Different
manifestations of Kāli
KESHAB (with a
smile): "Describe to us, sir, in how many ways Kāli, the Divine Mother,
sports in this world."
MASTER (with a
smile): "Oh, She plays in different ways. It is She alone who is known
as Maha-Kāli, Nitya-Kāli, Smasana-Kāli, Raksha-Kāli, and Syama-Kāli.
Maha-Kāli and Nitya-Kāli are mentioned in the Tantra philosophy. When
there were neither the creation, nor the sun, the moon, the planets, and the
earth and when darkness was enveloped in darkness, then the Mother, the
Formless One, Maha-Kāli, the Great Power, was one with Maha-Kala, the
Absolute.
"Syama-Kāli has a somewhat tender aspect and is worshipped in the Hindu households. She is the Dispenser of boons and the Dispeller of fear. People worship Raksha-Kāli, the Protectress, in times of epidemic, famine, earthquake, drought, and flood. Smasana-Kāli is the embodiment of the power of destruction. She resides in the cremation ground, surrounded by corpses, jackals, and terrible female spirits. From Her mouth flows a stream of blood, from Her neck hangs a garland of human heads, and around Her waist is a girdle made of human hands.
Beginning
of a cycle
"After the
destruction of the universe, at the end of a great cycle, the Divine Mother
garners the seeds for the next creation. She is like the elderly mistress
of the house, who has a hotchpotch-pot in which she keeps different articles
for household use. (All laugh.)
"Oh, yes! Housewives have pots like that, where they keep 'sea-foam', blue pills, small bundles of seeds of cucumber, pumpkin, and gourd, and so on. They take them out when they want them. In the same way, after the destruction of the universe, my Divine Mother, the Embodiment of Brahman, gathers together the seeds for the next creation. After the creation the Primal Power dwells in the universe itself. She brings forth this phenomenal world and then pervades it. In the Vedas creation is likened to the spider and its web. The spider brings the web out of itself and then remains in it. God is the container of the universe and also what is contained in it.
"Is Kāli, my Divine Mother, of a black
complexion? She appears black because She is viewed from a distance; but when
intimately known She is no longer so. The sky appears blue at a distance;
but look at it close by and you will find that it has no colour. The
water of the ocean looks blue at a distance, but when you go near and take it
in your hand, you find that it is colourless."
The Master continued: "Bondage and liberation are both of Her making. By Her Maya worldly people become entangled in 'woman and gold’ (to be read as lust and greed; reference to ‘woman’ is meant to be read as ‘man for woman’ and ‘woman for man’), and again, through Her grace they attain their liberation. She is called Saviour, and the remover of the bondage that binds one to the world."
Divine
Mother's Sport
The Master said: "The Divine Mother is always playful and sportive. This universe is Her play. She is self-willed and must always have Her own way. She is full of bliss. She gives freedom to one out of a hundred thousand."
A BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "But, sir, if She likes, She can give freedom to all. Why, then, has She kept us bound to the world?"
MASTER: "That is Her will. She wants to continue playing with Her created beings. In a game of hide-and-seek the running about soon stops if in the beginning all the players touch the 'granny'. If all touch her, then how can the game go on? That displeases her. Her pleasure is in continuing the game.”
