After the night of doubt, Arjun felt lighter, as though something had burned away. Yet, the path ahead was not clear. He realized that though he had faced fear, desire, and memory, there were still parts of himself he refused to look at—shadows he kept hidden.
One evening, while meditating, these shadows emerged. He saw himself not as a seeker, but as a man of pride, secretly craving recognition. He saw envy, anger, and even moments of cruelty he had buried deep.
At first, he recoiled. "This is not me," he thought. "I am pure, I am walking the eternal path." But the shadows grew louder, mocking him:
"You hide behind silence, but you long to be admired."
"You speak of peace, but you have known rage."
"You seek truth, yet you run from yourself."
Arjun's chest tightened. He wanted to reject these parts, to push them back into the dark. But then he remembered another teaching:
"The shadow is not your enemy. What you reject becomes stronger. What you accept transforms into light."
With trembling breath, he turned toward the shadows. He looked at his pride, his anger, his envy—not as enemies, but as wounded children. He whispered, "I see you. I accept you. You are a part of me."
Something unexpected happened. The shadows softened. The mocking voices grew quiet. Pride revealed itself as a longing for worth. Anger became strength waiting to be guided. Envy was a sign of his hidden desires.
By embracing them, he did not fall into darkness; instead, he felt whole for the first time.
When he opened his eyes, the moon reflected on the river, its light touching even the darkest waters. Arjun realized that enlightenment was not about destroying the shadows, but about shining light upon them.
He smiled faintly and whispered,
"To walk the eternal path, I must walk with all of myself—light and shadow alike."