Days passed by the river, and Arjun felt calmer after surviving the storm of thoughts. Yet within that calm, another force began to rise—quieter but far more dangerous. Desire.
It started with small temptations: the thought of warm food, the comfort of touch, the pride of being admired. At first, Arjun smiled at them, thinking he had already overcome such things. But soon, the images grew sharper, brighter, and almost irresistible.
In his meditation, he saw himself surrounded by riches, honored by villagers who once doubted him. He imagined the soft warmth of companionship, the sweetness of life's pleasures. The visions pulled at him like flames licking dry wood.
The fire grew stronger each day. His body ached with cravings he thought he had buried. At night, he could hardly sleep, as the mind painted endless pictures of the life he could have chosen.
One evening, unable to bear the torment, Arjun rose from meditation and shouted at the empty sky:
"Why do you torture me? Have I not left everything behind? Why does the fire still burn?"
His voice echoed across the water. In that echo, he realized something: leaving behind the world was easy, but leaving behind desire was far harder. Desire lived not in objects but in the heart itself.
Exhausted, he fell to the ground. The fire within seemed ready to consume him. Then, a memory surfaced—his teacher's words:
"Desire is not your enemy. It is fire. Fire can destroy, but fire can also give light and warmth. To master it, you must not fight it, but see it clearly."
Arjun sat again, this time not to escape but to watch. He let the fire rise. He felt the heat of longing, the ache of want, the pull of imagined pleasure. He did not act on it. He simply witnessed it.
Slowly, the fire changed. What once seemed unbearable became energy, raw and pure. He felt it move through his body, filling him with strength instead of weakness.
By dawn, the flames no longer burned him. They illuminated him. He realized desire was not to be killed but transformed—into devotion, into clarity, into love for the Eternal.
As the sun rose, Arjun whispered to himself:
"The fire of desire shall no longer rule me. I will turn it into light."
And with that, the fire within no longer consumed—it guided.