The Seventh Diya: Sama Mohi Maya (Equal Vision)
The seventh flame seemed to burn differently, its light somehow both individual and merged with the others. Dadi’s voice grew contemplative:
“Satavam sama mohi maya jaga dekha, motan santa adhika kari lekha” (सातवं सम मोहि मय जग देखा, मोतें संत अधिक करि लेखा)
“The seventh sees the divine equally in all creation, yet holds saints even higher than God,” she said. “This is the most challenging wisdom, especially in the face of loss.”
She stood slowly and walked to the window, gesturing for Tarkik to join her. The street outside was quiet, but a few lights glowed in neighboring houses.
“Tell me what you see,” she said.
“Houses. The Sharmas’ car. The street dog sleeping under the lamppost. Mrs. Gupta’s garden.”
“Now tell me what you don’t see but know is there.”
Tarkik thought. “Electricity in the wires. Wifi signals. Underground water pipes.”
“Excellent! Just as electricity powers every house but manifests differently—as light here, heat there, motion elsewhere—the divine consciousness powers all life but manifests uniquely. The same life force in that street dog is in you, in me, in the plants.”
“But Dadi,” Tarkik protested, “how can God be in bad people too? What about terrorists, murderers?”
Dadi sighed deeply. “The electricity is present even in a broken bulb, beta, but it cannot shine through. Some humans have so damaged their inner wiring through choices and circumstances that the divine light cannot manifest. But it’s still there, waiting.”
“That seems too forgiving,” Tarkik said flatly.
“Understanding is not forgiving. We can recognize the divine potential in someone while still protecting ourselves from their darkness. But here’s why this matters for grief—when we truly understand that the divine essence in Arjun’s father hasn’t died, only changed form, death becomes not an ending but a transformation.”
She pointed to the stars beginning to appear. “Those stars—some died millions of years ago, but their light reaches us still. Similarly, the love and goodness of those who leave us continue to illuminate. And saints—those who fully manifest divine qualities while living—they show us what’s possible. That’s why we revere them even above our conception of God, because they prove divinity can shine through human form.”
PREVIOUS: The Sixth Diya: Dama Shila Virati (Self-Control and Character)
NEXT: The Eighth Diya: Yathālābha Santosh (Divine Contentment)
