Fire imagery plays
a significant role in the Bhagavad Gita. Throughout the text, it is used most
often to express the Brahman, or the ultimate state of being. In its
association with this spiritual release, it is portrayed as a sublime force.
However, various exceptions complicate this characterization. When the text associates
fire with vulnerability, it contradicts its other assertions regarding fire’s
power. In this way, it suggests the tenuousness of one’s place in the Brahman.
This in turn provides a basis for the text’s emphasis on maintaining spiritual
awareness.
Because fire connotes elucidation and strength,
its connection with the Brahman expresses the intensity of this condition. Readers of
the Gita continually encounter images such as “the fire of God,” “the fire of
an inner union,” and “the fire of eternal wisdom” (4:25; 4:27; 4:37). Together,
these pairings suggest dazzling clarity. Nevertheless, the text does not always
present fire in a positive light. For example, it asserts that “all is clouded
by desire: as fire by smoke” and that “desire…like a fire, cannot find
satisfaction” (3:38,39). In both cases, it portrays this element as incomplete.
In the first case, fire is susceptible, lacking a defense against its own byproduct.
In the second case, it is always hungry, striving to fill a vacuum that cannot
be filled. This weakness provides a sharp contrast against the vivid strength
highlighted at other times.
Hence, the text
demonstrates the complexity of the Brahman—or rather, of existing in it. In
order to achieve and maintain this harmony, people must be aware of themselves
and their nature. Like fire, humans are vulnerable; they continually need to be
“fed” and are propelled by endless desires. Such flaws can prevent them from
ever accomplishing the brilliance of which they are capable. By using fire to
establish this relationship, the Bhagavad Gita sets the stage for its repeated
warnings about the correct way of living. It shows that the Brahman, though
dazzling, does not come—or stay—easily. With this context, the Gita provides a
foundation for its emphasis on mindfulness.
Emily- I think that your observations about fire are completely valid. I also noticed while reading how often fire imagery showed up. I like the idea that fire can represent two sides—destruction and sustenance of life. Krishna says, “Just as flaming fire reduces wood to ashes, Arjuna, so the fire of knowledge reduces all actions to ashes” (56). Here, Krishna is illustrating to Arjuna how actions are reduced to nothing if one has knowledge. Knowledge is compared to this bright burning force of fire and fire can be both destructive and life sustaining. Krishna is invoking a separation; actions may be destructive or may be life sustaining but it is ultimately knowledge that should always determines actions. I thought that this was just another great passage that uses fire imagery and once again emphasizes how fire plays multiple roles.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of fire as a form of purity could also be explored. The fire symbolizes the transformation of the humdrum doings of a human's life into spiritual purity. As illustrated in the plenary, fire also serves to consume the offerings of mortals and bear them up to the gods in the guise of Agni. This action makes it clear that fire is something spiritually significant, something that can bridge the gaps between worlds, though one must be careful to remember that many of the actions that fuel this fire are of impure nature and will cause smoke. Emily sums it up well with her second to last sentence -- true purity is difficult to achieve.
ReplyDeleteI find Marlee's point about Knowledge being a burning force that can either be used for good or bad to be very interesting. This idea seems to relate back to Genesis and the tree of knowledge, also known as the tree of good and evil. Moreover both texts seem to be saying that knowledge is something that leads to all good and bad.
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