The Mirror of Reality

Story

Aarti, a nine-year-old girl, was sitting in her room. She had a puzzled look on her face. Her grandmother came into her room and saw Aarti confused and troubled.

She asked, “Aarti, why do you look so disturbed?”

"Grandmother," asked Aarti, "Today my teacher said that everything is connected, and we are all part of something called Brahman. She also said that Brahman is consciousness, but I don’t understand this. How am I connected to Brahman? I feel like I am just me—Aarti!"

Grandmother smiled. "That’s a wonderful question, Aarti! Let me explain it with a little game. Go get a mirror from my room."

Aarti ran inside and brought back a shiny mirror.

"Now, "Grandmother said, "hold the mirror up to your face. What do you see?"

"I see myself!" Aarti replied, giggling.

"Good. Now hold it up to that tree over there. What do you see?"

"I see the tree!" Aarti said, pointing to the reflection.

Grandmother nodded. "And if you hold it up to the sky?"

"I see the clouds!" Aarti exclaimed.

"Exactly, "said Grandmother. "Now tell me, is the mirror changing into you, the tree, or the clouds?"

Aarti shook her head. "No, Grandmother. The mirror is still just a mirror."

"Right," Grandmother said. "The mirror reflects whatever is in front of it, but it doesn’t become those things. It stays the same. That’s how consciousness works."

Aarti tilted her head. "Consciousness? What’s that?"

Grandmother gave a warm smile again. "Consciousness is like the mirror. It’s the awareness inside you that lets you see, hear, and think. Just like the mirror reflects the world, consciousness reflects everything you experience—your thoughts, feelings, and the world around you. But it never changes. It’s always there."

Aarti thought for a moment. "So, my consciousness is like a mirror inside me?"

"Yes," Grandmother said. "And here’s the amazing part. That same consciousness is inside everyone and everything. It’s not just ‘your’ consciousness or ‘my’ consciousness. It’s the same in all of us. That is Brahman or God—the big, infinite consciousness that connects everything."

Aarti’s eyes widened. "Wow! So, I’m like the mirror, and everything I see is part of Brahman?"

"Exactly, "Grandmother said. "When you understand that, you realise that you’re not just Aarti. You’re also part of the tree, the clouds, and even me! We’re all connected through the infinite consciousness called Brahman."

Aarti smiled. "That’s so cool, Grandmother. It’s like we’re all different reflections in one big, shiny mirror!"

Grandmother patted Aarti’s head. "You’ve got it, my girl. That’s what the wise sages meant when they said, Pragyanam Brahma, Consciousness is Brahman."

And with that, Aarti felt a new kind of happiness, knowing that she was part of something so big and beautiful.

Just like a mirror reflects everything without changing itself, consciousness reflects all our experiences while remaining unchanged.