Parable Of The Boy And The Candle

[Guest guest]

Acknowledgement and thanks to the Divine Life Society for this

parable.

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The father and his little son are sitting in a dark room.

 

The son asks: "Father, I am afraid of this darkness. How can we

remove it?"

 

"Light the candle, son."

 

The boy lights the candle. "Ah, now the darkness is gone, is it not

Father?"

 

"Yes, son," replies the father. The son blows out the candle.

 

"Oh, it is again dark, father. I am afraid."

 

"Light the candle, son."

 

The boy lights the candle again. "Ah, now the darkness is gone."

 

This way he lights and blows off the candle several times.

 

Then the father tells him: "Son, so long as there is darkness, you

should keep the candle burning. If you blow it off, the darkness will

envelop you once again. But when the sun rises, you need the candle

no more. Then you get light throughout the day from this supreme

light of the universe."

 

Similarly, the disciple approaches the Guru for instruction on Yoga

and receives the Diksha.The disciple practises Sadhana for a little

while and gets a little spiritual progress. Satisfied that he has

attained the Supreme and conquered Maya, he stops the Sadhana.

Darkness envelops him again! This goes on -"Yoga comes and goes"-till

he learns to be steadfast in his Sadhana. Thus he keeps the darkness

of Maya away till the Sun of Atma-Jnana arises in him. With the rise

of the Sun of Supreme Wisdom, the darkness of ignorance vanishes for

ever, and he basks in the sunshine of Sahaja Samadhi.