metaphor for humanity's spiritual emptiness and the quest for salvation becomes an essential theme to mitigate this desolation Religious Imagery and Redemption Eliot uses religious metaphors throughout 'The Waste Land' to investigate the concept of salvation The Fisher King a figure from Arthurian legends who represents a king whose land suffers due to his misdeeds is one of the most famous references In 'The Waste Land ' the Fisher King portrays a wounded civilization needing healing and restoration Eliot emphasizes the possibility of salvation via faith and divine help by drawing on the religious aspect of the Fisher King legend I sat upon the shore Fishing with the arid plain behind me Shall I at least set my lands in order Spiritual Wasteland The poem's depictions of a stone trees and the Sun reflect the spiritual wasteland in the first section 'The Burial of the Dead' There is no shelter from the Sun on the street except the red rock that represents the Christian church It means that only the church can provide shelter for men The modern wasteland resembles the biblical wasteland If Christ could regenerate the then wasteland he can renew the world now indicating that we must follow the path of true religion Water Imagery and Baptism Water imagery in 'The Waste Land' symbolizes cleansing and rebirth In the poem's fourth section the poet depicts water as a purification and regeneration instrument Eliot employs two references in developing his idea Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' and the Egyptian fertility god In this section the poet narrates the story of Phlebas an elegant young sailor who drowns after a dull trade career He has no opportunity for purification because he does not adhere to spiritual values The Fire Sermon Eliot discusses themes of desire and lust in this section relying on the Buddha's Fire Sermon highlighting human needs' fleeting and unsatisfactory nature Chasing worldly desires leads to misery and salvation is found in conquering them Burning burning burning burning O Lord Thou pluckest me out O Lord Thou pluckest The Chapel Perilous The mention of the Chapel Perilous from Arthurian legend in Part V shows the spiritual dangers and challenges faced on the path to salvation It symbolizes the journey towards self-discovery and redemption Fisher King and his troops molest his fellow women making his land barren A Knight's successful expedition to Chapel Perilous a dangerous place that must be traversed to look for the Holy Grail a sacred item containing divine grace is necessary for the king's resurrection The Knight's journey is a metaphor for pursuing enlightenment and spiritual redemption References from the Upanishads The poet ends the poem by describing an event in ancient Indian history when people were entrapped by drought and famine They seek divine help and God replies to them in thunders Eliot prescribes three remedies to reconstruct the human heart from the Upanishads ' Da Da Da ' The first 'Da' means Datta 'to give' The second 'Da' Dayadhavam is for sympathy The last 'Da' Damyata refers to self-control' Eliot terminates the poem by repeating the Sanskrit word Shantih three times meaning The peace which passeth all understanding T S Eliot goes into the multifarious theme of salvation in 'The Waste Land ' depicting a world seized by spiritual degradation and longing for restoration Eliot offers several aspects of finding redemption ranging from the secular to the divine through religious allusions water imagery and character descriptions The poem explores humanity's longing for meaning and restoration amid a fractured and lonely world nbsp