Light of Enlightenment

In Holy Scriptures, 'Darkness' represents ignorance and 'Light' represents Gyan or Enlightenment.

A famous indigenous prayer:

               “Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya”

 From darkness (ignorance) - Lead me towards Light (enlightenment)

In Gurubani also, ignorance is compared with darkness and Gyana with the Prakaash or Light.

              “Gyan anjan gur diya agyaan andher vinash

               Hari kirpa te sant bheteya, Nanak man pargash”

                                                               (Gurubani) 

However, we know that light cannot pass through a rock or a stone but it can pass through the diamonds. 

The hearts that are like stones and rocks, the light of Gyana cannot enter inside them. It stays on the outer surface. It is the clear and transparent glass or crystal, that the light can enter into. 
When the process of wiring and connection to the source of light is completed then the room can be illuminated instantly just by turning on a switch - But a long and proper process has to be completed before it happens. Similarly, when the process of clearing the mind is completed, it can be illuminated with the light of Gyana.... Instantly. 
So, our effort should be to make our heart and mind clear and transparent so the light of Gyana can enter in and make it bright and shine.

                         Another aspect of light........ Inside versus outside.
When we are driving and someone turns a very bright light inside the vehicle, the outside vision becomes very poor. Similarly, when the light within is illuminated the vision towards outer world becomes dim. Brighter the light within, less desires and cravings for the materialistic world.

                                      Another very important element 

Nevertheless, we must remember another very important element of this analogy of ‘Light and Gyana’.
We need light to see the path. 
But the light does not ‘walk’ for us. We do.

We need lighting for cleaning the house. 
But the light does not clean.... We do.
Light shows us where the dirt is; what needs to be cleaned, fixed, moved, or discarded, and we have to do the work, put our effort to do the cleaning. If our house, even after turning on the lights is not clean, then it’s our fault… not of the light. 
Even after the Gyana, if our mind is still cluttered with old useless and impractical ideas - if our priorities are still based on the wrong concepts, and we are unable to accept the ‘Reality’, then whose fault is it?

                                               ‘Rajan Sachdeva’