Day 55 

When people criticize you, there is a fire which flares up in your system. When you speak before a big crowd, you are uncomfortable and nervous because you fear their opinions and criticism. Badabaagni is the fire of social criticism.

It is said that man is a social animal and lives in a society. He has to follow certain rules and cannot love as he pleases. He cannot feel that, since he is free, he can do whatever that he wishes. When you drive, you have to follow the rules. 

You have to drive on the correct side. When you walk, you have to do so in the proper place. You have to stop where you should stop. You have to follow certain rules and regulations, certain code of conduct. 

This will give rise to certain fears in you - the fear of criticism, the fear of getting a ticket, the fear of being punished, etc. Abiding by certain laws brings up certain concerns for keeping to those laws. If you are greatly concerned about criticism and other people's opinions about you, then you are missing a boat. 

Certainly, the fear of criticism keeps you within the limits of morality. But if it goes out of control or out of limit, the same fear of criticism can shut down your freedom, openness and centeredness. If the fire of criticism is too much, then you will be tensed and worried about nothing. 

You should pass through the fear of criticism. It does not matter what people say. Their opinions change. And you know in your consciousness that you are not doing any harm to anybody.

Then, you will move on to the fire of love - love creates such a fire in you. 

The fire of love can really lift you up from the fear of criticism. The fire of love is so strong that you do not mind people's opinions. It takes you totally. The fire of knowledge and the fire of love are the same. They are synonymous. Fire of love begins with a longing - an intense longing. It feels so new that it can also feel uncomfortable. 

This fire can be experienced only in human life, in human birth. Fire of love or fire of knowledge creates an unpleasant sense of longing in the beginning. But, then it moves on to the blossom of bliss, the blossom of fullness. These are the five fires in life - panchaagni.

Tapa means being fried or baked. You would have read about the Kumbhamela in some magazines. In this religious gathering, somebody may be standing on one leg with ashes all over his body and having a pot of fire on his head. There have been such misinterpretations of panchaagni. 

Patanjali had said that one who will go through the five fired will be purified, would have crossed to the other side. But, the scriptures have been wrongly understood. People thought that one who passed through five actual fires would be purified. So, they lit fires all around. They started fire walking and began to torture their bodies. This is called rakshasitapas.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 

PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS