Light Of Life

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 15

blind man be made to understand the nature of the brightness of light ? Several efforts were made to explain it to him. The friend said to him, ''Brightness means the light of the sun".
What is the sun ?" the blind man said.
"You want to know what the sun is. How can I explain this to you? I can only say that the sunlight is white," said the friend.
"What is white?'' said the blind man.
"Milk is white, so white is the colour of milk," said his friend.
"What is milk?" said the blind man.
"My dear man! Don't you know what milk is? You drink it daily and you have tasted it," said his friend.
"I do not want you to explain its taste. Please describe its form, that is, its colour. How can there be white ness in it ?", said the blind man.
"I say, Have you not been able to understand it? It is like the wings of a heron, white and bright," said his friend.
"What is the wing of a heron?".
Thus new questions began arising from those questions. One question led to another. The friend who wanted to explain it to him began to wonder how and by what means he could explain it to him. He wondered what comparison or medium he could use.
The means by which he could understand the meaning of whiteness were the eyes and he lacked eyesight. His friend thought, "If I say anything to him a new question will arise. Indeed, a serious problem has arisen''. Then he said, "Why? The heron is white".