One sadhaka (spiritual seeker), striving for knowledge of the Divine, wanted his eyes of wisdom to be opened.
He came to the cave where the guru lived. Upon entering, he saw a faint light, but as he moved inside, this light went out. In the dark, a person becomes afraid and, feeling fear, remembers God’s name. So the sadhaka said loudly: “Namah Shivaya!” (Glory to Shiva!). Hearing his voice, the guru asked who he was. He replied that he had come to seek his mercy. The great saint, who kept his body alive only by inhaling the air around him, wanted to know whether his visitor was smart enough. He said that he would answer his question later, but for now let him come up and light the extinguished lamp. The sadhaka took a box of matches and tried to light the lamp, but it did not work. He told the guru that he had used up all the matches and the lamp still did not light up. The Guru told him to see if there was oil in the lamp. It turned out that there was no oil in the lamp, but only water. The Guru asked the guest to open the lamp, pour water out of it, add oil and then try to light it. The sadhaka did all this, but the lamp still did not light up. The Guru said that the wick was most likely damp, it should be dried thoroughly, and then the lamp should be lit. He did just that - and achieved success!
Only then did he dare to mention his aspirations, hoping for the guru's favor. The astonished guru said that the required answer had just been given. The sadhaka replied that, being an ignorant person, he was unable to understand the meaning of the lesson, and asked the guru to explain in a clearer form. Guru said:
— In the vessel of your heart there is the wick of the jiva (individual soul). This wick has been immersed in the water of your sensual desires for a long time. That's why you couldn't light the lamp of wisdom.
Pour the water of your desires from the vessel of the heart and fill it with the oil of namasmarana (remembering God's name), or devotion. Take the wick of the jiva, squeeze out all the water of desires from it and dry it in the sun rays of vairagya (renunciation). Then you will be able to light the lamp of wisdom.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru