Diwali #3

Well here it is again. My favourite part of the year. Even though it doesn't feel like it as I just lost my job last week. But it is Diwali. It is a little later this year which I do prefer though. When it is after the pointlessness of Halloween. Also after bonfire night too. As promised, last year I said if I was still around, I would write another Diwali story so here it is:-

Long ago the world was taken over by evil. All the people in the world had turned wicked. There was no goodness left in anyone. Everyone had turned selfish, greedy and power hungry. Demons and ogres had taken over. And on this occasion, The Gods were powerless to do anything about it. In desperate hope they turned to a Goddess called Devi for help.

Devi agreed to help rid the world of all this evil and took on the form of The Goddess of destruction called Kali. Kali means "time" and She has 3 eyes which represent the past, the present and the future. But Kali can also mean "black" in regards to the first creation before light itself. In ignorant people She creates fear but to others she removes the avidya (ignorance) that makes us fear Death.

Kali went on a rampage across the whole world, terrifying and killing all the evil in it. One particular demon called Raktabija was difficult to beat as he would produce more demons each time drops of his blood hit the ground. Eventually millions of clones of Raktabija were produced and The Gods thought that they would be defeated. So Kali covered the whole battlefield with her tongue and would lap any of the blood up before any drops hit the ground. The Gods destroyed Raktabija but would have been unable to do so without the help of Kali. All the evil eventually was destroyed. But Kali became carried away with the power and couldn't stop. Some believe that She was drunk on the blood of Raktabija. She carried on destroying the whole world as the anger and fury of seeing all this evil had actually taken over Her. She had gone mad with rage and would often dance out of madness. The Gods tried to stop her but were unable to do so. The Gods then asked Her husband Shiv for help and to try and stop her. But even he couldn't. So when Kali was on one of her unstoppable rampages, with skulls draped around Her, with a sword in one hand and a decapitated head in the other hand, Shiv laid down in front of her and as soon as Kali puts her foot on him, she realises what she has done and what she is doing and stops. It subdues her anger and She then sticks out her tongue in disbelief and remorse. Her hair is disheveled and Her eyes are red and She would wear a garland of 50 human heads that would represent the 50 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet symbolising infinite knowledge. Also she would have demons hands hanging from her belt which symbolises karma. This is often how you would see pictures and statues of Kali.

There are people who don't understand why people would worship someone like Kali. To some people, God is good and The Devil is bad and that's it. But not everything is that black and white.

Anyway, that is another story of good triumphing over evil and light over darkness. Happy Diwali everybody. I will try and write another next year if I am still around!