The Dark Night Of The Soul
As the seeker moves on the path of the Spirit, there are periods when he feels utterly depressed and despondent. He feels that he belongs neither here nor there. Itis as though he is passing through a parched desert. Nothing appeals to him: Everything appears dull, dark, profoundly pessimistic... Some of the early mystics have called this phase 'the dark night of the soul'. In fact, in the first chapter of the Gita is a section on Arjuna's feeling of despair and depression-Arjuna Vishada Yoga. Indeed, the first step in spiritual life is vishada-darkness of the soul. Anyone who has ever set out in quest of the spiritual will tell youthis: they pass through this period characterised as 'the dark night of the soul'. We cry out in sorrow, "What is the meaning of life? What does it all mean? Why are we here? Whither do we go from here?" All of us must pass through a period of loneliness and internal conflict before we can enter into Self-knowledge, true awareness of the Self. It is in this loneliness that we can shed our ego, and realise that we are not alone. Even the brave warrior-hero Arjuna stands confounded on the field at Kurukshetra. "My limbs fail, my mouth is parched, my body quivers, my hair stands on end. My Gandiva bow slips from my hand and my skin burns allover; I am not able to stand steady; my brain is reeling," says the sad andlonely Arjuna. His mind is agitated; his consciousness is clouded. This hero of a hundred fights suddenly begins to suffer from nervous fright. It is not the possibility of defeat or victory that agitates Arjuna. His mind is torn by doubts, fears and anxieties. However, Duryodhana is not bothered by such worries. Never, ever does he reflect upon the injustice of his cause as he does not differentiate between good and evil. But then, the Gita is not addressed to Duryodhana. It is addressed to Arjuna, who, in this great war between good and evil, stands firmly on the side of dharma. He has made the choice between good and evil long ago but now, he is torn asunder by a seemingly irresolvable conflict. Arjuna, like so many of tree us, is bewildered by the choice he has to make. He is in the grip of uncertainty He faces the classic dilemma-to act or not to act. It is only honest, conscientious people who agonise over such perplexing sit uations. As for selfish, unscrupumen, they are guided and motivaonly by their own desires and nainterests. The 'battle'here is not affright tween armies, but a war with in The chariot symbolises the bod which the mind (Arjuna) is seata long with Krishna, the AtmanThe horses represent the five se that we need to rein in. And Kurukshetra is the planaction, the plane of friction, the of strife and contradictions tha inhabit. The implication is that life or earth is a battle, and all of us mufight the good fight, for the justc The message of the Bhagwacis the message of courage, heroand atma shakti. With shakti orenergy and power, we can over cdespair, doubt and pessimism, aprogress on the spiritual path.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are JP Vaswani views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: JP Vaswani and Speaking Tree,Times of India
The Dark Night Of The Soul
As the seeker moves on the path of the Spirit, there are periods when he feels utterly depressed and despondent. He feels that he belongs neither here nor there. Itis as though he is passing through a parched desert. Nothing appeals to him: Everything appears dull, dark, profoundly pessimistic... Some of the early mystics have called this phase 'the dark night of the soul'. In fact, in the first chapter of the Gita is a section on Arjuna's feeling of despair and depression-Arjuna Vishada Yoga. Indeed, the first step in spiritual life is vishada-darkness of the soul. Anyone who has ever set out in quest of the spiritual will tell youthis: they pass through this period characterised as 'the dark night of the soul'. We cry out in sorrow, "What is the meaning of life? What does it all mean? Why are we here? Whither do we go from here?" All of us must pass through a period of loneliness and internal conflict before we can enter into Self-knowledge, true awareness of the Self. It is in this loneliness that we can shed our ego, and realise that we are not alone. Even the brave warrior-hero Arjuna stands confounded on the field at Kurukshetra. "My limbs fail, my mouth is parched, my body quivers, my hair stands on end. My Gandiva bow slips from my hand and my skin burns allover; I am not able to stand steady; my brain is reeling," says the sad andlonely Arjuna. His mind is agitated; his consciousness is clouded. This hero of a hundred fights suddenly begins to suffer from nervous fright. It is not the possibility of defeat or victory that agitates Arjuna. His mind is torn by doubts, fears and anxieties. However, Duryodhana is not bothered by such worries. Never, ever does he reflect upon the injustice of his cause as he does not differentiate between good and evil. But then, the Gita is not addressed to Duryodhana. It is addressed to Arjuna, who, in this great war between good and evil, stands firmly on the side of dharma. He has made the choice between good and evil long ago but now, he is torn asunder by a seemingly irresolvable conflict. Arjuna, like so many of tree us, is bewildered by the choice he has to make. He is in the grip of uncertainty He faces the classic dilemma-to act or not to act. It is only honest, conscientious people who agonise over such perplexing sit uations. As for selfish, unscrupumen, they are guided and motivaonly by their own desires and nainterests. The 'battle'here is not affright tween armies, but a war with in The chariot symbolises the bod which the mind (Arjuna) is seata long with Krishna, the AtmanThe horses represent the five se that we need to rein in. And Kurukshetra is the planaction, the plane of friction, the of strife and contradictions tha inhabit. The implication is that life or earth is a battle, and all of us mufight the good fight, for the justc The message of the Bhagwacis the message of courage, heroand atma shakti. With shakti orenergy and power, we can over cdespair, doubt and pessimism, aprogress on the spiritual path.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are JP Vaswani views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: JP Vaswani and Speaking Tree,Times of India