What is the meaning of the salt doll analogy used in the beginning of Chapter 18?

The salt doll analogy in Chapter 18 is a profound metaphor for the spiritual journey of a devotee who approaches a true Sadguru. The text poses the question: 'If a doll made of salt enters the ocean to take a bath, can it ever return?' It answers that this can never happen, drawing a parallel to the state of one who approaches the Guru. The salt doll represents the individual ego and separate identity of the seeker. The ocean represents the vast, formless, and all-encompassing nature of the Sadguru, who is equated with Brahman. Just as the salt doll dissolves and merges completely with the ocean, losing its form and individuality, a true devotee who surrenders to the Sadguru loses their limited sense of self and merges with the divine consciousness, as described in Chapter 18.