JUST AS FIRE REDUCES FUEL TO ASHES — This example has been given by the Lord in His sheer fatherly love for Arjuna. These words, familiar in all Yajnashalas, when used apart from their word meaning, are capable of creating, in their association, brilliant suggestions of a serene atmosphere and a thrilled sense of divinity.

Besides, the example is very striking. Whatever be the quality, shape, condition, colour, etc., of the fuel pieces, when all of them are taken to the fire-place and digested by the fire, they become one homogeneous mass of ash! In the samples of ash left in the hearth we cannot recognise the ash of a particular twig as different from that of another. Similarly, all Karmas, it is said, good, bad, or indifferent, get burnt up in the ‘Fire of Knowledge’ and will become something altogether different from what they were in their cause-and-effect condition. Solid fuel having girth, weight, smell, etc., becomes almost weightless, with no specific colour except a light-greyness, when it comes to the final state of ash.

Actions leave reactions. The reactions mature at different periods of time depending upon the quality and intensity of the actions. From beginningless time, in our different manifestations, we have been, at every moment, acting in our ego-centric vanity and individuality. All those actions must have left their residual impressions and they have to be lived through.

This entire Karma has been scientifically considered as falling under three classifications. They are called “not yet operative” (Sanchita), “operative” (Prarabdha), and “to be operative in future” (Agami). When, in the Geeta, it is said that all Karmas are burnt down, the Lord means the entire Sanchita and Agami.

WHEREFORE:

O Arjuna, yatha, as; a samiddhah, blazing; agnih, fire, a well lighted fire; kurute, reduces; edhamsi, pieces of wood; bhasmasat, to ashes; tatha, similarly; jnanagnih, the fire of Knowledge-Knowledge itself being the fire; kurute, reduces; bhasmasat, to ashes; sarva-karmani, all actions, i.e. it renders them ineffective, for the fire of Knowledge itself cannot directly [Knowledge destroys ignorance, and thereby the idea of agentship is eradicated. This in turn makes actions impossible.] burn actions to ashes, like pieces of wood. So, the idea implied is that full enlightenment is the cuase of making all actions impotent. From the force the context [If the body were to die just with the dawn of Knowledge, imparting of Knowledge by enlightened persons would be impossible, and thus there would be no teacher to transmit Knowledge!] it follows that, since the result of actions owing to which the present body has been born has already become effective, therefore it gets eshausted only through experiencing it. Hence, Knowledge reduces to ashes only all those actions that were done (in this life) prior to the rise of Knowledge and that have not become effective, as also those performed along with (i.e. after the dawn of) Knowledge, and those that were done in the many past lives. Since this is so, therefore,