There was once a powerful warrior named Arjuna, revered for his skill with the bow and his unyielding courage. But even with all his victories on the battlefield, there was one battle he couldn’t win—his battle with doubt. No matter how much he trained, a shadow of fear crept over him before every fight, whispering that his strength would fail him when he needed it most."
One day, after a particularly troubling defeat, Arjuna sought counsel from a sage who lived deep in the forest. This sage, they said, knew the secret of the eternal flame—a fire that could burn away doubt and fear. Arjuna, determined to conquer his inner turmoil, made the journey.
The sage greeted him, calm and unshaken by the warrior’s anxiety.
"Sage," Arjuna began, "I have won many battles, yet I am haunted by fear and doubt. It weighs me down like chains. How can I rid myself of this burden?"
The sage took a deep breath and pointed to a roaring fire nearby. The flames danced wildly, casting shadows across the clearing.
"Do you see the fire?" he asked.
"Yes," Arjuna replied, "But what can this fire teach me?"
"Fire is the great purifier," the sage said. "It consumes everything, but in doing so, it leaves behind only what is true, what is essential. Look closer."
Arjuna watched the fire closely. The flames flickered and surged, but the wood fueling the fire was slowly being reduced to glowing embers—stronger, purer, more focused than before.
"To become like the fire," the sage continued, "you must let it consume what no longer serves you. Your doubts, your fears—they are the wood that fuels the flame. Burn them away, and what remains will be your true strength, your true power."
Arjuna stood in silence, watching the flames burn brighter. He realized that the sage was right—his fear was not something to fight. It was fuel for transformation. The fire didn’t destroy; it purified, leaving behind only what was necessary, what was strong.
"Therefore," the sage said, "remember this: the flames within you are always there, waiting to burn away what holds you back. Let the fire cleanse you, and rise from its heat renewed."
From that day on, whenever doubt crept in, Arjuna would recall the flames and the sage’s lesson. He no longer feared his battles because he knew that, like fire, every challenge was an opportunity to burn away weakness and emerge stronger.
