Gita series – part 32. Chapter II. Verses – 69-70. “What appears as darkness (night) to all the creatures, the realized person is awake in that darkness. While all other creatures are awake, for the realised person, it is like darkness wherein he introspects. All material comforts flow towards the self-realized person without causing any changes in him like waters flowing into the ocean without causing any impact on the ocean. He only gets peace and not the one who desires worldly pleasures” says Krishna. The darkness referred here is the darkness of spiritual ignorance. Spiritual ignorance is different from the regular ignorance. The latter is obtained by education and the former is attained by self-control and will power. Spiritual ignorance is also known as ‘avidya’. A person may be highly qualified but if he lacks spiritual wisdom, then he is said to be engulfed by the influence of maya or illusion. It is to be understood that pursuing spiritual path enables a person to concentrate more on his job resulting in better output. This happens on account of developing higher level of awareness. Maya plays a very significant role in retaining a person as spiritual nescient. One has to transcend the effects of maya to evolve spiritual wisdom which is possible only by sincerely practicing internal exploration. This is a slow and gradual process that could take many births. But a beginning is to be made at some point, as one cannot continue to suffer from miseries birth after birth. Krishna says that darkness of maya does not and in fact cannot cast its influence on a self-realized person.

Even if we interpret on the literary sense, a self realized person does not distinguish between day and night as he always stay connected with the Supreme Spirit. Introspection by a self realized person is happening perpetually as he has established a firm commune with God and he stays with Him. Therefore, whatever action he does, he does not take credit for the fruits of such actions as he is incapable of differentiating him with the Supreme Self. Whether it is light or darkness, be it day or night he does not attach importance to such materialistic changes. Since such self-realized person does not have desires, he always remains peaceful. When mental stability is attained, whatever the material comforts one gets without asking for them, will not modify his steadfast mind. He remains contended and either pain or pleasure does not change his attitude. In the absence of desire and attachment, he stays calm resulting in mental peace. Peace is nothing but mental modification without desire, attachment and ego. But the peace is initially disturbed and finally destroyed if the mind gets transmuted to its original mundane form. Though the mind is untransmutable in nature, by practicing meditation, it can be refined and retained.