The Fire and the Ecstasy
A Heart in Turmoil
In a sacred land veiled by river mist and banyan shade, lived a brāhmaṇa named Ruci. Externally, he was disciplined — master of śāstra and mantra — but internally, a storm raged.
His heart was a battlefield of desire.
“Why,” he cried before the deity, “do I fall at the feet of lust, though I know the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa are supreme? My knowledge is dry wood, but my passions set it ablaze!”
He vowed: “I will confront this fire, not by fleeing, but by transforming it.”
The Forest of Austerity
Ruci left his home, donning the ochre robe of renunciation. Deep within a silent forest, he began his penance — chanting day and night, living on wild roots, bathing in cool streams.
Yet the fire of lust did not vanish. It burned fiercer, as if defying suppression.
Exhausted, Ruci cried, “O Kṛṣṇa! Let this fire consume me, if You are not within it.”
The Vision of Nṛsiṁhadeva
That night, a brilliant form emerged in his dream — half-man, half-lion — Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Himself.
“This fire,” the Lord said, “is not your enemy. It is My śakti — misplaced, yes, but divine. Redirect it to My service, and it will no longer scorch, but sanctify.”
Ruci awoke as if reborn.
The Return of the Devotee
He returned to the village — no longer a scholar overwhelmed by lust, but a saint ablaze with devotion.
His eyes no longer sought pleasure but relished the deity. His voice chanted with joy, not for renown, but for love. His passions had become prayers.
People came to him for blessings. Some for cures. But Ruci gave only one thing: a spark of his love — lit from the fire that once threatened to destroy him.
Lessons and Reflections
- Lust is divine energy inverted. When purified, it becomes longing for God.
- Austerity is not suppression, but redirection of energy toward Kṛṣṇa.
- True ecstasy is not the absence of desire, but the full offering of it to the Beloved.
“Pure love of God is like a blazing fire. It burns away all impurities and leaves only divine longing behind.”
— Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 23.10
📚 Source: This story is a direct poetic retelling of the title essay: The Fire and the Ecstasy: My Initiation into Krishna Consciousness. by Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dāsa)
