This month we are chanting to two deities, Durga and Kali. Here is their story...
Durga is mother earth, but she is not what one might expect. She is ferocious and through out the vedic stories and tradition. She is the one you call when others can't seem to get the job finished. Got a particularly mean demon to fight, you call Durga. She will do anything to protect the children of earth. So one time the world is being over run by a particularly bad demon, so Durga is called. She shows up riding her lion (which is symbolic of her lack of fear and dominance over the animal kingdom) with weapons in all 10 of her hands ready to do what is needed. As she cuts of the head of the demon 10 new heads appear from the spot where she cut the original head off. AND every drop of blood that has touched the ground has turned into another demon. So now she has a 10 headed demon and little ankle biting demons to fight. Every head she cuts off off, 10 more appear, and every drop of blood releases new mini demons. HONESTLY! Durga is first frustrated and then ANGRY. I mean let's be reasonable. In her fury she stares down the original demon and out of her third eye appears Kali. Her skin is black, she is hungry and her tongue hangs out of her mouth.
Kali joins the fight and starts to work on the little demons, she cuts off each of their heads and before any blood can touch the ground she laps it up. So the ground is covered with little dead demons and the big demon is getting nervous, and the death of the little demons has weakened it. She reaches the big demon she cuts off all 10 heads and catches all the blood before it can touch the ground. The demon is defeated. Hooray!
Unfortunately now Kali has gotten into this beheading and eating thing. She likes it. So she starts killing innocent animals and people. This will not do. Durga is a bit concerned to say the least. So she call the other gods and they get together to form a plan. Shiva the destroyer offers to solve the problem. Shiva takes a form on earth that is pale white, ashen... he puts himself in harms way knowing Kali will come to death to finish the job and it works! She finds Shiva and is about to use her sword to finish the job, when Shiva looks at her with unconditional love. Her heart hitches in her chest and she knows the feeling of being loved completely and unconditionally. She lowers her sword. Shiva says to her "Without you divine mother, I was surely dead but with this love I am reborn."
Just as the yin and yang represent the the masculine and feminine, this is the idea of Shiva (masculine) and Shakti (feminine). In this case Shakti is represented by Kali. Shiva needs Kali to become reborn, and Kali needs Shiva to tame her impulses. Without balance we are incomplete.
In is interesting to note that the feminine is responsible for birth (Durga) and death (Kali). The womb and the tomb. The idea of burying people after they die can be traced back to the return to mother earth's womb, to be born again. At the end of an asana practice we finish in savasana, corpse pose and then to come out we roll to the side to lie in the fetal position. A practice of being reborn. To start new.
In March we chant to Durga the Earth mother, she who birthed us all and to Kali, who brings death. We acknowledge that within ourselves that we summon when we have to face a challenge. That within us that is the protector of the less fortunate and the weak. And we call forth the finisher. When we need to let go, when we need find that anger to get what needs to be done done. And we remember the balance between the masculine and the feminine, Shiva and Shakti, and Yin and Yang. Rather than expecting the divine mothers to solve our problems, we remember that within ourselves that has the same traits.
And we remember that what really saved the day was unconditional love.
Jai Mata ! Kali Durga Namo Namaha
Hail mother! Kali and Durga we sing your name!
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