Editorial

For many of us, the constellations in the sky, in the night as in the day, are our constant companions, our childhood friends that may have weaved many a fantasy in the secret of our hearts and minds. Stars, they are all the more special because they do not swim alone in the sky, as the mighty and majestic Sun appears to do so in daytime. Stars are special. They glimmer. They are like glittering diamonds in the velvety night sky. It was no wonder then that they became our instant childhood friends with our first nursery rhyme, written by a Jane Taylor, 1806:

‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,
How I wonder what you are?
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!’

Incidentally, music to this age-old rhyme was set by Mozart. The tune was composed for a French song and later took on the lyrics of ‘The Star’.

With us, stars share the same cycle of birth, growth and death and disintegration. However, unlike our earthly body, they enjoy millions to billions of years in the universe.

Stars are formed in regions of high density of interstellar particles known as nebulae. Gas and dust condense to form stars, which contract under their own gravity. Nuclear fusion takes place in the core of the stars to give rise to energy, heat and light energy. The temperature of a star can reach up to 15 million degrees Centigrade. The Sun is the largest and brightest star. The rest of the stars appear in the night sky when the largest star is not near enough to outshine them. The brightest night star is Sirius. A glance upwards, and Sirius appears, big and brilliant, twinkling nicely.

But why are stars so special? Is it because they appear to float far above us in the sky, beyond our reach and yet like gems, beautiful, shimmering and twinkling with life? Is it because they are always there in the sky? In a recent conversation, someone queried interestedly, why stars are given to children for good work, the many stars, the better and brighter. Actors and actresses are acclaimed as stars. Then, valour is rewarded with badges of stars. Flags that declare nationhood are adorned with stars, each star carrying its distinctive meaning. There are 50 stars on the flag of the United States of America, each star denoting a state. There are five stars on the flag of Singapore, each shining as democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality respectively, proclaiming ideals that the nation lives up to, upholds and safeguards.

Then there is the Star of David. Biblical references point us also to the star of David as the shield of David, the shield being God, who shielded David of the Bible in Battle as well as during his flight from Saul.

Sri Aurobindo’s symbol is basically a 6-pointed star, formed from the merger of two triangles, one ascending and the other descending, at the centre. In the Mother’s words:

“The descending triangle represents Sat-Chit-Ananda. The ascending triangle represents the aspiring answer from matter under the form of life, light and love. The junction of both, the central square: is the perfect manifestation having at its centre the Avatar of the Supreme – the lotus. The water: inside the square – represents the multiplicity, creation.”

Such is the nature of stars. There is an air of sacredness around stars since they are found in ethereal spaces and filled with an undying beauty, emitting light with seems like joy. They embody eternal beauty, hope and the promise of a greater day to be.

Let us flip the pages and discover how more they are made to occupy a place very close to our being and our lives, egging us on to always look up, above the daily trudge of life (if trudge it is) and reach out for the stars, and in doing so, exceeding our selves and natures, heading towards vistas vast.