The Fire of Knowledge

Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj

When the mind and objects of the senses have friction and start to quarrel, the firewood is kindled which burns the forest of Ignorance and destroys it. One who makes friends with and accepts the Sadguru, receives the "Blessing of the Guru". One whose Ignorance is destroyed by the fire of the blessing of the guru attains Self-Knowledge. When one becomes stirred because of God's Grace, and becomes resolute in attitude, then how much longer can he indulge in mundane life? He gets so fed up with the world that the beasts of the world, the jackals, dogs, and tigers of lust, anger, greed, etc., start running away because the jungle of worldly life is on fire, and the forest of Ignorance is burning up. 

When one gives up the attachments of affection and possessions, all diseases and calamities run away. The ties of affection and the sense of belonging are the thorns of life. With Self-Knowledge, these thorns of falsehood begin burning. The python of enticement is incinerated. Even the death that is Time, which means the advancing of moments, starts burning and gets burned down. The tiger of egoism cannot find anywhere to run away. The force of the "Fire of Knowledge" is very flammable. It burns down everything in the Illusion and then itself becomes extinguished after it exhausts its own burning power. Such is the greatness of the Fire of Knowledge.