Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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ABU BEN ADHEM
Abu Ben Adhem Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, And saw, within the moonlight in his room, Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, An angel writing in a book of gold: Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room he said, "What writest thou?" The vision raised its head, And with a look made of all sweet accord, answered, "The names of those who love the Lord.' And is mine one?' said Abu. 'Nay, not so, replied the angel. Abu spoke more low, But cheerily still; and said, 'I pray thee then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men.' The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night It came again with a great wakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
As noted by Mircea Eliade, there is an innate interconnectivity between God, Sun, Light Atman, and the creative force which permeates the cosmos, understood even in the Vedic age. The early Vedas give us a host of sun gods, the Adityas. Aditya is a variant word for sun, but also means the son of Aditi, which in turn means infinity. They are eternal, infinite light, twelve in number who correspond to the location of the sun during each month of the year. In book three of the Rg Veda (3.62.10) is found the Gayatri mantra devoted to Savitur, one of the Adityas. This mantra invites meditation upon (dhimahi) the sun (savitur), and upon divine luminosity (bhargodevasya) to inspire (pracodayat) thought (dhyah). The Gayatri is still chanted the world over today. Lord Rama is said to be descended from the sun (Surya). Karna, one of the son's of Kunti, was fathered by the sun. The temple at Konarck in Orissa and the sun temples in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan carry on the age-old practice of worshipping the sun.
The fields of science, philosophy, and religion agree on the supremacy of light. Light gives visibility and meaning, both literally and figuratively. By acknowledging and reaching for the light, humanity advances forward and manifests higher states of being.
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