BENGALI WRITINGS

III. 2. Agni — The Divine Energy41and creates the universe and its movements. Above pervadesthe secret free infinite consciousness called the Superconscientof which this ‘consciousness-unconsciousness’is the shadow. There in that world the Existence-Consciousness-Blissis fully manifested — in sat-loka, the world oftrue Existence, as infinite Existence; in tapoloka, the worldof energy of self-conscience, as infinite Consciousness; injanaloka, the world of creative Delight, as infinite Felicity;and in maharloka, the world of large consciousness, as thevast Truth of the cosmic Self. The intermediate terrestrialconsciousness is the Earth mentioned in the Veda. From thisearth rises to the skies the climbing mountain of which eachplateau is a step in the ascent, one of the seven inner kingdoms.The gods are helpers in our ascent, the titans areenemies who obstruct the path. This mountain climbing isthe sacrificial march of the Vedic seeker of the Truth; withthe sacrifice, we have to rise to the ocean of light in thesupreme ether. Agni is the instrument of this ascent, theleader of the path, the fighter in the battle and the priest ofthis sacrifice. The Vedic Seer-Poets have established thespiritual knowledge on this fundamental image in the samemanner as the Vaishnavas who use the symbol of the enamouredcowherd boys and girls of Vrindavan in their songson Radha and Krishna. If we remember the significance ofthis image, the understanding of the truth in the Vedas willthen become easy.