How to see the sun.

A fanciful landlord once became very anxious to see the sun in a new-moon night sky. The flattering sycophants of the landlord said, "When you, our lord, desires, it must be fulfilled. We should set up in this world such an exemplary deed so that everyone will glorify you and follow the same example."

Flattering thus, one of the sycophants brought in a huge lantern and held it up towards the sky, saying, "Look here, my lord, can you see the sun?"

Two other sycophants then pleaded, "The sun cannot be seen in such a little amount of light from one lantern. Let us arrange for ten thousand candles and power lighting."

So even that was arranged for, as the landlord desired. Some of the scientific-minded friends of the landlord made an attempt to show the sun to the landlord with the help of powerful electric lighting arrangement. But all such efforts made by the scientists concerned were simply in vain.

Then a considerate person who was present there explained to the landlord that he could never see the sun in the night even if all the electric lighting arrangements in the world were assembled together -it would simply be a wastage of power, money and time. So, he must wait till sunrise to see the sun. Only with the help of sunshine can one see the sun. The sun can never be seen with the help of any other artificial light.

Explanation

Similarly, every attempt of the scientists, archaeologists, and other people under illusion, to see and realize the eternal form of the transcendental Supreme Lord, full of bliss and knowledge, with the help of so-called mundane knowledge acquired through material senses and speculative reasoning, is only self-deceiving.

As the sun can never be seen in the night even with the help of hundreds of artificial lighting arrangements, similarly, the constitutional form of Lord Sri Hari and the spiritual master and the Vaisnavas is never visible through hundreds of attempts with the help of so-called mundane knowledge acquired by the material senses of the living entities.

As the sun is visible only in the sunlight, realization of the truly constitutional forms of Lord Sri Hari, guru or the Vaisnava, will only be possible under their mercy. The spiritual master can not be assessed through a slighted understanding. Any living being conditioned under illusionary mentality can not make a proper assessment of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Controller of illusion and of the real Vaisnava who is conversant with Krsna Consciousness.

by: Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada

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