Mythology is replete with parables, rituals and beliefs centred around the element of Fire. It is considered auspicious in certain religions. There are stories around acquisition or fire and whoever controls it has the power. There are Fire temples around the world and for some religions it forms part of ceremonies.
Some cultures have specific deities connected with fire. Egyptian God ‘Ra’, Hindu Deva ‘Agni, Turkik Deity ‘Alaz’, Roman God ‘Vulcan’, Mayan fire God ‘Huracan’ who created and destroyed humanity. This information is available on the internet if you wish to search and know more.
With abundant stories, there is no coincidence that fire holds a special place in the belief system of various cultures. Here is one such story from the famous Hindu mythology epic ‘The Mahabharata’. This story is an extract from ‘The Bhagavad Gita’ by Paramhansa Yogananda.
Drona and Drupada were close friends. Drupada went on to become King of Panchala. He spurned Drona for seeking favours on the basis of their friendship. The anger engulfed Drona such that he attacked Drupada with the help of Pandavas causing defeat and humiliation. Later Drona released Drupada out of kindness. This dishonor did not go down well with Drupada as he vowed vengeance.
Drupada prayed for a son who had the courage and ability to destroy Drona. He made sacrifices by observing fast and praying to the fire. As the chants reverberated, it is said that a mighty celestial warrior appeared from the sacrificial fire. He was called Dhrishtadyumna, which means bold magnificence.
Paramhansa Yogananda goes out to explain that Drona was a teacher hence habit builder. Even though he was a brilliant teacher, he was partial towards power and desires. Whereas, Drupada represents dispassion. Allegorically, with his ardent devotion, detachment and sacrifices into the fire, Drupada was able to manifest a son who was epitome of courage.
The essence of this story, in one way could be, to achieve something one must sacrifice the baggage. As the sacrifice is made to fire, symbolically it represents hard work and belief in the target to be achieved. Fire is essentially the passion that fuels the journey. There is a famous saying ‘Trial by Fire’. It is the ambition that can burn the laziness and inertia. Symbolically, fire could also be purification of the old, worn out, not so useful habits such as overeating, not exercising, procrastinating, unnecessary worry, gossip and so on.
Here’s an exercise one could practice
- Take a wider look at your life and write down the patterns or low points
- Now analyse the weak points, or things you could have done but did not.
- Write the weaknesses on a piece of paper.
- Simply burn the paper.
- Write positive, encouraging words or goals in a diary. Read them daily before going to bed every day. You can stop this practice whenever you wish to. However, ideally follow a 21-day cycle to see magical results.
One example could be when working with laziness. You could burn laziness written on a piece of paper and affirm to yourself ‘I am active. I am agile. I am strong’
It would be enlightening to know that we have the information inside, just that we need to bring it to awareness and work towards it. The light is always there, how much you ignite it is upon you.