Baba says, ‘the Father has created the sacrificial fire of the knowledge of Rudra. The whole world has to be sacrificed into this.’

In Bharat, whenever there is an obstacle or when something has to be purified, a yagya or a sacrificial fire is created. A brahmin priest creates the yagya and performs the sacrifice- he throws in different items such as sesame, grains, ghee, etc. into the fire. The belief is that through this sacrifice, the obstacle will be removed or the place is purified. At this time in the cycle, at the end of the iron age, the world itself is extremely impure and degraded, so much so, that God Himself comes as the Purifier to make the impure world pure again.

He comes and establishes the unlimited sacrificial fire through Brahma. He adopts souls through Brahma, that is, He creates Brahmins. Together with Father Brahma, Brahmins too become instruments to create the sacrificial fire. Those worldly yagyas are small and last a few hours or a few days but this is a very big obstacle, points out Baba, and so a very big sacrificial fire is needed for it. This yagya lasts till the very end. The whole of the old world will be sacrificed into this fire.

While those fires are physical fires, this is the fire of knowledge and remembrance. And so, as an instrument of this yagya, it is my duty to become the form of fire, that is, an embodiment of knowledge and remembrance and burn tall and bright. If my flame becomes intense sometimes and cools down sometimes, then the flames of destruction that emerge from the sacrificial fire cannot take on their complete form. Sometimes I think that the seniors are responsible for the yagya while I am just a spectator or a beneficiary. Baba says, ‘every single Brahmin is responsible for the completion of the yagya.’

And so the main and easy effort to become the form of fire is to make the lesson of ‘one’ firm: Mine is one Shiv Baba and none other. When this is my singular focus, then the flame is intense. This awareness has to be constant, says Baba and that comes only through detachment from the old world. The basis to make the stage of detachment firm is to always be aware that: I am now returning home. With this awareness, I automatically go beyond the attractions of all relationships and all elements, that is, I will become free from all bondages and become a detached observer. Then, I easily become the Father’s companion and equal to the Father. However, if this awareness is not strong, then when I go to sacrifice the old world i.e. become detached from it, my determination weakens: ‘what if I can’t overcome this anger?’, ‘will I get there or not?’, ‘what if destruction doesn’t take place?’, ‘what is heaven doesn’t come?’ It’s as if I move the hand of my intellect forward to make the sacrifice and the moment I feel a little heat, I pull my hand back. I keep moving it forwards and backwards and so because of this, some of the offerings spill.

‘Only when everyone is constantly able to see the form of fire will the flames of destruction be clearly visible’, says Baba. The more intense the form of fire becomes in each Brahmin, the more the flames of destruction will be clearly visible. ‘So apply the match of determination’, says Baba, ‘don’t become cool in your effort.‘ When I believe deep down in my bones that the One Who is teaching me is God, that He is truth, that I am in His hands, then I will trust His words. Then, I will have no problem believing that indeed, it is time to return home and then, there is no question of ‘will I be able to…’ or ‘if I can…’, I have to! Sometimes, I make the sacrifice but then, the sanskar re-emerges. The reason, Baba says, is that I make the mistake of thinking that just because I have given something to Baba, I am automatically liberated. But no! I have to continue to pay attention such that it doesn’t come back.

Sometimes, I get busy with service, in giving the message to other souls to remember the Father, in teaching others the course etc. without first becoming an embodiment myself. Baba says, ‘if you have not yet sacrificed your limited world into the fire, that is, you still have with you the old world of waste thoughts, nature and sanskars, then how can the unlimited word be sacrificed?’ And so He teaches: Charity begins at home. First check in your own mind, He says, if you have made the sacrifice. Then that will automatically inspire others to sacrifice theirs because my flame will do the talking, it will provide the experience they need. Self– transformation leads to world transformation, not the other way around.

In the spiritual teachings of the world they believe that the final and perfect stage of a soul is when a soul merges into the Supreme Soul, points out Baba. The form of this final sacrifice is the finishing of the consciousness of “I”. Here, too, Baba says, only the words “Baba, Baba” should emerge from your lips and in your mind, indicating your merging into the Father. This is known as merging, that is, becoming the same. This, is called the final sacrifice. There shouldn’t be the slightest consciousness of “I” of body consciousness in your thoughts or dreams. There should be the awareness of your eternal form of soul consciousness. Only such true Brahmins can be instruments for the completion of the sacrificial fire, He explains. ‘You have become the creators of the sacrificial fire. Now, He says, become instruments for its completion, that is, make the final sacrifice. Then the unlimited old world will automatically be sacrificed.’