by Gurani Anjali
Asato Ma Mantra – Lead us from the unreal to the real:
Om
asato ma sad gamaya
tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
mrtyor ma-amrtam gamaya
Om, shanti, shanti, shanti.From the unreal lead me to the real
From the darkness lead me to light
From death lead me to immortality
Om, peace, peace, peace.Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Section I.iii.28
When we take the unreal for the real, that is the height of darkness. When we are consumed by maya, the illusions of life, that is the height of darkness — that is the height of ignorance. What is ignorance? Who is ignorant? You may have great degrees in philosophy and education, you may have a lot of information, but if you don’t know the real—if you don’t know purusa, if you don’t know, if you haven’t come close to, if you haven’t become one with, and if you don’t have the awareness of that consciousness that is—then ignorance prevails. Ignorance is when you take the unreal for the real. Anything that is moving, anything that is changing, will continue to change.
Preparation is needed. Attention with affection. Preparing so that illumination may occur, so that light may penetrate. So darkness may be dispelled. So that light may illumine. Everything will become bright, clear, so that you may see. So that all may be seen and so that ignorance may no longer prevail.
Lighting the flame every morning and every evening is necessary. It’s such a small flame, but, the more you look at it, it grows. It gets bigger. Then, that flame is not a little flame, it brightens up everything. But you have to keep looking at it. The more you look at it, the more it will show you the way. It brightens up everything, dispels darkness/ignorance. Om shanti.