In our house we burn two oil lamps — one in the north-east corner and the other in the south-west corner. I offer Atash no Namaskar (salutations to the fire) in the morning to the lamp in the north-east corner and before dinner to the lamp in the south-west corner.
Two wicks burning together in divo
The oil lamp has a floating wick made of plastic and wax. The oil is drawn into the wick to keep the flame burning. After a day or two, when the wick burns out completely, the flame gets extinguished. We do our best to ensure that the flame is passed on from one wick to another. At the same time, we do not like to put out the old flame so we allow both flames to burn.
Normally, one wick lasts approximately 24 to 30 hours. However, I have observed that when we add another wick to the same lamp the earlier flame continues for another 24 hours or more alongside the new one. This consumes more oil which we have to replenish regularly, but for us the flame is more important than the consumption of oil.
This phenomenon baffles me all the time. What does it teach? A lonely man dies early. A man surrounded by a loving, righteous family lives a happier, longer life. Finding a life partner is very important because a loving family enables us to survive much longer.
Jiyo Parsi, Jiyo!