Stoking the Fire! #1: Symbolism Behind Legends From Siva Purana explores the ancient stories of the Siva Purana not as historical accounts or mythology to be believed, but as allegories containing layers of symbolic meaning.
Beginning with the nature of desire and its potential to become a source of insight, the book provides a framework drawn from Vedic thought and then uses it to explore the symbolism of Siva, the Jyotirlingas, festivals Mahasivaratri, Brahmahotsavam, Arunachala, and the stories of Sati, Parvati and Karthikeya.
At its heart is an inquiry into Desire, Ego, Karma, Consciousness and Self-Knowing. The stories are treated as mirrors of inner psychological processes: the movement from scattered desires towards a single, intense flame; the formation of the sense of ‘I’; and the possibility of seeing through the illusion of a separate self.
The book brings together the symbolic language of the Puranas with the spirit of inquiry associated with J. Krishnamurti, inviting the reader to look beyond the surface of familiar legends and discover their relevance to everyday living and the deeper inquiry into oneself.
Its purpose is not to provide ready-made answers, but to stoke the fire of inquiry and allow the reader to discover what the stories may be pointing towards.