Yogananda's The Great Lightland

A Walk in Omnipresence

Sep 5, 2008 Linda Sue Grimes

The speaker in Yogananda's "The Great Lightland" is an advanced yogi who gives listeners a glimpse of what he sees and then demonstrates gratitude for his attainment.

The speaker in Paramahansa Yogananda’s “The Great Lightland” from Songs of the Soul offers his listeners/devotees a foretaste of Omnipresence. He reports that he has “been roaming in Endlessness.” He further describes this thing called “Endlessness” by saying it is the “fire-mist of the great Lightland.”

The Ineffable

Describing the Ineffable in terms of the physical plane of being must be done metaphorically, that is, using the terms of the earthly plane. The speaker, therefore, describes his experience in terms of light calling it the great “Lightland.” The higher worlds of consciousness are built of light more readily recognized as “light” than the gross thickness of the physical world.

The speaker then reports that on that level of consciousness, he is able to “read the meaning of all mysteries.” All things become known to the soul that unites with the Over-Soul. The speaker metaphorically locates that “meaning of all mysteries” on “the scrolls of time.” Through his union with the Divine, the speaker is able to receive answers to all questions that puzzle the earth dweller.

Half-Awake to Earth Life

The speaker then avers that despite his roaming in “Endlessness” in the Land of Light, he still retains his consciousness of his earth life: “I am half-awakenedly / Enjoying the dream of earth-life.” But he is only half interested in earth-life, because the beauty and allure of the land of higher consciousness is so much more charming and satisfying.

Even as the speaker enjoys the “dream of earth-life,” he still “sip[s] the joys / From the cup of delicious meditations.” The speaker has achieved the ability to travel to the great lightland by virtue of having meditated long and deep, yet even in his half-awake earth state, he continues to dip into the calmness and joy of meditation.

Moved to Prayer

The speaker then naturally moves from his description of his adventures in the “Great Lightland” to a prayer to the “Blessedness.” His connection with this Blessedness, while unbroken, may become tenuous on the earth level, so he asks the Divine to “[w]alk with me in my kingdom / Of royal happiness.”

He also asks the Divine Blessedness to “keep me from the dream-nightmare of trialsome life.” Life on earth is, of course, full of trials and tribulations, some so severe as to be likened to “nightmares.” Though the earth-life itself is a dream, its horrors may be metaphorically compared to “nightmares.”

The speaker beseeches the Divine to be with him always as he remains half awake on the earth plane. But this speaker demonstrates his fortunate blessing that he is capable of realizing his unity with the higher planes of consciousness.

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Paramahansa Yogananda