Heat and Light

”May the Supreme Lord who controls all the living entities, engage our senses including our mind and intelligence on the spiritual path to obtain purity. The presiding deities of all the senses, using the light from fire, may help by retracting our senses from external sense gratification and steadily engaging them in devotional service. While using one’s full capacity and ability everyone should steadily try to worship the Supreme Lord to reach the spiritual world to eternally enjoy there.”

yunjanah prathamam manas tattvaya savita dhiyah
agner jyotir nicayya prthivya adhy abharata
yuktena manasa vayam devasya savituh save
suvargeyaya saktya

PURPORT BY SRI KRSNA BALARAM SWAMIJI

Being limited in every way the living entity has no capacity to independently control their senses from engaging in sense gratification and to engage them steadily in the Lord’s service. For this purpose this verse indicates that one should pray for the Lord’s mercy to obtain the capacity to become steady in the devotional path and obtain purity. Purity is the force on the spiritual path because purity invites the Lord to manifest before the seeker. Fire has two aspects; heat and light. Heat purifies everything and light becomes the medium to visualize things in their true perspective. Therefore obtaining help from the presiding deities and the light from fire the ultimate human goal of reaching the spiritual world can be realized.

[Svetasvatara Upanisad, 2.1, KBS0011]