Category:Darkness of This Material World
Theme Analysis
The "darkness of this material world" is not just a metaphor for ignorance but a description of its constitutional nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the material universe (tamas) is inherently dark and lifeless, requiring external illumination from the sun, moon, and fire. In contrast, the spiritual world is self-effulgent (jyoti). The Vedic injunction tamasi mā jyotir gama—"Don't remain in darkness; go to the light"—is the central instruction for the human being. To stay in the material world means to rot in darkness and anxiety. However, the darkness of this world is dissipated by the "moons" of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, and their associates, as well as by the chanting of the holy name.
- Inherent Darkness: The material world is dark by nature; without the sun or electricity, we cannot see.
- Artificial Light: We rely on artificial sources of light, whereas the spiritual world needs no such aid.
- The Vedic Command: The purpose of human life is to leave this dark atmosphere and return to the kingdom of light.
- Agents of Enlightenment: Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda, and the pure devotees act like suns and moons to chase away this darkness.
- The Path Out: Bhakti-yoga and the holy name are the means to transfer oneself from darkness to light.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Leaving the World of Darkness.
Pages in category "Darkness of This Material World"
The following 69 pages are in this category, out of 69 total.
A
- Actual life, this human form of life, is meant for to get out of this darkness of material world. Tamasi ma jyotir gama. This is the information, Vedic information - Don't remain in this darkness
- All glories to Sri Caitanya, who acted as the eastern horizon where the sun of the atmarama verse rose. He manifested its rays in the form of different meanings and thus eradicated the darkness of the material world. May He protect the universe
- All glories to Svarupa Damodara and Murari Gupta! All these brilliant moons have together dissipated the darkness of this material world
- All Vedic literature instructs us not to remain in this darkness. The nature of this material world is darkness, but the spiritual world is full of light and yet is not illumined by fire or electricity
- Although this material world is nothing but darkness, people are very proud of their eyes. They are always saying, "Can you show me God?" The answer to that is: "Have you the eyes to see God?" Why is the emphasis placed on seeing
- As darkness is situated far away from the sun, so the material world is also far away from the spiritual world
- As for the material creation, Brahma is the first created person. Before Brahma there was no living creature within this material world; it was void & dark until Brahma was born on the lotus flower that sprouted from the abdomen of Garbhodakasayi Visnu
- As long as a living entity is in this dark material world, he is in conditional life. BG 1972 purports
- As sunshine dissipates the darkness of this material world, the effulgence emanating from the body of the Lord immediately dries up the darkness in the heart of the conditioned soul
- As the rising sun immediately dissipates all the world's darkness, which is deep like an ocean, so the holy name of the Lord, if chanted once without offenses, dissipates all the reactions of a living being’s sinful life
- At present, for want of Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness, the entire world is in darkness, having been covered by the four principles of sinful life - meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling and intoxication
B
- Because their (those who want to remain in this material world) senses are uncontrolled, they gradually descend to the darkest regions of material existence to repeat the same process of birth and death in desirable or undesirable species of life
- Because this world is dark, therefore you can conclude by logical argument there must be another world which is full of light. That is not very difficult to understand
I
- If Krsna consciousness is preached all over the world, the darkness of ignorance and the anxiety of material existence will turn into the whiteness of purity, peacefulness and prosperity
- If they (people) are at all fortunate, they become interested in going back home, back to Godhead, but unless they understand the spiritual world, they rot in this material darkness continuously
- If you are actually interested something which is beyond this tama, this darkness of material world, then you require a guru. Otherwise it is not for you
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that one should inquire from a spiritual master about subjects that are "beyond this darkness." This material world is by nature dark, and it is artificially lighted by fire
- In the material world, sunshine, moonshine or different kinds of artificial light are required to dispel darkness, especially at night, for by nature the material world is dark
- In the material world, which is full of darkness and dangers, combined with birth and death and full of different anxieties, the only way to get out of the great entanglement is to accept loving transcendental devotional service to Lord Vasudeva
- In the spiritual world, which is tamasah para, which is beyond this darkness of this material world, there is jyoti
- In the verse 2 of the CC, the author offers his obeisances to Caitanya & Lord Nityananda. He compares Them to the sun & the moon because They dissipate the darkness of the material world. In this instance the sun & the moon have risen together - CC Intro
- In this material world, every living entity is covered by the darkness of ignorance. Therefore the Vedas enjoin that one should approach the Supreme Lord through the spiritual master, who is described and offered prayers in the Gautamiya-tantra
- It is stated in CC Madhya 22.31: Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience." This material world is full of darkness and ignorance of spiritual life, but by bhakti-yoga this ignorance is dissipated
K
- Krsna hints of this (material world is darkness, but the spiritual world is light) in the Fifteenth Chapter of BG: That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world - 15.6
- Krsna is just like sun, and maya, illusion, is just like darkness. So as the sun being present, there is no access of darkness, similarly, if you keep Krsna always within your heart, there is no more darkness of this material world
- Krsna is just like the sun, and maya or material existence is just like darkness. Wherever there is the light of the sun, darkness or ignorance at once vanishes. The best means to get out of the world of ignorance is suggested here
- Krsna is so kind. Because you cannot see without sunshine, without light - this place (material world) is dark - therefore in daytime there is sunshine; at night there is moonshine. Everything is arranged there
- Krsna passed over all these planets and reached the covering of the universe. This covering is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam as great darkness. The material world as a whole is described as dark
L
- Lord Caitanya & Nityananda are compared to the sun & moon in that They dissipate the darkness of the material world. In this instance both the sun and moon have risen together, and it is proper to offer obeisances directly to Lord Caitanya and Nityananda
- Lord Visnu is the creator of this material world, He is free, by His own energy, from the influence of the material energy. By His internal potency He can pierce the darkness of the material energy
M
- Material world means darkness wherein you cannot understand what is God, what you are. That is material world. They are very busy in this material world, but they do not know where they are going
- More or less, when it is night everyone is afraid, either in the city or in the village. However, as soon as the sun rises, everyone is relieved. Similarly, this material world is dark by nature
O
S
- Since darkness stands in the absence of the sun, it is therefore relative to the sun. The spiritual world is compared to the real sunshine, and the material world is compared to the dark regions where the sun is not visible
- Sri Vidura said: O great mystic, O greatest of all devotees, by your causeless mercy I have been shown the path of liberation from this world of darkness. By following this path, a person liberated from the material world can return home, back to Godhead
T
- Tama means darkness. Anything of this material world, that is in darkness because this material world is dark. You know that the whole world, whole universe, is dark. Therefore there is requisition of the sunlight, moonlight, electricity
- Tamas means darkness. The material world is dark, and beyond the material world is light
- Tamas means this material world or darkness, and uttamam means that which is transcendental to material activities. BG 1972 purports
- Tamaso ma jyotir gama. The Vedic instruction is that, "Don't keep yourself in this darkness of material world. Come out to the spiritual world." Jyotir gama
- The energy of Yogamaya and Mahamaya keeps the living entities sleeping in this material world in the great darkness of ignorance
- The material world is dark, and beyond the material world is light. In other words, after passing through the entire material atmosphere, one can come to the luminous spiritual sky, whose impersonal effulgence is known as Siddhaloka
- The material world is in such darkness, and people are taking on one body after another. The Krsna consciousness movement is therefore here to give enlightenment and liberation
- The mukti means to go out of this ignorance of the darkness of this material world
- The primary information of the kingdom of God informs us that there is no need of sun, moon or electricity, which are all necessary in this material world of darkness
- The spiritual master, or acarya - he can give up his conditional life in a material body and return home, back to Godhead. However, if he wants to keep himself in the darkness of this material world, he can do so
- The spiritual world is brightly illuminated, but the material world is wrapped in darkness
- The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me. BG 15.12 - 1972
- The Vedas direct everyone not to remain in the darkness of the material world but to go towards the light of the spiritual kingdom far beyond the material sky
- The Vedas enjoin: "Don't remain in the darkness of this material world. Go to the light of the spiritual world." To counteract the distress of this material body, one has to take on another distressed condition. Both situations are only illusion
- The Vedic information is, "Do not remain in the darkness. Come to the light." But that education is wanting. That is called mukti, to get out of the darkness of ignorance and darkness of this material world
- The whole Vedic literature is meant for taking you to the spiritual world. Tamasi ma jyotir gama: Don't remain in this material world of darkness. Come to the spiritual world
- The Yamadutas said to the Visnudutas, By your bodily features you appear to be very exalted gentlemen, and you have such celestial power that you have dissipated the darkness of this material world
- They (nirvisesavadi, sunyavadi) cannot understand, because they are in the tama, in this darkness of material world. They are disgusted with this material world. They want to make it zero, nirvana
- This human form of life, is meant for to get out of this darkness of material world. Tamasi ma jyotir gama. This is the information, Vedic information, "Don't remain in this darkness." Darkness . . . this, this material world is dark
- This material world is a dark well of ignorance. The fallen soul in this dark well must take shelter of the lotus feet of Gaura-Nitai, for thus he can easily emerge from material existence
- This material world is always dark; therefore we require the sun, moon and electricity. The Vedas enjoin us not to remain in this darkness but to transfer ourselves to the world of illumination, the spiritual world
- This material world is called tamah, dark, and the spiritual world is called light. The Vedas enjoin that everyone should try to get out of the darkness and go to the kingdom of light
- This material world is dark, is always dark. Therefore here we require the sun and the moon and the electric light. Otherwise, it is dark. As soon as the electricity will fail, then whole city will be in darkness
- This whole world is in darkness, demonic civilization. And India, there is the remedy. So if the Indians take advantage and make his life perfect and then go to the Western countries and distribute this immortal knowledge, that is real business of India
U
- Uttama means "the knowledge which is beyond this material darkness." This material world is called darkness, and when the knowledge surpasses this material world, material knowledge, that is really called uttama
- Uttamam refers to that which is above material knowledge. Tama means "the darkness of this material world," and ut means "transcendental"