Chapter 8Kali, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswati

Can you tell me whether Radha actually existed? Vol-umes are being written to prove that she did not.

Surely she has lived and is still living.

* Radha’s consciousness symbolises perfect attachment to the Divine.

*

KALI, MAHAKALI,

MAHALAKSHMI, MAHASARASWATI When people speak against you, I feel as if a big flame with many tongues is arising in me and the person in front becomes docile.

It must be Kali’s force which you evoke.

* I want to ask you a question concerned with my reaction to the inconsideration and vulgarity in X’s letter about Sri Aurobindo. I remember an occasion many years ago when a lady friend of mine spoke unbecomingly of both of you. I verbally choked her off at once, but the indignation within me went on burning. It was like a sword of fire leaping out of my chest, striking and striking through the hours. My mind could serve only to direct it accurately; it had itself little part in the actual violence. The next day the lady had a terrific attack of diarrhoea.

A similar blaze began to go out of my chest yesterday on reading Y’s letter. I had no scruple in directing it at his journal as if to consume its future to ashes. But although I also struck out at Y himself as if to destroy him, I did not encourage the fiery onslaught. I started wondering if it was right to attack like that a person. At times I thought I was perfectly justified. At other times it seemed to me that I should offer my sword of fire to you and Sri Aurobindo and leave it to you both to use it instead of myself concentratedly directing it at Y. I shall be thankful if I can have some words of guidance from you. Please keep in mind that I am not talking of a mere outburst of anger: some force appears to be there which wants to destroy and which feels it has the power to destroy. Of course I would never think of using it for my own private ends.

It is evidently the working of the Kali force that has lit and is directing this fire in you. There is nothing wrong in its action; it is not an anger personal to you but the wrath of a divine power and it must be allowed to act; in fact, I think you could not stop it from burning in you even if you wanted to stop it. This man has drawn it on himself and there is nothing wrong in what is happening, he alone is responsible. Of course, it must not be used for any personal aim or in any self-regarding way.

8 October 1950

* Of all the aspects of the Mother, Kali most powerfully ex-presses vibrant and active love, and despite her sometimes terrible aspect, she carries in herself the golden splendour of an all-powerful love.

24 February 1965

* Kali rarely acts in the mind. In the higher domains she is a power of love which pushes towards progress and transformation; in the vital she is a power of destruction of falsehood, hypocrisy and ill-will.

All that is good, truthful and progressive is never destroyed by her. On the contrary, she protects and sustains it.

5 June 1965

* Behind all destructions, whether the immense destructions of Nature, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, floods, etc., or the violent human destructions, wars, revolutions, revolts, I find the power of Kali, who is working in the earth-atmosphere to hasten the progress of transformation. All that is not only divine in essence but also divine in reali-sation is by its very nature above these destructions and cannot be touched by them. Thus the extent of the disaster gives the measure of the imperfection. The true way of preventing the repetition of these destruc-tions is to learn their lesson and make the necessary progress.

* Integral wealth of Mahalakshmi: wealth of feelings and action in all fields of activity — intellectual, psychological and material.

* Mahasaraswati’s mission is to awaken the world to the need of perfection; but perfection itself belongs to the Supreme Lord alone; no one else can even know what it is.

* Ma, please help me to have a clear representation of the four aspects of the Mother as described by Sri Aurobindo In their aspect above the Overmind, in the higher regions, the aspects of the Mother have very simple forms and don’t have multiple limbs.