Fire is one of the most pervasive symbols of the Self. During the Vedic period Agni, the fire god, was the most popular diety. And many thousand years later fire is still an essential element in religious ritual. Fire is an appropriate symbol because it gives both light and heat. Light is an obvious Self symbol because it removes darkness just as Self knowledge removes spiritual ignorance. Heat is a common symbol of love. The Self is the love that glues the whole creation together causing each part to work in harmony with the others. Fire also consumes dry wood just as Self knowledge consumes hardened dry egoic habits. In this graphic the fire of wisdom is consuming the stone out of which the Goddess is carved. The Goddess, Saraswati, is sitting in a lotus. The open lotus symbolizes enlightenment, the realization that one is perfect, i.e. fully developed already. The lotus is fitting symbol for spiritual awakening because it opens in daylight and closes at night. Night is a common symbol of spiritual ignorance. Her four arms represent her as the Self, limitless awareness, in the form of the Subtle Body or the human mind. One limb represents the intellect, another the feelings and emotions, the third the ego or 'I-sense' and the forth memory. The left hand resting on her lap symbolizes the receptive negative feminine energy and the right the positive masculine energy. Together they represent duality. The original icon can be found on a temple at Gangaikondacholapuram in Tamil Nadu.