Pratiksha Apurv writes in Speaking Tree (The Times of India) on September 25, 2026
Human life is like a sacred fire originating from an earthen lamp, and it consists of three dimensions – body, mind, and soul. The clay of lamp represents the body, a physical form that seeks comfort and safety through our sensory experiences. The wick symbolises mind, which is basically home to memories, ego, identity, our never-ending needs and desires. The oil represents our emotions, attachments, and the continuous stream of mental activity. When the mind’s wick is soaked in oil of worldly craving, without light of awareness, it is cloaked in darkness and confusion. Yajur Ved says, ‘Jyotisa badhate tamah’, meaning light dispels darkness. Indicating the inner light of consciousness.
The lamp’s flame symbolises human awareness, inspiring us to seek a higher truth beyond the material world. The clay vessel cannot create light on its own because it is only a medium. Yet its role remains vital, because it holds the flame. The body serves as the essential foundation for mind and consciousness to express themselves. The body is thus a sacred temple housing higher truth, which is why caring for it and keeping it healthy is vital for us.
We must also understand that the material and spiritual worlds complement each other. To see their unity, we must look beyond the clay vessel and focus on the flame burning within. Free from desire, greed, and worry, our inner light transforms us. Meditation and mindfulness can reveal a luminous awareness. Sant Kabir talks about the ‘unstruck’ sound, the infinite light that always lives within us.
According to Kabir, when awareness awakens, it transcends limits of body and mind and dissolves into that timeless cosmic fire, where the cycle of birth and death ends. He observed, ‘Sab andhiyara mit gaya, deepak dekhya maahin’ – all darkness disappears, when the lamp within the heart appears. Buddha saw the extinguished flame not as death, but as complete freedom, since it merged with the ultimate. His final words to his disciples were – ‘Be your own light’, which reminds us that liberation comes from within.
Thoughts and emotions are not adversaries; they are essential fuel.
Osho described human awareness as an inner flame. This deeper fire yearns to go beyond the mechanical cycle of repetition and decay. Osho said meditation is the effort to widen your inner flame until you become light itself. When this fire fully ignites, only the pure gold of your being remains. When the inner flame burns steadily, the mind falls silent and connects to the cosmic fire. The body then becomes a vehicle, not a prison, and it illuminates our existence. When attachment to the material evaporates, it reveals divinity in everything.
Today, as the world faces war and conflict, kindling this inner lamp is essential. When desires, thoughts, feelings and ego cease to trigger external conflict, they become fuel for consciousness. It dispels illusion and reveals our divine nature.
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