||Aum
Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||
| Kali Ma as seen my Master Pic -Google images |
More
often than not we are forced to question the necessity of life itself... like a
stuck record it revolves around the same constants that produce the same
annoyance, drudgery, emotions, happiness and joy. Yes, even if we experience
joy and happiness it seems to be capped and maintained at a level which
eventually does not benefit us anymore. At times it feels like we up against a
double-edged sword... those who tread the sublime and divine path seem to
experience the same as those who walk the wild side. Stuck between a
'rock and a hard place', the easiest option seems to cave in and allow
ourselves to run wild. Death comes to all... what then is the need to practice
all this discipline and austerity? Will I come back in the next life to enjoy?
Do I know for sure that there is another life?
In
my two week sabbatical from writing, I had the time to ponder on these
questions and started to reflect in an attempt to put my mind at ease and try
and put some perspective on the matter. My quest started to yield some results
when my thoughts fell back on the recent Navarathri festival. I was blessed
with the opportunity to deliver a talk at the Ramakrishna Centre in Chatsworth
and to ensure that the topic: "Mother Kali - the compassionate
Goddess" was well expounded. I realised that delving into the life of Sri
Ramakrishna would provide enough material and impact. That approach did not disappoint...
in fact it is through the life of Sri Ramakrishna that a new found
understanding of Mother Kali can be derived. The misconceptions and ignorance
around the Mother are very easily resolved. It was during the preparations for
that talk that I came across a very interesting analogy drawn by Sri
Ramakrishna on life.
Life
is explained by Master as a game that is played by the divine. Like how a
granny plays hide-and-seek with her grandchildren... she counts to hundred and
once hiding, the children must each try and touch her without being caught
first, whereupon the children win and the game is over when they all
touch her. Likewise, for Her own pleasure and sport, the Divine Mother has
created this universe and all of us. The aim of the game is to touch Her.
She is Kali - the female concept of time and as I speak time is ticking and we
are not aware of when the game will end but we must try somehow to touch Her to
win. Like in any game, the opponent will always try to outsmart you to get an
advantage... in the same manner every moment of life is going to try and trick
you from attaining your goal. Life will lure you by presenting various traps
that will keep you enchanted and engrossed while the time ticks on. In our
realm, the game is played a bit differently. It becomes so competitive that the
opponent will try and win at any cost, yet our granny merely plays for the
delight of the children. The Mother too is so compassionate and merciful that
She will find delight if you and I win. Therefore, throughout the ages She has
been giving good counsel and guidance through the scriptures, sages and saints.
We being the foolish ones, even with this help and mercy, are still losing
terribly.
Coming
back to my earlier point, except for the wisdom of the learned ones and the
scriptures... we have no other evidence of whether we will get another life or
not... so why should we place our hopes on postmortem liberation or another
life to rectify our faults and errors. Why should we not live in peace and
happiness now? Therefore, this age is known as Kali-Yuga, not because it is a
terrible age, but because it is the age of the Mother Kali and She is most
compassionate and benevolent during this time to ensure that we, Her children,
must win. Her guidance is simple yet will ensure that we do live peacefully and
attain a state of ecstasy beyond the barriers of the mundane world in this very
life as experienced by Sri Ramakrishna.
Mother
says: "Remove your desires for worldly pursuits and replace it with a
desire to manifest the divinity within you. Reduce the ego, and humble
yourself. Reign terror on all ignoble tendencies that try to strip you of your
title of being human and child of God. Tendencies like falsehood, anger,
hatred, envy, impure actions and thoughts and selfishness. This is the age for
you to take charge of yourself become the king and ruler of yourself and not
let these adharmic energies dictate to you."
This
dear my friends, is the sure way to break the barriers of mundane and fleeting
happiness and experience bliss beyond the frontiers of this world. In my
contemplations during these weeks, an inspiration came to me in the form of a
poem on the Divine Mother. I have written it here for you to analyse.
Kali
Ma
The balmy lake of thought was rippled by you
Yogan
