Deepam jyoti Param Brahma, Deepam sarva tamopaham,
Deepena saadhyatey sarvam,
Sandhyadeepam Namostute.
Firstly, I want to give my thanks to Mr.Thomas Alva Edison, the great American inventor. He is most famous for his development of the first commercially practical incandescent lamp(1879). Perhaps his greatest contribution, however was the development of the world’s first central-electric-light-power station. We owe him thanks for making the human existence pleasant and comfortable.
Thomas Edison’s bright idea
Edison moved to New York in 1869 and did much of his work in nearby West Orange, New Jersey. He started the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of New York to supply electricity (and help sell light bulbs). It would eventually merge with several gas companies to form Con Edison, which supplies power to New York City to this day.
I also give my thanks to Nikola Tesla who is indeed the Genius Who Lit the World.
What is this ‘Light Bulb’ connection that may define the Indian Identity?
I grew up in India. People visit a variety of temples to worship and to seek the presence of God.They do that at homes as well.When I was a boy, one of my early observations was that, in the evening hours as it gets dark after the sunset, when I flip the switch to turn the light on, my mother would pay respects to the light bulb. It is almost like a reflex behavior. I had asked my mother about it.The instant the light bulb comes to life, it becomes a source of light and being a source of light, it would represent God. My mother had told me that she would be reminded of God’s presence when the light bulb is switched on. My grandmother had also done the same thing.We worship the light bulb as it gives us the awareness and makes us conscious of the reality of God.
LIGHT AND CONSCIOUSNESS:
Light or JYOTI in the Sanskrit language represents the ETERNAL REALITY. Jyoti is our conscious, its our awareness and it connects us to the Creator.This consciousness permeates all living entities. Consciousness is a function which enables a living organism to be aware of its own state of existence and to maintain that state of existence. Living organisms are aware of their need for an external source of energy to sustain their state of existence. Living organisms exist as ‘Energy Seekers’ and to exist they need connection with a ‘Energy Provider’. Consciousness is a biological function which establishes the connection between ‘Energy Seeker’ and ‘Energy Provider’. Because of this awareness, all entities would recognize and respond to their Creator, the Prime Source of Energy and the Controller of Energy.
It is not just humans who possess the awareness of God. In India, in the State of Andhra Pradesh, there is a beautiful town known as SRIKALAHASTI. According to legend, at this place, a spider, a snake, an elephant, and a man had worshiped Lord Shiva with an excellent sense of devotion.
In almost every Indian home a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. In some houses it is lit at dawn, in some, twice a day – at dawn and dusk and in a few it is maintained continuously (akhanda deepa). All auspicious functions and moments like daily worship, rituals and festivals and even many social occasions like inaugurations commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the occasion.
Indians light up a lamp as a ritual to worship a deity of their choice. In several parts of the world and in various cultural traditions, the use of light is prevalent and is a part of ritualistic worship. In the Land of India, light is not only used as part of a ritual but also is directly worshiped with the belief that light represents God. Light is also worshiped in a personal form known as JYOTI, the sister of SKANDA and the daughter of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati.
The above is a prayer to lead us towards Right Conduct,to lead us from darkness towards LIGHT (ETERNAL REALITY) and to lead us from death towards Eternal Life.
It is easy and simple to know the Indian Identity. Flip that light switch and let the ‘Light Bulb’ connect you to the Reality.
The First Book of Moses called GENESIS, Chapter 1, verses 2, and 3 describe the creation of Light : Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. If light was not created, the physical matter could have simply existed as dark matter. I describe luminosity, the quality of giving off light as an event of creation.
ESSENCE AND EXISTENCE:
Man, the multicellular organism exists as a physical, mental, social, moral, spiritual, and rational being. Man’s existence is conditioned by the subjective reality called alternating periods of light and darkness known as day and night, and the unconditioned reality is that of Sun who shines with the same brightness all the time while man experiences Sun rise and Sunset.
Please view the related blog post titled ‘The Creation of Day and Night – A Synchronized Existence’
https://bhavanajagat.com/2010/04/22/the-creation-of-day-and-night-a-synchronized-existence/
Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India,
M.B.B.S., Class of April 1970.
The Rudolf-Rudi doctrine of Spiritualism 