IN EVERY CULTURE stories have been shared for thousands of years, back to the times of the cave dwellers through their frescoes of nature scenes, animals, hunting and battles.
Stories preserve humanity’s history and accumulated wisdom, inspiring us, educating us, entertaining us, instilling moral values and enriching our imagination.
Writer Aleks Krotoski observes “Stories are memory aids, instruction manuals and moral compasses.” Sri Ramakrishna often used stories to convey in the simplest way, the subtlest spiritual teachings. The parables of Jesus still echo around the world.
The ancient story of Mother Kali still resonates with countless millions in India, a story so saturated with colour and symbology, it’s caught the attention of many outside the Indian community too. Like all good stories, there’s a great sense of the theatrical in Mother Kali and her fight with the Asuras – those embodiments of all our fears and weaknesses.
With eyebrows arched and a steely, wild-eyed stare, hair flying, adorned with a garland of skulls and a girdle of severed limbs, Kali dominates the stage of the battle with the Asuras.
Artists wryly depict Asuras as having curly moustaches: paunchy bellies slicked back hairstyles, gym-junkie muscles, and festooned with chunky gold necklaces, belts and armbands. Strutting about with comical self-importance they highlight how ridiculous humanity can be with our bloated egos, our manic desires and craven need for attention and respect.
But it is Kali that ultimately demands our attention and respect. Like life, she is full of slaps and caresses, but she is also bound to protect and free us, to ferry us across all manner of crises. She invites us to be daring, to take on the challenges of life, to even embrace the terrible.
As Sister Nivedita writes: “Shrink not from defeat, embrace despair. Pain is not different from pleasure if I will both. Rejoice, therefore, when thou comest to the place of tears and see Me smile. At such spot do I keep My tryst with [humanity], and fold them deep into My heart.”
Nivedita concludes with stirring words, “Strong, fearless, resolute – when the sun sets, and the game is done, thou shalt know well, little one, that I, Kali, the giver of manhood, the giver of womanhood, and the withholder of victory, am thy Mother.”
We celebrate Kali Puja in Vedanta Hall on Sunday 15 November.
