BENGALI WRITINGS

Agni — The Divine EnergyIN this sacrifice the conscious being,the lord of the house, is the worshipper, the nature of thebeing is the consort who shares the dharma of the lord ofthe house. But who is to be the priest? If it is the beingthat performs the work of the priest then there is hardlyany hope of the sacrifice being well conducted because thebeing is led by the ego and bound with the triple cord ofmind, life and body. Under these conditions if the beingbecomes the self-appointed vicar, it is the ego which assumesthe role of the sacrificer, the Ritwik, and even thatof the deity of the sacrifice, and in that case, there is greatdanger of some untoward happening due to the unlawfulperformance of the ritual. At first the being wants liberationfrom its extremely circumscribed condition, and if itwishes to be free from bondage then it has to rely on apower other than its own. Even after the triple cord whichbinds it to the sacrificial post has been loosened, the knowledgeand the power capable of directing the ritual does not appearsuddenly nor can they be perfectly acquired so soon.Divine knowledge and divine power are necessary, and it isby the sacrifice alone that they can come and grow perfectly.Even when the being is liberated, full of divine knowledgeand divine power, it is the Ishwara and not the worshipperwho remains the master, giver of the sanction andenjoyer of the sacrifice. We have to welcome the Divineand install Him on the altar of the sacrifice. Unless theDivine enters the heart of man, manifests and establisheshimself there, it is impossible for a human being to attaindivinity and immortality. It is also true that before theawakening of the godhead, in order to invoke him the Seers