The spark was lit and the flame came into existence.. nascent,
pure and very fragile. She had to be fed with something flammable, dry and lot
of air.. Took a breath in and the flame grew up higher.. spreading the warmth and
light into the cold dark expanse..
An assortment of reactions towards the primordial fire.. fear, awe, trepidation, reverence,
dread, curiosity… However as the fire grew, some learned that it keeps us
warm in the cold.. can scare away large animals.. cook the meat and make food
taste better.. hence she got a lot of
attention and began to spread..
With a God-Like status, and more power, the infamous thing
called ego began to creep up.. power and greed to be all she can be showed the
ugly side of fire… soon became synonymous with destruction, death.. evil…
Maybe she got a feeling that if she had to show her
potential, that meant for her to burn everything on her path.. and this was not
a good image, for it brought fear rather than a sense of gratitude..
However, the very same fire which destroys acquired a
spiritual significance.. It is “Tapas” which literally means fire/heat which
will lead you to attain the state of Nirvana.. It was believed that an offering
to the fire which is made out of grace will reach God. Fire and the Sun were
again revered as a source of life..
Anyway.. I don’t think the evil potential of fire will ever
be forgotten or forgiven. We will always be careful to avoid fire accidents..
but this does not stop us from lighting a flame for the Arthi or performing a
Yajna..
If fire had a mind and a choice, I wonder which way it would
choose.. Maybe that is highly irrelevant..
But what about the fire within us.. Are we going to aim and
let the ego take over and burn away our lives in aimless pursuits… or are we
going to aim to be the pure divine flame which brings warmth in our own lives
and everyone else around us..
