By: BK Sheilu
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/2223/the-daily-guardian/15
Dated: March 29th, 2025

The colour black, and darkness in general, have negative connotations. In common parlance, anything that is sinister, characterized by great unhappiness, or suggestive of evil, is referred to as dark. In European history, there was a period of intellectual decline, barbarity, and frequent wars that is now called the Dark Ages. Similarly, the use of supernatural powers for evil or selfish purposes is referred to as black magic, which is one of the dark arts.

It is in this context that spiritual teachings sometimes refer to individuals as dark or fair, with regard to their qualities and level of purity, and not the colour of their skin, which has more to do with genetic and climatic factors.

In the beginning of the cycle of time, in the Golden Age, when souls are in their highest state of purity, they are free from vices and full of virtues. With the passage of time, the souls are gradually depleted of their purity, peace, and truth as they lose touch with their original identity. They begin to identify themselves with their physical bodies and are engrossed in the physical world around them. The influence of the body gives rise to vices and the souls begin to experience unease, anger, fear etc. Unrighteous actions begin, bringing sorrow. While previously they were unblemished, they get stained by character flaws and, gradually, lose their glow of purity. 

As this decline continues, the souls get darker, stained by ever more vices, until they reach the nadir by the end of the Iron Age, when the world is characterised by unrighteousness and evil. This process of degradation affects every soul, and this fact is depicted in bhakti in the form of Shyam Sundar – Krishna the beautiful one and the dark one. A mythological tale tells us that Shri Krishna, who is extolled as being completely viceless, was bitten by a snake and the poison turned his body black. This story is an allegory for vices entering the human soul and sullying it. Since the soul is invisible, the toxic effect of vices is depicted in the form of a blackened body.

When all souls are darkened by vices, God comes to this world to cleanse them and make them worthy of the Golden Age once again. Everyone is entitled to this rejuvenation, regardless of their religion, race, or gender. For God, all souls are His children and He lovingly restores their original lustre by filling them with His powers and virtues.

BK Sheilu is a Rajyoga teacher 
at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.