When I contemplate the words of the sage Vasishtha: “Whatever shines is the pure light of that Supreme Being,” an experience of continuous amazement accompanies me—because for several years now, I have been observing that everything does indeed shine. The atmosphere shines. Space shines. The air shines. The movement of the wind shines. The darkness of the firmament shines.
Whenever I make these observations, my mind and heart sink into the stillness of witness consciousness.
Mexico City, Mexico
When I read the words Supreme Being in this excerpt, I thought of Baba Muktananda’s account in his spiritual autobiography, Play of Consciousness, of his vision of the Blue Person, about whom Baba said: “His body was composed of infinite rays of Consciousness.” Then, as I read the word jewel, it reminded me of how Baba said that the nine jewels which adorn the crown on the Blue Person “were composed of pure Consciousness.”
I had the great fortune to see this Blue Person before me once. When I remember this experience and consider that I am actually nestled in the light of these jewels, it gives a whole new dimension to my world. I feel the silence and the comfort of this Being, and delight in knowing the origins of all this light. This brings me an enduring softness, as well as immense laughter and lightheartedness.
I am so grateful to Baba for writing
Play of Consciousness and to Gurumayi for showing me ways to live in these unfathomable experiences.
Washington, United States
When I read this excerpt from the Yoga Vasishtha, I was immediately reminded of a powerful experience I had had just a few days earlier. I’d been reading Swami Shantananda’s book, The Splendor of Recognition, and came upon this sentence: “Consciousness is light—not a light that can be seen with the eyes, but the light by which the eyes see.”
As I took in this teaching, I was overwhelmed to recognize that the Self within me shines out from me! The Self radiates from me as the form I am in at this very moment. I experienced Baba’s fundamental teaching, “God dwells within me as me,” on a deeper level than ever before.
It was thus with great delight that I read the sage Vasishtha’s words in this excerpt about God’s “pure light” that “surrounds us like a transcendental jewel.” My heart leaps up in joy to say, “Yes!”
Michigan, United States
The sight of the sun’s light often fills me with energy and optimism. Recently, my city got soaked by one of the longest periods of continuous rainfall ever, obscuring the sight of the sun. The next round of endless rain forecasts threatened to shake my inner positivity. I was longing for a glimpse of the sun so I could bask in its radiant light.
As I read this excerpt, my focus turned within. I was reminded of the existence of Lord Surya, the sun god, of the light in the form of the living Guru, and of the inner sun in the form of the supreme Self, radiating permanently from within my being.
Today during my meditation I had an experience of the existence of the sun within. I was focused on the So’ham mantra and became aware that my mind was repeating this mantra in the light of the sun within. When I came out of meditation, I experienced complete humility.
Sydney, Australia
This morning, after reading this excerpt from the Yoga Vasishtha, I rode my bike around the countryside in which I live. I saw light everywhere—the energy of spring made all nature shine with exuberance. As I breathed the fresh air in this spring light, I admired the green meadows and carpets of flowers.
As I contemplated with even greater attention this precious divine gift, like a bee collecting the nectar of a flower, I was reaping the silence and beauty all around me, and the “transcendental jewel“ that contained them. I came home filled with light—the light of prana, the light of Consciousness. My mind was quiet. I was simply happy.
Rodez, France
Last night the full moon was so brilliant and luminous that for a moment it took me to another realm of existence. I felt that I could not grasp its real nature. Even my daughter commented, “Wow, what is the moon? What’s that huge sphere shining in the sky?”
Now, as I read these words from the sage Vasishtha, I see that we were experiencing the “transcendental” quality in the moon’s light.
New York, United States
The statement by the sage Vasishtha in Excerpt 23 totally amazed me when I began to contemplate it. There are so many things that shine—from the little fireflies to the sun and the stars, to the glow that we cannot always perceive with our eyes, like electricity, or the beautiful colored aura of all living beings.
The certainty that everything—really, everything—that shines is the “pure light” of the highest Being fills me with warmth, love, and abundant joy.
Unterlangenegg, Switzerland
What I have understood and experienced about my mind is that it can be fickle. It can flip to one side and absorb the visual beauty, joy, love, goodness, and positivity all around me. It can also immediately flip over to the opposite side and grab the negativity, anger, and sadness that my mind may have created or latched onto from others.
Here, in this excerpt, the sage Vasishtha is guiding me to keep the company of good, pure beings whose radiating light permeates their surroundings and everyone in their vicinity. I then have to learn to nourish that awakened energy with regular remembrance of the Truth and the Siddha Yoga practices.
Nairobi, Kenya