I was sitting in front of God, to offer my prayer this weekend. It is my usual practice to switch off the lights and sit to meditate in silence, with just the oil-wick lamp lit in front of God. The view of God looks so pleasant and powerful in that light.
I was observing the light when offering my prayers and my thoughts started to digress [but towards the good]. I saw the wick in the lamp was a bit bend but the light [or fire] was still upright. It’s a well known unique property of fire that fire is always upright. We can’t see fire flaming downwards. It’s always high in esteem. I started thinking more about fire then...
Fire, one among the FIVE ELEMENTS of nature, is more pious and is used in all religious ceremonies. Without a fire and offerings to fire, a prayer is not complete in Hindu Mythology. I have heard that Shiridi Baba also was doing offerings for Fire in his prayers and that too inside the mosque. Even after His demise, people keep the same fire going till date. It is also ’Nithya Karma' for a bachelor [Brhamacharya] in Brahmin community to offer his prayers to Fire and take its blessings. I have also done it few days [though it is a daily duty] to see how powerful it is. A lot greater about fire, we can add upon. But what makes it special?
I felt it to be pure. The air, water, land, space can all be polluted by humans or by evolution. But Fire is pure and there is nothing like 'Impure Fire' that exists. It either goes off [or] flames up. Till the time it flames up, it converts all that is put into it, into Fire again. We can't pollute fire. So is that given more importance? My mind was thinking...
Might be yes! Though the oil wick faces downwards, the light [or fire] faces only upwards always. Is a woman expected to keep the reputation of the family always high, no matter how irregular/erratic/downwards the family is? Is that the reason why a bride who enters her husband's house made to lit a lamp in front of the God, first?
Marriages are done in front of Fire, keeping it as the witness for the marriage. Does that symbolize “No matter what impurities/obstacles/issues happen in life, the married life [like the fire], should keep going”? I am not sure again!
But these questions came to my mind ... Possibly I thought right about 'Fire'. To the next generation kids, we can give this as a convincing explanation? I am not sure! They might have more questions :-)
Yours Inquisitively,
_Mani
I was observing the light when offering my prayers and my thoughts started to digress [but towards the good]. I saw the wick in the lamp was a bit bend but the light [or fire] was still upright. It’s a well known unique property of fire that fire is always upright. We can’t see fire flaming downwards. It’s always high in esteem. I started thinking more about fire then...
Fire, one among the FIVE ELEMENTS of nature, is more pious and is used in all religious ceremonies. Without a fire and offerings to fire, a prayer is not complete in Hindu Mythology. I have heard that Shiridi Baba also was doing offerings for Fire in his prayers and that too inside the mosque. Even after His demise, people keep the same fire going till date. It is also ’Nithya Karma' for a bachelor [Brhamacharya] in Brahmin community to offer his prayers to Fire and take its blessings. I have also done it few days [though it is a daily duty] to see how powerful it is. A lot greater about fire, we can add upon. But what makes it special?
I felt it to be pure. The air, water, land, space can all be polluted by humans or by evolution. But Fire is pure and there is nothing like 'Impure Fire' that exists. It either goes off [or] flames up. Till the time it flames up, it converts all that is put into it, into Fire again. We can't pollute fire. So is that given more importance? My mind was thinking...
Might be yes! Though the oil wick faces downwards, the light [or fire] faces only upwards always. Is a woman expected to keep the reputation of the family always high, no matter how irregular/erratic/downwards the family is? Is that the reason why a bride who enters her husband's house made to lit a lamp in front of the God, first?
Marriages are done in front of Fire, keeping it as the witness for the marriage. Does that symbolize “No matter what impurities/obstacles/issues happen in life, the married life [like the fire], should keep going”? I am not sure again!
But these questions came to my mind ... Possibly I thought right about 'Fire'. To the next generation kids, we can give this as a convincing explanation? I am not sure! They might have more questions :-)
Yours Inquisitively,
_Mani
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