The heart's depth cannot be measured.
It is a fathomless ocean. On its floor
lie gems of wisdom, precious beyond belief.
You must dive and dive to find them.
More than once. More than twice.
Do not believe the ocean's bed is empty
if you fail at first. No, take a deep breath
and dive again. Dive, and make your way to Kali.
Speak Kali's name and dive. Dive deep.
Avoid the alligators who swim there -
anger, greed, and all life's other distractions -
or swim smeared with that turmeric, discrimination,
whose smell drives them all away.
Innumerable gems and shining pearls:
these lie on the ocean's bed. Plunge in,
the poet says, and gather your own treasure.
~Indian poet Ramprasad
What would be true independence?: Today we celebrate a festival of birth, of a people's freeing themselves from tyranny. But each of us remains, in our hearts, subject to secret tyrannies. Perhaps it is a familiar pain we cling to, or a habit we know we have outgrown. Perhaps it is a groove worn in our thoughts by endless repetition, a way of thinking that deadens us to the spiritual dimensions of our life. These are the tyrants, these are the gatekeepers of our inner prisons.
Hindu wisdom urges us to focus on the great Goddess Kali, to offer her prayers that we be freed from such tyrannies. She is a fierce goddess, bearing swords and wearing a necklace of human skulls. Her tongue juts out at us, and her eyes bulge. Intimidating as her image is, Kali is a loving mother, for she urges us to cut our ties to the habits binding us in negativity. Meditate upon her, and you will find real freedom.
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