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LIGHT IN THE UPANISHADS:
1. "Lead me from untruth to Truth."
2. "Lead me from darkness to Light."
3. "Lead me from mortal to Immortal (death to non-death)"
The meaning itself is very clear, the ultimate is the Light, or Truth, which is Immortal. The other words as untruth, darkness and the mortal represent the cyclic movement of the cause and effect, from Prakrithi (Cosmic Substance) down to gross elements.
"Light is my very nature; I am no other than light; when the universe manifests itself, verily then it is I that shine".
"I have realised that Supreme Soul (Purusha). Which is resplendent like the rising Sun, away from the darkness. realising which you are conquering and transcending death. There is no other way for liberation."
4. In Bhagawat Gita, Lord Krishna points out to Arjuna "two paths through which the individual souls move out after death. The first one being the path of fire, flame, daylight and the brighter six monthly period of the year, when the Sun goes towards the North from the equator. The Souls passing through this path return not to earth but finally slide and merge into the Absolute gradually. The other path is "of smoke, night, darker six monthly period of the year, when the Sun moves towards the South from the equator. The disembodied souls moving out through this path to various higher or lower regions (worlds of manes, forefathers and the darker worlds beneath) after exhausting the results of their actions return to the earth pulled by desire for fresh work.
"who ever desires and longs for light they enjoy the blissful luminosity".
"The self controlled attain that flame that shines in the cave of the heart, which is higher than the heaven. Being of pure in mind, they have well ascertained the `Real' by the knowledge of Vedanta through strict discrimination, dispassion and renunciation. At the time of cosmic dissolution such souls get liberated even from the highest spheres of immortality of the manifest Universe."
Yet another Upanishad reads as - "In the middle of the narrow space of the heart or Sushumna remains the undecaying, all knowing, omni-faced, Great Fire, which has flames on every side, which enjoys the food presented before it, etc. In the center of that fire which permeates the whole body, there abides a tongue of fire of the colour of the shining gold, which is the top most among the subtle, which is dazzling like the flash of the lightning. This Supreme dwells in the middle of that flame and He is the Lord, Siva, Rudra, etc. This is the Sun of the suns, known as Adhitya is the cause for energy, splendour, strength, sight, etc.
All the above statements point out the One Supreme Light, which is the Abode. To sum up it is the light, which is the form of the soul, Aatma, the pure Spirit, the Absolute, the Supreme, Khuda, etc. Other than the above references and quotations and similar statements, we come across in various scriptures, all other statements of the literature do not speak about this Supreme Light, but deals in variety on very many manifestations, spreading from the cause to the gross effect.
It is deplorable that we rely on `belief' and we are not in a position to convince a child of today, who puts a question "If God is all powerful, all pervasive, and omnipresent, why can't you show me?" Instead of providing a logical analysis of the Truth and encouraging the dynamic and vibrant mind of the child, we are, alas! Training him in blind belief and nurturing him through infernal suffering and fear, in eternal slavery with a begging bowl in the hands.
In Sanskrit the same word God is mentioned as Devaha - Meaning Div - illumination or light. Let us now understand the correct meaning of God, who is above the eternal movement of the seed and tree. The various words used for formful images and symbols representing Gods and formless Supreme, in various languages in different parts of the world by the wise as well the ignoramus or a tribal in thick forest with no proper understanding verily point out the one Supreme light as shown in Chart at Page iii, which is the Eternal, all pervasive illuminating light far away from the darkness of the cause -and- effect. The statement in the Upanishads are clear and spell out the truth with no confusion or ambiguity to the reader requiring no further explanation, verification through effort is alone remaining.
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