The Candle and the Bowl of Milk
In the Vedas, there is the story of a spiritual man who came to the King’s court to provide guidance to the King on spiritual matters.
The King asked the spiritual man a question – where is God/Higher Consciousness?
The spiritual man decided to answer the King’s query with an illustration. Taking a lighted candle in his hand:
O King, please see this candle – in which direction is this flame of this candle light facing?
Who is it looking at?
He continued:This candle is facing everyone. Just as the light of the candle spreads in all directions, in the same way God’s consciousness is spread in all directions and it is only due to that consciousness that we talk, walk, and hear. In the manner that this candle light is facing all directions, so is God/Higher Consciousness.
That Master of eternal, infinite powers who has created this beautiful, awesome, amazing, and great world in which the sun, moon, stars, planets, and constellations move in their own positions, similarly, there is a system in every atom in the Universe!
The spiritual man continued his speech in front of the King by providing another example.
He took a small bowl of milk and holding it in both his hands in a way that the King could see the milk in the container, he asked:
O King, what do you see in this vessel? The King answered: Milk.
Can you see anything else other than milk? The King answered: No.
The spiritual man smiled and said softly: But O King, I can see butter in this bowl too. Can you see the butter? The King answered: No.
O King is there no butter in this, because there is butter too. Just as butter is present in every particle of milk, ghee is present in every particle of butter in the same way, God/Higher Consciousness is present in every particle of the Universe/world in various forms. He is there but he is not visible.
Just as it is necessary to churn milk in order to obtain butter, in the same manner, by focusing on the knowledge in the Vedanta, reflecting upon the guidance, and constantly meditating can one experience God/Higher Consciousness.
