Bright Sky of Freedom

DADA J P VASWANI





Sant Kabir in one of his dohas tells us that men who carry money with them on dark nights are likely to be waylaid and robbed. But equally , men who live and walk in the darkness of ignorance and unawareness are also likely to be looted -only , the thieves and robbers in this case are the enemies from within us! And the treasure they loot is not material wealth but the treasure of the spirit. There're five thieves who ensnare us.Their favourite hiding place is in the darkness of our ignorance. They are kama, krodha, lobha, moha and ahankara -lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. We have to be cautious not to fall into their trap.Charles Dickens, in The Tale of Two Cities, writes about a man who had been imprisoned for several long years, until he was almost forgotten! At long last, he was set free. They led him out of his dark cell into the bright and beautiful sunshine outside. For a moment, he gazed at the blue sky and the bright sun -but his eyes were dazzled. He turned and walked back to his cell, covering his eyes with his hands. He had grown so accustomed to the darkness that he could not face the light any more! The dark cell seemed to him to be a secure haven. Like this man, we are chained by our negative emotions. We have become almost comfortable in the darkness, bound by these familiar and `secure' chains. We need to cast off the shackles.