Ignorance -- as explained in Bhaagwad Geeta

Ignorance—one of the main subjects discussed in Bhaagwad Geeta is as complicated to understand as understanding the modern String theory. If population on the planet earth were surveyed to be divided statistically, the results may end up skewed or there may be 7.8 billion different definitions—that is the amount of the current world population. To me, ignorance is simply a state of mind that pushes us into a dark den. It is like dragging oneself into the black whole, at which point, it is impossible to return to reality. So, what is this state of mind? Is sleep a state of mind? Yes, it is. Geeta says, “Sleep is one form of ignorance”. How and why? Firstly, by the virtue of science, we know that sleep is a state of mind when our conscious level drops; the brain cells start the repairs and maintenance, and we fall prey to dreams and nightmares. One tends to be ignorant in the sleep mode. However, there is a catch—at some point, we return to reality when we wake up. (I know, it wasn’t a hidden somewhere catch) It makes this process a physical process unlike ignorance, which is purely a state of mind that is psychological and not physical. It is hard to get out of the psychological trap, and thus Geeta says, “Do not let the vicious circle of ignorance trap and destroy you.” What are the other examples of ignorance? Materialism? Materialistic person is like a person in a state of sleep, unknown of self-realization due to their ignorance. Lust? Lust is a symbol of ignorance too—and lust can be of several kinds. For instance, licking on a bottle of honey is also lust. Lust does not mean the sexual lust only. What does make materialism and lust a state of ignorance? Ignorance is like turning away from reality. When we become materialistic, we tend to forget that a fancy material to us can be a necessity for many in the world. Licking the bottle of the honey sitting at the top-shelve of the kitchen, which apparently was placed at the height to be purposely hidden, is like a man sitting in OBGYN clinic room alone staring at the bold pictures so he can ejaculate in a tiny plastic bottle and satisfy his desire of becoming a father. While licking the bottle, we are being ignorant towards the fact that our saliva, which at this point is hanging on the bottle as a transparent gloss, may not taste delicious to others in the house. “The individual souls are eternally separated parts of the supreme soul”—as Geeta says. The atomic energy that made us, that we have within ourselves is separated from one unified atomic energy [remember the Big Bang—reason for our existence]. The goal is to go back to the unification. Under the influence of ignorance, it is impossible to comprehend that the world is a miserable place, full of dangers at every step, and that it will be barring us from merging into that unification. There are dangers to the most dangerous people also in the world—no one is safe from the trap of ignorance. Do not make yourself so shallow that you miss the awareness of the time when you walked on that path. Elevate yourself from this mode. Our body is perishable in this miserable world. This sinful life is the result of ignorance one committed in several of his past lifetimes. Ignorant life will keep leading us to another ignorant life. Liberate yourself. Knowledge will give us the liberation. Rip up the ignorance with the weapon of knowledge.