Clouds Cannot Cover the Sky
Bala Kanda, Chaupai 117
Doha 117 · Movement 1 of 2
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Ignorance fails to recognize its own confusion and then attributes that confusion to the Lord. Clouds cross the sky, and the foolish declare that the sky itself has been covered. Fingers press against the eyes, and one moon appears as two. Darkness, smoke, and dust seem to stain the open vastness though none can cling to it.
So delusion concerning Ram belongs to the beholder, not to Ram. Gods, humans, and creatures move under Maya in differing degrees of awareness, but the light by which every degree is known comes from the same eternal Lord of Ayodhya.
Ram illumines the world and is himself self-luminous. He is Maya's master, the dwelling of knowledge and virtue. Through his reality, inert Maya seems real and the pageant of multiplicity gains its convincing depth. Yet the sky remains untouched while every cloud is born, changes shape, and passes away.
Clouds gather and divide, but the sky of Ram remains measureless and clear.
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AI-created devotional illustration · Chaupai 117
Cloud/sun analogy, witness भानु retained distinctly from snapshot मानु
Source reference and artistic choices
Gita Press code81 undated · PDF pages 131 · printed pages 129. Reader passage: bala-kanda-chaupai-117. Printed numbering may differ.
Source facts
- Shiva compares mistaken attribution of delusion to seeing cloud sheet and saying the sun is covered
- Witness names भानु sun; snapshot मानु remains unedited variant, selected symbolic comparison only
Artistic choices
- One golden sun disc behind layered bluegrey clouds, radiating glasssegments/floralarch/mountain/forest/water strip exact imaginary embodiment of source analogy, no actual witnessed event/solarphysics/geographical reconstruction
- No Rama transformed into sun, actual impaired person/two physicalmoons or literal illumination-chain figures, comparison not visualproof of metaphysicalstate
An imaginative interpretation, not a historical portrait or documentary evidence.
निज भ्रम नहिं समुझहिं अग्यानी। प्रभु पर मोह धरहिं जड़ प्रानी।। जथा गगन घन पटल निहारी। झाँपेउ मानु कहहिं कुबिचारी।। चितव जो लोचन अंगुलि लाएँ। प्रगट जुगल ससि तेहि के भाएँ।। उमा राम बिषइक अस मोहा। नभ तम धूम धूरि जिमि सोहा।। बिषय करन सुर जीव समेता। सकल एक तें एक सचेता।। सब कर परम प्रकासक जोई। राम अनादि अवधपति सोई।। जगत प्रकास्य प्रकासक रामू। मायाधीस ग्यान गुन धामू।। जासु सत्यता तें जड माया। भास सत्य इव मोह सहाया।।
The ignorant do not recognise their own delusion. These dull creatures project confusion (moha) upon the Lord Himself. Just as foolish people, seeing a curtain of clouds across the sky, declare that the sun has been covered over.