Thousands of Suns!
Jul 18, 2022by Nayaswami Narayan
Have you seen the new NASA outer space images? About a week ago NASA revealed the first images from their new James Webb Telescope. They are calling it the “new dawn of an era in astronomy.” When you see the images you can understand why. They are absolutely breathtaking! As NASA administrator, Bill Nelson said, “today we present humanity with a groundbreaking new view of the cosmos–a view the world has never seen before.”
The first image (above) from the new telescope shows a galaxy cluster known as “Webb’s first deep field.” About this image NASA said, "If you held a grain of sand on the tip of your finger at arm's length, that is the part of the universe you are seeing — just one little speck of the universe.” What’s even more astounding is that this one small speck of sky (the size of a grain of sand) comprises thousands of galaxies! It reminds me of Paramhansa Yogananda’s chant, “Thousands of Suns”:
Who tells me Thou art dark, O my Mother Divine?
Thousands of suns and moons from Thy Body do shine!
From this new space image we can see the truth that thousands of suns and moons do shine in every speck of space!
But what about our inner reality? If the outward universe is ever expanding and mind-blowingly infinite, what hope is there that God cares about us personally? There is a story from the life of Yogananda that answers this question:
A scientist once challenged Paramhansa Yogananda: “Considering the vastness of the universe, with its countless billions of galaxies, surely it is superstitious to believe that the Creator of this immensity listens to our prayers.”
“Your conception of Infinity is too finite!” rejoined the Master with ready wit. “Although the Lord is infinitely vast, He is also, in His infinity, infinitesimal.
“Infinity means, ‘without end.’ The infinity of God’s consciousness goes not only outward, but inward—to the very heart of the atom. He is as conscious of every human thought, of every feeling, as He is of the movements of vast galaxies in space.”
- from The Essence of Self-Realization
If God does reach into the farthest depths of our being, how, then, do we realize Him within? Just as the NASA scientists peered into the sky with a new telescope, we need to become “technological yogis” and learn to use our all seeing telescopic third eye of intuition.
Try meditating on the spiritual eye, midway between the eyebrows. Adjust the instruments of your heart, your mind, and soul on that inner telescope. Then as Jesus Christ said, “When Thine Eye Be Single, Thy Whole Body Shall Be Full of Light.”
Yogananda described the third eye inner awakening as the light of Self-realization:
“If your whole body is filled with astral light and wisdom, all physical and mental darkness will be gone, and the whole cosmos will be seen as filled with cosmic light, cosmic wisdom, and joy. Just as a brightly shining candle gives light, so when this light of Self-realization will be fully manifest in you, you will receive indescribable joy and the unending guidance of divine wisdom.”
The joy of thousands of suns and moons to you!
Nayaswami Narayan
