the speaking tree - Moving Forward From Physical To Spiritual Light
G S Tripathi
|
The year 2015 is designated by the United Nations as the `Year of Light and Light Technologies'.Light is indeed precious; it helps dispel darkness just as the light within removes ignorance. And light-related technologies have contributed greatly to enhance the quality of life.In the physical domain, several physicists have contributed greatly to our understanding of light. Wave and particle natures of light have been established. Newton showed that white light has colours through his dispersion experiments, involving a prism. Research on light has facilitated the correction of human vision; it has given us technology like optoelectronics, fibre optics, lasers and light emitting diodes. Lasers have made medical surgery easy , painless and affordable.The 2014 Physics Nobel Prize was for the discovery of blue laser, and showing that laser is a source of white light with red, green and blue colours, just like the Sun's light. While laser is made by humans, sunlight is natural.
The philosophical aspects of light are even more illuminating. There are many references to `light' in the Bhagwad Gita. Krishna says that the path through fire, light, day time, waxing moon and north solstice liberates a per son from the bondage of mundane existence. Krishna says that He is the radiant Sun of all luminaries, the Light of all lights, beyond all darkness.
The description of the cosmic form of Krishna refers to light, colour, radiance and effulgence. When Arjuna beholds the cosmic form of Krishna, he says: “If the splendour of a thousand suns were to blaze forth all at once in the sky, that would be the splendour of that Pa would be the splendour of that Paramatma.“ Arjuna is able to see a spectrum of colours in that exalted form exuding a blazing radiance. All depictions of saintly figures or gods and goddesses display a halo or aura to indicate divinity. Human beings also have an aura, a manifestation of bioluminescence from metabolic reactions, but the glow is not visible because its intensity is about a thousand times weaker than the intensity of light that naked eyes could perceive. As a school student, i read a poem entitled Lead, Kindly Light by John Henry Newman.
Here, the Light being referred to is the Lord Almighty and the poet who is a priest prays that he is encircled by the darkness of gloom and, although during his youth pride ruled his will, the time has come when he no longer can find his own way . He prays the Kindly Light to lead him on the right path. Sunlight comes primarily from thermonuclear fusion. There are various mechanisms by which a material body emits light, allows entry of light through it or stops light and reflects it.The emission of light is triggered by various mechanisms involving thermal, electrical, mechanical, chemical and biological effects. Photo luminescence involves emission of light by a body when excited by an incident light.
But when you go beyond physical light, there is the internal light. The one who sees this becomes enlightened. It is in the domain of knowledge and Selfrealisation. It is not in the power of ordinary humans to see and comprehend this light fully. This light shows new paths, transforms human kind and society and has ever-lasting effect on the mind and soul of a person.
Indic philosophy accepts light as a manifestation of Ultimate Reality . The Upanishads invoke Light thus: “Lead us from unreal to real, from darkness to light and from death to immortality .Aum shanti, shanti, shanti. Peace, Peace, Peace.“ (The writer teaches Physics at Berhampur University .) Post your comments at speakingtree.in
The philosophical aspects of light are even more illuminating. There are many references to `light' in the Bhagwad Gita. Krishna says that the path through fire, light, day time, waxing moon and north solstice liberates a per son from the bondage of mundane existence. Krishna says that He is the radiant Sun of all luminaries, the Light of all lights, beyond all darkness.
The description of the cosmic form of Krishna refers to light, colour, radiance and effulgence. When Arjuna beholds the cosmic form of Krishna, he says: “If the splendour of a thousand suns were to blaze forth all at once in the sky, that would be the splendour of that Pa would be the splendour of that Paramatma.“ Arjuna is able to see a spectrum of colours in that exalted form exuding a blazing radiance. All depictions of saintly figures or gods and goddesses display a halo or aura to indicate divinity. Human beings also have an aura, a manifestation of bioluminescence from metabolic reactions, but the glow is not visible because its intensity is about a thousand times weaker than the intensity of light that naked eyes could perceive. As a school student, i read a poem entitled Lead, Kindly Light by John Henry Newman.
Here, the Light being referred to is the Lord Almighty and the poet who is a priest prays that he is encircled by the darkness of gloom and, although during his youth pride ruled his will, the time has come when he no longer can find his own way . He prays the Kindly Light to lead him on the right path. Sunlight comes primarily from thermonuclear fusion. There are various mechanisms by which a material body emits light, allows entry of light through it or stops light and reflects it.The emission of light is triggered by various mechanisms involving thermal, electrical, mechanical, chemical and biological effects. Photo luminescence involves emission of light by a body when excited by an incident light.
But when you go beyond physical light, there is the internal light. The one who sees this becomes enlightened. It is in the domain of knowledge and Selfrealisation. It is not in the power of ordinary humans to see and comprehend this light fully. This light shows new paths, transforms human kind and society and has ever-lasting effect on the mind and soul of a person.
Indic philosophy accepts light as a manifestation of Ultimate Reality . The Upanishads invoke Light thus: “Lead us from unreal to real, from darkness to light and from death to immortality .Aum shanti, shanti, shanti. Peace, Peace, Peace.“ (The writer teaches Physics at Berhampur University .) Post your comments at speakingtree.in
