Letter # 43: “Candle In The Dark”

Historians might debate the actual birth date of Christ but here in the northern hemisphere, where Christ was born, the dark season around the winter solstice is quite fitting for His birthday. You can depend on God to light a candle in the dark. John 8:12 affirms: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Buddha, the Prophet Mohammed, Guru Nanak and many other “avatars” (representatives or incarnations) also appeared during “dark” times, the times of great strife and war. Buddha appeared to rectify the corrupt ways of the people who were defiling the spiritual messages of the holy Vedas. Mohammed appeared during the great strife between the Roman and the Persian empires. While praying in a cave, Mohammed experienced a bright light and then, through revelation, he spoke the holy poetry of the Koran. Guru Nanak appeared during the strife created by the Mogul invasion of India. He delivered the holy poetry called the Gurbani. In the Vedic text, the Bhagavad Gita, Lord krishna explains that He incarnates as an “avatar”, a representative, to rectify matters during times of strife. “Yadah yadah he dharmasya glanih” which verses are translated in full as: “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious (spiritual) practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” BG 4:7-8.
As we approach Christmas, light the candle in your heart; and remember: “He (God) is the source of light in all luminous objects. He is beyond the darkness of matter and is unmanifested. He is knowledge. He is the object of knowledge, and He is the goal of knowledge. He is situated in everyone’s heart.” BG 13.18

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.
I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
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References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" (As translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" by Srila Prabhupada (ISBN 0-89213-268-X); "I Am That" Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.