Jyotirgamaya

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty

The ancient wisdom always emphasized light, purity and soul values for human beings. In all cultures this wisdom is adored and human activities are geared to that end. But what is that light and why light? The day begins with light and gets sucked into darkness. Birth of man is for a long journey towards death. Any joyous beginning ends up in tears. Civilizations after glorious decades or centuries collapse into decimation. The fullmoon terminates in decline, the sun is swallowed by night. Then what is the journey to light which never fades? And does man bask in that light or burn in the heat which light generates? These questions are legitimate in the assured context of perpetuity which the ancients promised. But is there any sustaining truth in the promise beyond symbolism?

Darkness and light are the eternal binaries which have been used by sages, philosophers and poets. The common man too uses  these as metaphors. But when we think of life's journey, symbols don't matter. The sages who preached and practised these binaries in their different shades have advocated  abstinence, renunciation, charity, compassion and love for  attaining the illuminated path. But if death is the finality what relevance have these enlightened  virtues in the context of a single life? If I deny myself all pleasures, material comforts and finally die what is that enlightenment for?  How do I utilize my enlightenment ? The anagnorisis which comes to a man of heroic temper does not give him any scope to undo what wrongs he had done nor does it  permit him to improve the quality of life around for he takes his enlightenment to the grave. The other aphorism- live as you wish for you  live only once- is also tempting. But how can a person create his personal , private world without treading on the corns in others' feet? That is when I project my wishes on the world the others  projecting their own wishes come in the way. Ambition, aspiration, wishes and desires are never ends in themselves. Desires clash, wishes strike walls, ambitions come to conflict with others' ambitions. How can man live a life  without contacting, conflicting with other human beings who have the same or similar desires? If I avoid conflicts and clashes my dreams and wishes are enclosed in self-denial. If I wish to have my own way the world around will not allow me to go ahead. May be to live  an enlightened life means burying your own desires as the Buddha said. But a man who withdraws from all frontiers is called a coward. If he does not fulfil his potential, he will deny himself a life that was given to him to perform the fullness of his being. For this perhaps man kills another man  calling him his enemy. Rapes a woman to satisfy his pleasure instinct. And these things are  called sin, crime and dark nonvalues. But when he moves on the illuminated path, he does not move further. He reads the scriptures, eats bland food, does not pluck a flower, does not appreciate beauty, does not enjoy royal power: What he really gains is knowledge about the given world. What is this knowledge? Man is born to add to the goodness of the world by his soulforce; to wipe off tears from another eye; to bring a smile in another face. Life is meant to foster and nourish life values which will conquer death and deathlike values.

This path of Light is shown by all great men almost in all civilizations . But history reveals that in no civilization man follows  these impersonal, otherworldly values to create an imaginary  heaven on earth. Has there ever been such a unidirectional civilization  in recorded history? The Indian civilization always emphasized the Vedic values. The dark instincts of life should be conquered by the light of wisdom. But could this wisdom save  civilizations that came up  in India's history? Dharma, Artha, Kama (Moksa) have their own paradigms of life.  But those who believed in hate, bloodshed, domination and loot came from beyond the borders and destroyed us. India could not retain its freedom. For more than 1600 years India was subdued, suppressed and ruled by foreigners for whom light meant power, hate, cruelty and masterdom. How is it that light could not dispel darkness?

In the modern world we notice clashes everywhere. For land, fossil fuel, water and riches people and governments fight. The internet has opened up vast space for human darkness. The twitter, FaceBook, Whats App have given free space to speak and write lies, hatred and abuse in words  which are swaddled in darkness. Is there any way out? How to go towards light? Or is it man's destiny to be in darkness despite the enlightened words of saints and sages? Well, I don't know.