# Fire Analogies > [!summary] > *Fire is one of the most powerful images in Vedic literature. Śrīla Prabhupāda uses fire to illustrate spiritual transformation, the burning away of sins, the nature of the Lord, and the potency of the holy name.* ## Fire & The Holy Name ### Burning Sins Like Dry Grass The holy name burns accumulated sins just as fire burns dry grass—effortlessly and completely. ![[sb/6/2/18#purport|fire]] —SB [[sb/6/2/18|6.2.18]] Purport See also: [[cc/antya/3/54|Antya 3.54]] ## Fire & Devotional Service ### Burning Reactions to Nothing Devotional service burns material reactions just as fire reduces fuel to ashes. ![[cc/madhya/24/61|fire]] —Cc. [[cc/madhya/24/61|Madhya 24.61]] See also: [[sb/8/24/48|SB 8.24.48]], [[cc/madhya/19/74|Madhya 19.74]] ## Fire & Spiritual Knowledge ### Knowledge Burns Ignorance As fire reduces wood to ashes, transcendental knowledge burns all reactions to material activities. ![[bg/4/37|fire]] —Bg. [[bg/4/37|4.37]] See also: [[bg/4/19|Bg. 4.19]], [[sb/5/5/5|SB 5.5.5]] ## Fire in Wood ### The Lord's Hidden Presence Fire exists within wood but is not visible until generated by friction. Similarly, the Lord exists everywhere but becomes manifest through devotional practice. ![[sb/3/9/32#purport|fire in the wood]] —SB [[sb/3/9/32|3.9.32]] Purport See also: [[sb/3/13/42|SB 3.13.42]], [[sb/4/9/7|SB 4.9.7]] ## Fire Covered by Smoke ### Conditioned Consciousness Living beings are covered by different degrees of material contamination—like fire covered by smoke, a mirror by dust, or an embryo by the womb. ![[bg/3/38|fire]] —Bg. [[bg/3/38|3.38]] ## Fire, Sparks & the Lord ### Living Entities as Sparks The relationship between the Lord and the living entities is like fire and its sparks—qualitatively one, quantitatively different. ![[sb/3/28/41#purport|fire]] —SB [[sb/3/28/41|3.28.41]] Purport See also: [[sb/3/7/9|SB 3.7.9]], [[sb/6/9/42|SB 6.9.42]] ## Fire Leaping ### Transmigration of the Soul As fire leaps from one piece of wood to another, the soul transmigrates from one body to the next. ![[sb/10/1/51#purport|fire]] —SB [[sb/10/1/51|10.1.51]] Purport ## Forest Fire ### Material Entanglement Life's perplexities are compared to a forest fire—appearing without being set by anyone, spreading uncontrollably. ![[bg/4/36#purport|forest fire]] —Bg. [[bg/4/36|4.36]] Purport See also: [[bg/2/7|Bg. 2.7]] *Complete reference: [[index/entries/analogies|Analogies Index]]* *See also: [[wiki/analogies/sun|Sun Analogies]], [[wiki/analogies/holy-name|Holy Name Analogies]]*