One day the owls called a meeting; All, male and female, assembled.

One said, The sun has not arisen, who will give light ? Another uttered, Never has it risen: It is always pitch dark. Turn by turn, after much reflection, everyone spoke. There was one elderly owl among them, who stated, The sun has never existed; all the people are wrong. I have not seen the sun up to this day, Although I have reached this old age. Whoever believes in the existence of the sun is a fool. A swan shouted from the top of the tree: It is broad daylight, all can see; Millions of rays are spread. With this dazzling light, the sun is very powerful; Self-luminous, he gives light to all eyes. Bats and owls appeared there both great judges ! They gave their thoughtful verdict: The swan was wrong and the owls were right. All the owls hooted in laughters; The swan then kept quiet. This is a strange court, O Chaturdas,

Different from the three worlds. (Chaturdas, Dariai Vehdat 70)

When you wake up from sleep, do you ask for proof to believe that you have woken up? Do you want to be told that waking state is different from sleeping state? The state of waking is itself a proof to convince us of the change of consciousness from that of sleeping state. The fact of waking up is proof in itself.

Saints tell us that we are in a state of deep slumber of illusion (Maya). We shall come to know about this higher state of consciousness, once we wake up into that state of transcendent reality. Then we do not require any proof or argumentative discussion on the truthfulness of that esoteric reality. Seeing is believing. In sleep, we may consider our dreams to be real but the moment we wake, we become aware of the reality, dreams or waking. It becomes self-evident to us that dreams are unreal, or at least that this word is more real than the dream world. Similarly, saints with a greater certainty, tell us about a greater reality than this world. They do not ask us to believe but to experience it ourselves. Once we witness it ourselves, what other logical proof is required? It is no longer required.

What proof of light and colour can those born blind demand from us? What proof can we give them? None,

except by restoring their eyesight and showing them light and colour. Either they should believe us or experience these things themselves. There is no other way to decide the question. Similarly, with regard to spiritual knowledge, there are only two ways open to us. Either, we should believe saints, or try to experience the spiritual reality ourselves.

As long as we do not make an effort to see the divine reality ourselves, we should confess our ignorance, and do so with good grace. If we do not know, we should not say that it is not possible. This exhibits lack of scientific temperament. Saints at least have as much right to say that we are in delusion as we have to call them so. This does not settle the issue. The right position for us is to say that we do not know. And if we are very eager to find out the real mystic knowledge, we can better proceed to experience it ourselves. Then only we are authorized to speak on matter after our own personal experience. Let us experience the reality ourselves before passing the judgement.

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::)

Neither by word of mouth, nor by the mind, Nor by the eyes is it possible to realize God.

| || ( Never has anyone been able To visualize God by means of sight, Nor by heart is it possible to realize him, Nor by imagination, nor by mind. Who knows this sublime truth Becomes immortal. ::)

Guru Angad says in Guruvani:

(SGGS 139)

To see without eyes; to hear without ears; to walk without feet; to work without hands; to speak without a tonguelike this, one remains dead while yet alive. O Nanak, recognize the Hukam of the Lord's Command, and merge with your Lord and Master.

: || ( III::) Only when by the clearness Of illumination and after meditation A perfect catharsis of the whole moral being Takes place Is one able to realize the immaculate God; For neither by sight, nor by word of mouth, Nor by any other sense, nor by penance, Nor by actions whatsoever can He be attained.