Darkness means

Expressions researched:
"darkness means" |"darkness, means"

SB Canto 4

Darkness means absence of light; similarly, māyā means absence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

SB 4.11.2, Purport:

Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and māyā, or the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa, is like darkness. Darkness means absence of light; similarly, māyā means absence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness and māyā are always there, side by side. As soon as there is awakening of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all the illusory pains and pleasures of material existence are vanquished. Māyām etāṁ taranti te: (BG 7.14) constant chanting of the mahā-mantra will keep us always aloof from the illusory energy of māyā.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Darkness means ignorance.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973:

So hṛṣīkeśam, I have several times explained. Hṛṣīka means the senses, and īśa means the master. Hṛṣīka-īśa, and they join together: Hṛṣīkeśa. Similarly, Arjuna also. Guḍākeśa. Guḍāka means darkness, and īśa... Darkness means ignorance.

ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur-unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-guruve namaḥ

Guru's duty is... A śiṣya, a disciple, comes to the guru for enlightenment. Everyone is born foolish. Everyone. Even the human beings, because they are coming from the animal kingdom by evolution, so the birth is the same, ignorance, like animals. Therefore, even though one is human being, he requires education. The animal cannot take education, but a human being can take education.

Darkness means sinful life.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:

Formerly, this place, Manor, was known as Piggot's Manor. Now we have named Bhaktivedanta Manor. What is the difference? Formerly, it was for sense gratification. Now it is meant for elevating one to the spiritual standard of life. So anything can be changed like that for sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅgāt mukta duḥsaṅga. If you continue sat, as it is said, sat-saṅga, then you advance in spiritual life. And if you associate with asat, then you become degraded. This is the policy. Sat-saṅga chāḍi kainu asate vilāsa te kāraṇe lagilā mora karma-bandha-phāṅsa. Don't be entangled. Try to become liberated from the entanglement. That is the mission of life. So these things cannot be understood so long we are in the darkness. Darkness means sinful life. The more we are engaged in sinful life, we cannot understand what is sat-saṅga and what is asat-saṅga. So we should be purified. The whole human life is meant for purification.

Light means knowledge, and darkness means ignorance. So every one of us now in the ignorance that we do not know "What I am." Everyone is in darkness in the concept of body.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- Mexico City, February 16, 1975:

So if you want to stop the danger of death, then you have to understand what is that Absolute Truth. Just like I have given already the example of sunshine. If you come to the sunshine, there is no darkness. But if you keep yourself within closed door, do not like to see the sunshine, that is your own choice. So everyone should try to come to the light. That is Vedic injunction, tamaso mā jyotir gamaya, means "Do not remain in darkness, come to the light." Light means knowledge, and darkness means ignorance. So every one of us now in the ignorance that we do not know "What I am." Everyone is in darkness in the concept of body. Ask anyone what you are. He will say, "I am this body. I am Mr. Such and such." "I am Indian." "I am American." This is all bodily description. And we have already discussed. This body is temporary, but I, the spirit soul, I am permanent. I have already experienced that I had my childhood body, I had my babyhood body, I had my boyhood body, youthhood body, I know it, but the bodies are no more existing, but I am existing. So therefore I am permanent, and the body is nonpermanent.

Darkness means "I am this body, and the, to fulfill the necessities of the body is the highest perfection of my life."

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:

So long we are in the bodily concept of life and think ourself that we are free to do anything, whatever we like, we are in ignorance, darkness, tama. Tama means darkness.

So Vedic injunction is tamasi mā jyotir gama. "Don't remain in darkness." This is darkness. Darkness means "I am this body, and the, to fulfill the necessities of the body is the highest perfection of my life." Everyone is trying for that, competition. Everyone is trying to have a skyscraper building and three Rolls Royce cars and so on, so on. They think that this is perfection of life, durāśayā, durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31), this material energy's production. But you do not think that "How many years I shall enjoy this skyscraper building? And what is my main business? My main business is how to become perfect." There are many animals within the skyscraper building. There are human being, there are dogs, there are cats, there are worms, rats, so many things. So to live in the skyscraper building, that facility is there even to the worms, cats, rats, everyone. That... Then what is the difference between these animals and me? The difference is how to become perfect, siddhi, svarūpa-siddhi. "What I am? Am I this body?" This should be the question. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Darkness means you do not understand things as it is.

Lecture on SB 1.5.4 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1968:

Every one of us has got the experience how sunshine is overcast all over the universe. It comes within your room, in your apartment, or when you come out you see sunshine, everything. So just like in the night there is no sunshine, but in the morning, as soon as there is sunshine, you experience what is sunshine. Similarly, at a certain stage of our life we may understand what is Brahman. Brahman is compared with the sunshine, light. Sunshine is light, and Brahman is light. How? Light, what is the difference between light and darkness? Light, the difference of light and darkness is... Just like at the present moment it is darkness. We cannot see things rightly. Although we have got very lightening arrangement, artificial electricity, still, we do not see things as they are. Suppose you go up to your roof, and if you want to see, find out some friend's house, you cannot see. This is darkness. Darkness means you do not understand things as it is. But in the sunlight you can see everything.

Darkness is not first; light is first. And darkness means where there is no light.

Lecture on SB 1.16.17 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1974:

Dvaite means things which is not directly Kṛṣṇa, dvaita. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syāt, dvitīya. This dvitīya, this is called māyā. Dvitīya means second. The one is Kṛṣṇa, and māyā is secondary. Just like light. Light and darkness. Darkness is not first; light is first. And darkness means where there is no light. Where there is no light, that is darkness. Similarly, darkness has no separate existence. It is simply absence of light. That's all. Real existence is light. The whole creation is... Just like real existence is the sun. Try to understand, very easy. Sun, but when it is covered by the cloud, it is called darkness. Or it is covered by another planet, then we find darkness. Actually, there is always light. If you go through the cloud, you come to the sunshine. Everyone has got the experience.

Darkness means ignorance. Material life means we do not know things as they are. That is darkness.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: The question is why do you refer to the material world as darkness and as a disease?

Prabhupāda: Don't you see darkness? You require light.

Woman: Dark, yes, but darkness is but another form of light.

Prabhupāda: Yes, ignorance. Darkness means ignorance. Material life means we do not know things as they are. That is darkness.

Woman: You said it in a figurative sense.

Prabhupāda: Yes. The knowledge is not perfect; therefore everyone is in darkness.

Woman: But why do you call the body and the spirit...? The spirit and the body is the polemic of light, of being, the universes.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Woman: Polemic. The counterpoint. You have darkness on one side, light on the other. Ignorance, if you want, in this aspect, identify this ignorance as darkness.

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: I think the question is why do you consider the body as a disease?

Prabhupāda: Because there is birth, death and old age. This is disease.

Tamasic or tamas, or darkness, means just like a person is attacked with tuberculosis, but he doesn't care for it. But intelligent man goes to the physician, asks that "Why I am suffering? What is the medicine?" That is intelligence. So human life begins when one is inquisitive to know, "Why I am suffering?" That is human life. And if he keeps himself in darkness—"Oh, this is... Suffering is suffering. Let me enjoy..."

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975:

So this is not life. This is animal life. Therefore Vedic injunction is, "Don't keep in this animal life." Tamasi mā: "Don't keep yourself in this darkness." Jyotir gama: "Come to the light." So jyotir gama means... That is tapasya. To come to the platform of light, it requires tapasya, austerity. That is required. The human life is meant for tapasya, to come to the life platform. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Tamasic or tamas, or darkness, means just like a person is attacked with tuberculosis, but he doesn't care for it. But intelligent man goes to the physician, asks that "Why I am suffering? What is the medicine?" That is intelligence. So human life begins when one is inquisitive to know, "Why I am suffering?" That is human life. And if he keeps himself in darkness—"Oh, this is... Suffering is suffering. Let me enjoy..." Sometimes they want to forget the suffering by another suffering, drinking or LSD, to forget suffering. That is another suffering, another suffering so much so that one becomes crazy and commits suicide. This is going on, a very precarious life. And human life is the only opportunity to rectify these mistakes and come to his original position, constitutional position, means the spiritual platform.

And this darkness means māyā.

Lecture on SB 6.1.62 -- Vrndavana, August 29, 1975:

The ultimate goal of life is how to become free from this material engagement, repetition of birth, death, and threefold miseries. That is the perfection. They do not know what is the goal of life, what is the perfection of life, the whole world. Especially in this age they are so fallen that they do not know what is the goal of life. All these big, big political parties, philosophers, scientists, they have no knowledge. They are in the darkness. Therefore it is called illusion, in the darkness. But we understand that kṛṣṇa sūrya sama: "Kṛṣṇa is just like sun." Kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama; māyā andhakāra: "And this darkness means māyā."

kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama; māyā andhakāra

yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa, tāhāṅ nāhi māyāra adhikāra

(CC Madhya 22.31)

Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). This is the process.

So it is a great science. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is most scientific movement to get the whole human society from the pitch of darkness.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Anyone who is in this material world, he's in darkness. Darkness means ignorant, no knowledge. They are mostly animals.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.2 -- Mayapur, March 26, 1975:

Now these same two brothers have again descended as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya-Nityānanda. Sahoditau: simultaneously They have appeared. Not that one is appeared, another is not there. No. Both of Them, sahoditau. And They are compared with the sun and moon. The business of sun and moon is to dissipate darkness. The sun rises during daytime, and the moon rises at night. But this sun and moon, wonderful sun and moon, citrau, They have appeared together. But the business is the same, tamo-nudau. Business is to dissipate darkness, because we are in darkness. We, anyone who is in this material world, he's in darkness. Darkness means ignorant, no knowledge. They are mostly animals. "Why they are animals, so civilized men, so well-dressed and university education degrees? Why they are in darkness?" Yes, they are in darkness. "What is the proof?" The proof is that they are not Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is the proof. That is their darkness. Ask anybody, item by item, that... Ask, what do they know about Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is ignorant, dark. So that is the proof.

General Lectures

Darkness means ignorance also. Just like at night people are more ignorant. We are ignorant, but at night we are more ignorant.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 7, 1968:

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that there is another spiritual sky, where there is no need of sunshine. Na yatra bhāsayate sūryo. Sūrya means sun, and bhāsayate means distributing the sunshine. So there is no need of sunshine. Na yatra bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko. Śaśāṅka means moon. Neither there is need of moonlight. Na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ. Neither there is need of electricity. That means the kingdom of light. Here, this material world is kingdom of darkness. That you know everyone. It is actually darkness. As soon as there is sun on the other side of this earth, it is darkness. That means by nature it is dark. Simply by sunshine, moonshine, and electricity we are keeping it light. Actually, it is darkness. And darkness means ignorance also. Just like at night people are more ignorant. We are ignorant, but at night we are more ignorant. So Vedic instruction is tamasi mā jyotir gama. The Vedas say, "Don't remain in this darkness. Just transfer yourself to the kingdom of light." And the Bhagavad-gītā also says that there is a special sky, or a spiritual sky, where there is no need of sunshine, there is no need of moonlight, there is no need of electricity, and—yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6)—and if anyone goes to that kingdom of light, he never comes back again to this kingdom of darkness.

Darkness means without knowledge. So it is the duty of the spiritual master to open the eyes of the person in darkness with torch of knowledge.

Lecture to College Students -- Seattle, October 20, 1968, Introduction by Tamala Krsna:

Oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

(I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.)

This prayer is to the spiritual master. Ajñāna-timirāndhasya. Everyone born in this material world is in ignorance, born ignorant. We should take it for granted, this material world is called tama. The Vedic injunction is tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ: "Don't remain in this darkness; come to the light." Actually, this material world is dark. It is lighted with sunlight, moonlight, electric light, this light, that light. Its nature is darkness. That is a scientific fact. So anyone born in this material world, beginning from Brahma, the chief personality in the topmost planet of this universe, down to the ant—everyone is in darkness. Therefore this prayer, ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā. Everyone is put into the darkness, and one who opens the eyes by the torch of knowledge... Darkness means without knowledge. So it is the duty of the spiritual master to open the eyes of the person in darkness with torch of knowledge. Ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena. The person who opens our eyes in that way, he is the spiritual master. And one may offer his respectful obeisances unto such personality.

So people should not be put into darkness, but they should be brought into light. Therefore in every human society, there is a sort of institution which is called religious institution. Take it for granted—Hinduism, Muslimism, or Christianism or Buddhism—any "ism" you take—what is the purpose? The purpose is to bring the persons to the light. That is the purpose of religion. And what is that light? That light is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Religion means the codes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Darkness means without any knowledge of the soul and God. So long I am thinking that "I am this body," it is in darkness. Except the human being, any other living being, they are all in darkness.

Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

So as it is said that in the beginning was the word, that means before the creation there was the transcendental sound. So that word, or transcendental sound, is not like the material sound. If we associate with the transcendental sound Hare Kṛṣṇa, then we become purified to become transcendental. Just like we can have a crude example. You take one iron rod and put into the fire. The iron rod will be warm, warmer, and gradually it will be red hot. When it is red hot, then it is no longer the iron rod; it is fire. So how it has become fire? By association with the fire. Simply, therefore, if you simply keep yourself touch with God by the vibration of transcendental sound, gradually you become godly. So as soon as you become godly, you become the same quality-aiśvaryasya samagrasya: full riches, full power, full strength, full knowledge, everything full. Therefore the Vedic instruction is tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ: "Don't keep yourself in darkness. Come to the light." So our only request is at the present moment, the whole world is for want of godly understanding. They are in darkness. So our duty is, when we have got this privilege of this human form of life, we should not keep ourself in darkness. Darkness means without any knowledge of the soul and God. So long I am thinking that "I am this body," it is in darkness. Except the human being, any other living being, they are all in darkness. Therefore human being's business is not to keep himself in darkness, but come to the light. So long we have got this material body, there are four necessities of life. They are eating, sleeping, sex intercourse and defense. So the cats and dogs, they also eat, they sleep, they have sex life and they can defend also. So therefore a human being should not be educated only for these four principles of animal necessities. The human necessity is to understand God. Therefore in civilized human society, there is some system of religion. Either you call it Christianity, Muhammadanism, or Hinduism, in civilized society there must be some form of religion. And a human being is supposed to follow the principles to have complete knowledge about God and himself, to know "What is the relationship between God and me?" and what is the goal of life.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Darkness means absence of light. That is darkness. It is the negation of light. Similarly, material life means forgetfulness of God.

Morning Walk -- December 6, 1973, Los Angeles:

Umāpati: Is darkness eternal, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Umāpati: Is darkness eternal?

Prabhupāda: No. Darkness is within this universe, not outside. Not outside.

Karandhara: Darkness has no separate existence.

Prabhupāda: Darkness means absence of light. That is darkness. It is the negation of light. Similarly, material life means forgetfulness of God. That's all... What is our spiritual life? We are simply trying to revive our understanding of God. That is spiritual life. And when you perfectly revive, that is spiritual. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa... (break) ...whatever you do, that is your defeat. Because you cannot see things in the proper perspective, therefore in darkness or in ignorance, whatever you do, that is your defeat. Therefore we see that so much advancement of education, civilization, but everything is defeat. Nobody's satisfied. Because it is defeat. It is not progress. It is defeat.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

So when you are in darkness, we must have to admit, "There is light." Because darkness means absence of light.

Morning Walk -- January 9, 1974, Los Angeles:

Hanumān: So I am half asleep.

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the... Therefore Vedas says, uttiṣṭhata. "Get up, get up, get up!" Jāgṛta. "Become awakened." Prāpya varaṁ nibodhata. "Now you have got the opportunity. Utilize it." This is Vedic injunction. Uttiṣṭhata jāgṛta prāpya varaṁ nibodhata. This is Vedic in... Tamasi mā jyotir gama. These are Vedic injunctions. So we are preaching the same thing, that "Reality is here, Kṛṣṇa. Don't remain in this darkness. Come to this consciousness." That is our preaching. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. (break) ...experienced the sunshine, bright day, and this gloomy day. So when you are in darkness, we must have to admit, "There is light." Because darkness means absence of light. So as we are in the darkness of this material existence, there must be something life of light. That is spiritual world. That is reality. (break) ...ahaṁ brahmāsmi. "Oh, I don't belong to this darkness, darkness atmosphere. I belong to the light atmosphere." That is self-realization.

Darkness means absence of sun. But sun is never absence of sun.

Morning Walk -- March 31, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: māyā, māyā, māyā... It is not for Kṛṣṇa; for me.

Dr. Patel: māyā is for jīva.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like darkness. Darkness means absence of sun. But sun is never absence of sun.

Mr. Sar: Yes, sun is never absent.

Prabhupāda: Sun is always in the sunlight. It is for us to be in the darkness.

Mr. Sar: Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of māyā. He's the Lord of māyā.

Prabhupāda: Māyām etāṁ taranti te. By simply surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa, one becomes freed from māyā. So how Kṛṣṇa can be under the influence of māyā?

Mr. Sar: No, He cannot. He's the Lord of māyā.

Prabhupāda: Yes. But these Māyāvādīs says that "Kṛṣṇa is also, when He comes, He comes under the influence of māyā." This is called Māyāvāda. (break) ...these bhūta, material, material adhibhūtas. And adhiyajña. Adhiyajña is Paramātmā. And adhibhuta, material. And adhidaiva...

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Darkness means without any spiritual enlightenment. That is darkness.

Room Conversation with Mother and Sons -- June 13, 1976, Detroit:

Mother: When Frank(?) was living in the temple, I didn't tell Kim this, but he looked ten years younger than he does right now.

Mādhavānanda: When he was living in the temple he looked ten years younger. I was thinking he should live in the temple again.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's a fact. One clergyman, he asked me, "Swamiji, why your disciples look so bright?" And that's a fact.

Mother: All the devotees.

Prabhupāda: Because they are spiritually enlightened. That is the cause of brightness. And materially involved-moroseness. Because it is ignorance. Material life means life of ignorance. And spiritual life means life of enlightenment. That is the difference. Material life is called tamas. Tamas means darkness. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya. This is the Vedic mantra. Don't remain in darkness. But people cannot understand. "I am living in the light. Why I'm darkness?" Darkness means without any spiritual enlightenment. That is darkness. So the Vedic injunction is "Don't remain in darkness. Come to the light." The light is my spiritual life, and material life means darkness. Because he does not know what is going to happen next. You are under the laws of material nature.