Light in the darkness

In these difficult times, Eknath Easwaran's saying that humanity and spiritualty can bring in the much-needed comfort holds true. It is the strength that one finds during this time that helps in the long run

- Eknath Easwaran

For thou wilt light my candle, says a Psalm of David: ‘The Lord, my God, will enlighten my darkness.’ To anyone in whom this candle is lit, spiritual leadership comes — entirely through the grace of God.

In the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord promises that he will rescue the world whenever righteousness declines and violence threatens to overpower us.

Traditionally, this is understood as divine incarnation. But it applies equally to the miracle of transformation, when some personal crisis turns an apparently ordinary person like Mohandas Gandhi or Francis Bernardone into a beacon figure who lights a path back from the brink of self-destruction.

In Indian mythology, this recurring saga is dramatised vividly. When the suffering of the world becomes unbearable, it is said that Mother Earth herself goes to the Lord and throws herself at his feet in an appeal for help. The Lord responds by coming to life in a human being whose consciousness is ready for service as an instrument of peace.