent for a long time to absorb the immensity of that

> single word answer.

>

> jagbir

>

 

 

The Light of lights

 

The Upanishads were compiled between 800 and 500 BC. These contain

voluminous references to topics in religious mysticism. Clearly, the

writers of these texts had witnessed the Divine Light and its

ecstasy. The Upanishads spend a great deal of space devoted to this

experience and what it means.

 

One of the principal texts in this collection -- the Chandogya

Upanishad -- tells us of what we are likely to encounter after we

die. In a dialogue between Prajapati, one of the main characters,

and the god Indra, we are told that

 

....this body is mortal. It has been appropriated by Death. [but] it

is the standing-ground of that deathless, bodiless Self (Atman)...

that serene one, when he rises up from this body, reaches the

highest light...1

 

 

The Yogakundalini Upanishad adds that after a person's body " wears

off, " he or she attains " a disembodied state, " after which the

person " discards the body, " as if " moving through the air. " 2

The " highest light " that the emancipated " Self " reaches is Divine by

nature. Divinity goes by many names in Hinduism (e.g., Indra,

Vishnu, Siva, Purusha, Brahma, or Brahman). However, the tradition

is very clear on the point that these are just different

manifestations of one Divine reality. This divinity is " higher than

the highest, greater than the great, and naturally brilliant, "

according to the Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad.3 Vishnu, so says the

Skanda Upanishad, is the " Light of all Lights. " 4 The Kaivalya

Upanishad goes on to identify the One who is formless, wonderful,

all-pervading, indestructible and Lord of all:

 

He only is Brahma.

He only is Indra.

He only is Vishnu.

He only is Self-Shining...5

 

 

The " real seat of Vishnu, " then, dawns on man " as the form of

light. " 6 Brahman is seen as the light of an endless sphere.7

The " Brahman-OM " is " the highest light, the foundation and sovereign

lord of all.... " 8 Brahma is light, says the Maitri Upanishad, and

the mystic symbol OM is " a leader, brilliant, sleepless, ageless

[and] deathless.... " 9 Brahma, " the limitless One, " is that " shining

form which gives heat in yonder sun.... Unending are the rays of

him. " 10 Brahman is " self-shining, " " self-luminous, " and " shines by

his own brightness. " As He shines " does everything else shine

after. " 11 As we find in the Brahmarahasya Upanishad,

 

Brahma is the Light of lights.

He is Self-luminous.

He is Supreme Light.

He is ultimate light.

He is an embodiment of Light.

By His Light all else shines.13

 

 

Another of the great scriptures of Hinduism is the Bhagavad-Gita,

written perhaps in the 2nd century B.C.14 The Gita deals with our

topic in compelling fashion. According to this text, as with the

Upanishads, the Light of the spiritual path is glorious and Divine:

 

If there should be in the sky

A thousand suns risen all at once

Such splendour would be

Of the splendour of that Great Being.15

 

 

This brilliance " illumines the entire universe. " 16 Within the Divine

light abides " supreme peace and the eternal abode. " 17 Whoever

encounters this extraordinary light achieves " incomparable bliss, " 18

and " the highest happiness... happiness beyond end. " 19 That this

light is divine in origin is abundantly clear:

 

With infinite power,

without beginning, middle or end,

With innumerable arms,

moon and sun eyed,

I see Thee, (with) Thy blazing,

oblation-eating mouth,

Burning all this universe

with Thine own Radiance...

Filling all the universe

with splendour,

Thy terrible rays consume it,

O Vishnu!20

 

 

The Bliss

 

In Hinduism, encountering God often involves deep feelings of

rapture and bliss. The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad tells us that " he

whose world is Brahman becomes an ocean, the one seer, free from

duality.... This is his highest bliss. " 21 In other Upanishads we

find that this " supreme bliss " is held very dear by Yogins.22

Brahman is " the all-illuminating, the bliss greater than the great,

the form of eternal bliss... the supreme nectary essence. " He is

also " the great one of the nature of bliss, that which illuminates

all illuminaries. " 23 The Yogin who comes to realize Brahman " becomes

immersed in an ocean of bliss. " That " brightness which is

indescribable " is also " the nature of unrivalled bliss. " 24

 

Whoever reaches this " all-pervading " and " ever resplendent " source

of all light also enjoys " supreme bliss by his attaining the state

of Brahma. " 25 The " wise who perceive Him " come to realize

that " 'this is it'. " Thus " they recognize the highest, indescribable

happiness. " 26 The " blissful Immortal that gleams forth " can be seen

by the wise.27 Once one is capable of " seeing the real bliss-form

through Yoga, " then " even in the burial ground, life is in the

garden of bliss. " 28

 

Hindu scriptures other than the Upanishads agree on this point. The

Vedanta Sutra states quite plainly that " God is All-Bliss. " 29 The

Yoga Sutras claim that this highest realization is " the acquisition

of extreme happiness. " 30 According to the Bhagavad-Gita, knowledge

of the Divine leads the devotee to " supreme peace. " 31 The Hindu sage

Ramanuja, commenting on the Upanishads, agrees that Brahman

possesses " infinite bliss. " 32

 

The Upanishads go on to claim that light and bliss are essential

components of the human soul. This " soul (Atman) is obtainable by

truth.... Within the body, consisting of Light, true is He.... " 33

Similarly, " the light of man is the soul. " 34 Atma (or Atman) is " the

nature of the jyotis (light)... illuminating all. " 35 This Atma

is " golden or effulgent Light into which all the universe is

absorbed. " 36 The " Self-Light alone " is " immaculate, " 37 and

Atman " shines by Its own light.... " 38 Knowledge of the Self (which

is Atman) leads to moksha (liberation), which is " the entire removal

of all kinds of pain and the attainment of Supreme Bliss. " 39 For the

true seeker of Divine knowledge, " the self alone becomes his

light. " 40 The Atma is " the nature of happiness, which is Supreme

Bliss. " 41 The same point is made poetically in the Kundika

Upanishad:

 

Stirred by the wind of Illusion

the waves of the whole universe

Repeatedly rise and fall

within me, the ocean of bliss.42

 

 

The Upanishads say that God and the human soul both have

characteristics of light and bliss because Brahman and Atman are

essentially the same. In a famous commentary on the nature of truth,

the Chandogya Upanishad relates the following:

 

That which is the finest essence --

this whole world has that as its soul.

That is Atman. That art thou, Svetaketu.43

 

 

This point is made even more explicitly in the Maitreya Upanishad:

 

I am free from space and time.

Mine is the joy of the unclad...

My form consists of total light;

The light of pure consciousness am I.44

 

 

The same Upanishad goes on to say that " the light which shines

higher than this heaven... is the same as this light which is here

within a person. " 45 The Taittiriya Upanishad spells out that " the

knower of the unity of the human person with the Universal Being

attains unhampered desire. " 46 The latter Upanishad goes on to make

the same point in verse:

 

Oh Wonderful! Oh Wonderful! Oh Wonderful!

.... I am the first-born of the world order;

Earlier than the gods,

in the navel of immortality!

 

Who gives me away,

he indeed has aided me!

I, who am food,

eat the eater of food!

I have overcome the whole world!47

 

 

Other Upanishads tell us that " this shining immortal person who

exists as a human being -- he is just this Soul, this Immortal, this

Brahma, this All. " 48 That which " disappears in Indra becomes Indra

only... that which disappears in bliss becomes bliss only. " 49

Another inquires, " May I behold that light which is thy loveliest

form! He who is that Purusha, he I am! " 50 The Brhadaranyaka

Upanishad makes the same point quite explicitly:

 

This self is like honey to all creatures.

All creatures are like honey to this self.

And that Person in this self,

who consists of light,

who consists of immortality,

that indeed is he who is that self.

This is the immortal.

This is Brahman.

This is the All.51

 

 

Similarly, the Maitreya Upanishad makes very clear identification of

the soul with God, in several verses:

 

I am Siva...

I am the Seer of all...

I am the emancipated One...

I am the Light...

 

 

There is no doubt that he who has realized himself

thus, is Myself.

Whoever hears (this) once becomes himself Brahman,

yea, he becomes himself Brahman.

Thus is the Upanishad.52

 

The Supreme Being, who is eternal,

pure, enlightened, free, true,

subtle, all-pervading, unique,

and an ocean of bliss,

-- I am He, the inner essence.

Of this I have no doubt.53

 

 

Among the most compelling statements to this effect are found in the

Bhagavad-Gita:

 

Also this is said to be

the light of lights

That is beyond darkness;

It is knowledge,

the object of knowledge

and that which is to be

attained through knowledge.

 

It is seated in the hearts of all...

For I am the foundation of Brahman,

Of the Immortal and the Imperishable,

And of everlasting virtue,

And of absolute bliss.54

 

 

The Hindu Path to Light and Bliss

 

To perceive this Light of all lights and ultimate bliss, the Hindu

tradition has several methods for the attainment of the same. The

author of the Katha Upanishad says that those who say, " 'That is

this' (i.e., the soul is Brahman), think of the indescribable

supreme happiness. " The same author then goes on to ask, " How then

may I come to know of it? " 55

 

In Yoga, the emphasis is on physical and mental preparation. Various

exercises have been devised to prepare the physical body for Divine

realization. But unlike some of the " Yoga " that is being practised

in the West, in the Hindu tradition Yoga is much more than just

a " get fit " class. One is expected to do considerably more than just

perform a series of stretching exercises. All that is preliminary.

The encounter with light and bliss comes through inward meditation.

In Hatha Yoga, one of the last steps toward Divine realization is

 

With a steady mind and half closed eyes,

fixed on the tip of the nose...

He who can see the light which is the all,

the seed, the entire brilliant,

....approaches Him, who is the great object.56

 

 

Similarly, in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we find that " the

undisturbed flow of the ultra-meditative causes Subjective

Luminosity. " 57 Through proper techniques, the Yogi is able to

obtain " knowledge of the subtle, the veiled, the remote.... " 58

Finally, the Yogi is able to attain the goal of the quest, when " the

cover of light is destroyed. " 59

 

The Bhagavad-Gita tells us that the path to Divine realization is

through appropriate effort, concentration, and the renunciation of

material concerns:

 

He whose self is unattached

to external sensations

Who finds happiness in the self,

Whose self is united with Brahman

through Yoga

Reaches imperishable happiness.

 

Thus, continually disciplining himself,

The Yogin whose mind is subdued

Goes to Nirvana, to supreme peace,

To union with me.60

 

 

The Upanishads echo many of the same sentiments. The seeker of

Divine Light is asked to " meditate solely on Brahman, which is Self-

luminous and all-pervading.61 A wandering ascetic who has renounced

material possessions " is truly rich, for, with the thought, 'I am

He,' he transcends both knowledge and ignorance, both pleasure and

pain. He shines with his own light. " 62 When " worldly wisdom is

destroyed... diffusing itself everywhere... He himself shines always

within, like a light within a vessel. " 63 The devotee is encouraged

to " meditate in the middle of the lotus of the heart, Parames'wara

(the highest Lord),... who is the object of supreme love... alone

being of the nature of light only. " 64

 

Hinduism is in fact very versatile on this issue. The path of

devotion, such as one would find when a Jew or a Christian prays to

and worships God, is a perfectly appropriate way of coming nearer to

the Divine. Most Hindus do pray to a God or several gods.

Appropriate as well is the path of jnana (knowledge), which is

preferred by those of a philosophical persuasion. Which method, or

even which tradition one chooses depends on the individual. As Sri

Ramakrishna put it, many roads lead to the top of the mountain --

just get yourself onto one of those roads if you hope to make

progress.

 

The ultimate identification of the soul with God might cause some

consternation amongst some Westerners. In the traditions of Judaism,

Christianity and Islam, such statements are considered blasphemous.

But as we shall see when we come to the Western mystical traditions,

while no complete identification is made, the " gulf " between God and

man is certainly narrowed considerably.

 

Regardless, these concerns should not obscure the clear and obvious

conclusion that, in this chapter, we have been looking at a core

human experience with supernatural light and accompanying ecstasy. A

number of Hindu scriptures convey expressions of this profound

encounter over and over again in a compelling, even awesome fashion.

Even within Hinduism, interpretations differ as to exactly what this

means, as do the names that are attached to this rapturous

illumination. There is no doubt, however, that the experience of the

supreme bliss and brilliance of the Divine is firmly rooted in the

Hindu tradition.

 

The Light of lights

http://lovinglight.com/bbain/hinduism/thelightof.htm

 

 

Notes

 

1. In R.E. Hume, The Thirteen Principal Upanishads (Oxford: Oxford

University Press, 1954), 272. " CE " refers to the Christian (or

Common) Era, instead of the specifically Christian " AD. "

 

2. In K. Narayanasvami Aiyar, Thirty Minor Upanishads (Madras, n.p.,

1914), 272.

 

3. In Patrick Olivelle, Samnyasa Upanishads (N.Y.: Oxford University

Press, 1992), 225.

 

4. Aiyar, Thirty Minor Upanishads, 41.

 

5. Aiyar, 32.

 

6. Sandilya Upanishad, in Aiyar, 183.

 

7. Mandalabrahman Upanishad, in Aiyar, 247.

 

8. Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad, in Olivelle, Samnyasa Upanishads,

219.

 

9. Hume, 425.

 

10. Maitri Upanishad, in Hume, 435 & 443.

 

11. Vicharabindu Upanishad, in Swami Sivananda, Ten Upanishads (P.O.

Shivanandanagar: The Divine Life Society, 1973), 68, 203 & 226.

 

12. Katha Upanishad, in T.M.P. Mahadevan, Upanishads (Arnold-

Heinemann Publishers, 1975), 70.

 

13. Sivananda, 148.

 

14. Ninian Smart, The Religious Experience of Mankind, 2nd ed.

(N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1976), 131. Since Hindus have

traditionally conceived of time as cyclical, it is not always easy

to pin down exact historical dates.

 

15. The Bhagavad Gita, trans. by Winthrop Sergeant (Albany, N.Y.:

State University of New York Press, 1984), 464.

 

16. Gita, 601.

 

17. Gita, 723.

 

18. Gita, 244.

 

19. Gita, 298-299.

 

20. Gita, 471, 482.

 

21. Mahadevan, Upanishads, 159.

 

22. Sarvasara Upanishad, in Aiyar, 10.

 

23. Tejobindu Upanishad, in Aiyar, 87, 93.

 

24. Mandalabrahman Upanishad, in Aiyar, 251.

 

25. Aiyar, 252, 256.

 

26. Katha Upanishad, in Hume, 358.

 

27. Mundaka Upanishad, in Hume, 373.

 

28. Mahadevan, 205.

 

29. R. B. S. Vidyarnava, Studies in the Vedanta Sutras of Badarayana

(Allahabad: published by the Panini Office, Bhuvaneswari Asram,

1919), 14.

 

30. Patanjali, Yoga Sutras, edited by Major B. D. Basu. Vol. 4 of

The Sacred Books of the Hindus (Allahabad: from the Panini Office,

Bhuvaneswari Asrama, 1912), 167.

 

31. Gita, 239.

 

32. In Vidyarnava, Studies in the Vedanta Sutras, 45.

 

33. Mundaka Upanishad, in Hume, 374.

 

34. Brihad Upanishad, in Hume, 132.

 

35. Subala Upanishad, in Aiyar,50.

 

36. Subala Upanishad, Aiyar, 62.

 

37. Svaroopabodha Upanishad, in Sivananda, 126.

 

38. Vicharbindu Upanishad, in Sivananda, 206.

 

39. Brahmarahasya Upanishad, in Sivanada, 149.

 

40. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, in Mahadevan, 158.

 

41. Aiyar, 38.

 

42. Olivelle, 127.

 

43. Hume, 249.

 

44. Olivelle, 168.

 

45. Hume, 209.

 

46. Hume, 293.

 

47. Hume, 293.

 

48. Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad, in Hume, 103.

 

49. Subala Upanishad, in Aiyar, 71.

 

50. Kena Upanishad, in Mahadevan, 48.

 

51. Mahadevan, 148.

 

52. Aiyar, 30.

 

53. Olivelle, Samnyasa Upanishad, 160.

 

54. Gita, 544-545 & 589.

 

55. Mahadevan, 69.

 

56. " The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, " Major B.D. Basu, ed. Vol. XV, Part

II of The Sacred Books of the Hindus (Allahabad: from the Panini

Office, Bhuvaneswari Asrama, 1912), 167.

 

57. " The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, " vol. IV of The Sacred Books of

the Hindus, Maj. B.D. Basu, ed. (Allahabad: The Indian Press, 1912),

80.

 

58. " Yoga Sutras, " 224.

 

59. " Yoga Sutras, " 175.

 

60. Gita, 263, 286.

 

61. Anandabindu Upanishad, in Sivananda, Ten Upanishads, 269.

 

62. Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad, in Olivelle, Samnyasa Upanishads

226.

 

63. Yogakundalini Upanishad, in Aiyar, 272.

 

64. Maitreya Upanishad, in Aiyar, 64, 25.