Poetry Chaikhana Blog

Meditate on Kali! Why be anxious?
by Ramprasad (Ramprasad Sen)

English version by Rachel Fell McDermott

Meditate on Kali! Why be anxious?
The night of delusion is over; it’s almost dawn.
The sun is rising, dispelling
thick nets of darkness, and lotuses are blooming thanks to Siva
at the top of your head.
The Vedas throw dust in your eyes; blind too
the six philosophies. If even the planets
can’t fathom Her
who will break up these fun and games?
There are no lessons between teacher and student
in a market of bliss.
Since She owns the actors, the stage, and the play itself
who can grasp the truth of the drama?
      A valiant devotee who knows the essence — he
      enters that city.
Ramprasad says, My delusion is broken;
who can bundle up fire?

— from Singing to the Goddess: Poems to Kali and Uma from Bengal, Translated by Rachel Fell McDermott

/ Image by Keenan Constance /

I have been rereading The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna was a devotee of the Mother Goddess Kali and, in fact, was a priest in the Kali temple of Dakshineswar in Kolkata (Calcutta). He loved to recite the poems of Ramprasad…

Meditate on Kali! Why be anxious?
The night of delusion is over; it’s almost dawn.

Kali is a form of the Great Mother who is usually associated with darkness and the night. As the Mother, she brings all into birth, but she is also often identified with death and destruction. The death she brings, however, is the death of illusion. For this reason she is sometimes thought of as representing the terrifying aspect of the Divine, but Kali is only terrifying when we cling to our illusions. She destroys our illusions to free us from them. Her destruction, properly understood, is an act of maternal love. So, why be anxious?

The sun is rising, dispelling
thick nets of darkness, and lotuses are blooming thanks to Siva
at the top of your head.

In Indian metaphysics, there is often discussion of the Kundalini energy — which is an expression of the Goddess — rising from the base of the spine up lighting up the chakras and the awareness until it reaches the crown chakra, which is often described as a thousand-petalled lotus and the seat of Siva. Ramprasad’s simple line is an encapsulation of enlightenment, where the Goddess energy of Kundalini/Kali joins with the God energy of Siva “at the top of your head.” That marriage of divine energies within the individual dispels the “thick nets of darkness” amidst enlightenment.

Ramprasad then goes wild! Filled with the ecstasy of enlightenment, he taunts us with the ineffectiveness of scriptures and philosophy:

The Vedas throw dust in your eyes; blind too
the six philosophies.

We can’t read our way to Truth. We can’t philosophize our way to Truth. We can’t think our way into heaven. The intellect can find truths but not Truth.

What to do?

If even the planets
can’t fathom Her
who will break up these fun and games?

Ramprasad refers to the fundamental dilemma of existence as “fun and games.” The Divine Mother is mistress of creation, existence, as well as the karmas and illusions that keep us caught within them. But so too does She clear them away. To Kali, this is all play — lila — a vast game of manifestation and return to Source.

So, what if we’ve grown tired of these fun and games?

There are no lessons between teacher and student
in a market of bliss.

This is the line that stands out to me. Ramprasad seems to be saying that techniques and philosophies — the lessons — are not the essential element passed from teacher to student. It is the bliss. Bliss is direct and pure, the experience itself, free from conceptual trappings.

To use a modern analogy, we might think of the lessons, the teachings and techniques and rituals, as being the capsule. They are the delivery mechanism. But bliss is the medicine.

Of course, at a certain point we recognize that bliss is everywhere. We stand in the midst of a bustling “market of bliss.”

Ramprasad says, My delusion is broken;
who can bundle up fire?

Can the fire of enlightenment be contained? Can it be organized into a nice, neat teaching? Or do we just let it consume us and light up the world in the process?

=

It’s a beautiful spring day here in Oregon. I hope you are having a lovely day too!

Recommended Books: Ramprasad (Ramprasad Sen)

This Dance of Bliss: Ecstatic Poetry from Around the World	Singing to the Goddess: Poems to Kali and Uma from Bengal	Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar	Mother of the Universe: Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment	Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna
More Books >>

Ramprasad was born in a small village along the Ganges, just outside of Calcutta (Kolkata) in Bengal, India. His father was an Ayurvedic doctor.

As a boy, Ramprasad showed himself to be an excellent student and displayed a natural talent for poetry and language.

Although he impressed everyone with his intellectual abilities, he showed no interest in taking up the family profession of Ayurveda or any profession, for that matter. His increasing otherworldliness and interest in spiritual practices worried his parents, who were afraid he would renounce the world. To head off that possibility, his parents married their meditative son to a beautiful young girl.

Soon after the marriage, Ramprasad’s father died, leaving the family in poverty. As the oldest son within a traditional family, the responsibility fell on Ramprasad to provide for the entire family. Despite his bright mind, Ramprasad struggled to find employment.

He eventually found a job as an accountant’s clerk in nearby Calcutta. But he couldn’t prevent his devotional poetry from pouring out. Lacking good paper, he wrote his poems in the margins of his account ledgers. Some of his coworkers noticed this and complained to the manager that Ramprasad was writing poetry rather than keeping the accounts. The manager demanded to see Ramprasad’s ledgers. Upon reading Ramprasad’s songs to the mother goddess Kali, the manager was so moved that he told Ramprasad to go home and devote all his time to his writing — and he would still draw the same monthly pay.

Ramprasad turned deeply to his spiritual practices and poetry, often singing his songs by the banks of the Ganges or immersed, neck-deep in the sacred waters.

One day a local prince heard Ramprasad singing songs to Kali. He appointed Ramprasad as court poet, granting him enough land to support his family. This new situation gave Ramprasad the permission he needed to delve more deeply into his spiritual practices. He was often found fasting and sitting in a nearby meditation garden.

He began to have visions of Mother Kali. His songs and quiet charisma started to draw devotees.

Ramprasad and his wife had four children. Finances continued to be a challenge for Ramprasad and his family. His intense focus on spiritual practices meant he neglected the day-to-day maintenance of his land, and his family just managed to get by.

Ramprasad’s poetry to the Mother Goddess Kali is playful, petulant, blissful, rageful — and sometimes shocking. His poetry shows the whole tempestuous relationship between a child and his Mother, between the soul and God. He doesn’t just show one face to the Divine Mother, he doesn’t just pretend to be ‘the good little boy.’ He communicates everything to Her nakedly, his frustration as well as his bliss. And, in doing so, he achieves a profound intimacy with the Divine.

More poetry by Ramprasad (Ramprasad Sen)

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