On Mundaka Upanishad: All that shines is but the shadow of His shining
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The following excerpt is from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.
न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं नेमा विद्युतो भान्ति कुतोऽयमग्निः ।
तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति ॥na tatra sūryo bhāti na candratārakaṃ nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto’yamagniḥ
tameva bhāntamanubhāti sarvaṃ tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṃ vibhātiThere the sun shines not and the moon has no splendor and the stars are blind; there these lightnings flash not, how then shall burn this earthly fire? All that shines is but the shadow of His shining; all this universe is effulgent with His light.
~ Verse 2.2.11
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Acharya Prashant (AP): “There the sun shines not and the moon has no splendor and the stars are blind; there these lightnings flash not, how then shall burn this earthly fire? All that shines is but the shadow of His shining; all this universe is effulgent with His light.”
Beautiful. One does not feel like speaking on it; it is almost an act of irreverence, and also an act that cannot ever fully succeed. It is probably enough to just read it and re-read it and keep reading it. Anyway, I will attempt to say something.
“There the sun shines not and the moon has no splendor and the stars are blind; there these lightnings flash not, how then shall burn this earthly fire?”
All the objects that you have in this universe are no more there. Where? In the purest state of the mind, because the purest state of mind is a point of pure subjectivity. What is pure subjectivity? The subject and the object merge into one. The fundamental separation that is at the root of our misery is dissolved. So, neither are there objects nor is there the light that acts as the bridge between subjects and objects. When objects are not there, when light is not there, how can any separation be there…