May I meditate upon the mystic seed sound Ma, entrusted to me by my Cosmic Mother. ~ Ramprasad
From April 2 through April 11, Hindus will celebrate the holiday Navratri, a joyful nine-day celebration of the goddess in all her forms, including Kali, Durga, Saraswati, Chandrika, and Kundalini. But the goddess is known across all traditions. Christianity knows Her as Mother Mary, Black Madonna, Sophia, or the Holy Spirit; in Buddhism as Tara or Kwan Yin. The vast constellation of these forms are different facets of one God, allowing us the opportunity to connect with the forms that offer us the most delight.
There is an old saying that while we are on this earth engrossed in our pursuits and goals, we are like Mother’s children contentedly playing with toys. We delight in the variety of experiences, roles, and challenges of the everyday world. Then there is a moment when we begin to want more from life—more than ordinary experience can offer. As we start to feel the pangs of spiritual discontent, we throw down our “toys” and begin to fuss and cry. That brings Mother running, offering us Her grace and love, preparing us for the next stage of our journey.
The simple word “Ma” evokes our intimate connection to the transcendent Mother who generously gives the power, protection, and nurturance that we need on the spiritual path. Offer your devotion simply and freely to connect to the very source of all that is!
~Erika
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The Play of My Soul is Over
O blissful Mother,
the play of my soul is over.
My strange dream of action and passion
is now complete.
Ma! Ma! Ma!
I took this incarnation
to experience your universal drama,
yet like a small child,
I only played with dust.
O Daughter of the Sacred Mountain,
fountain of self-luminosity,
at this pregnant moment
you have brought death near me.
My childhood passed in playfulness,
my later years were games of limited love,
and now age has slowed my steps
till I no longer dance with delusion.
This poet supplicates ceaselessly:
"Holy Mother! Holy Mother!
Grant me pure love for you only!
Merge me irretrievably
into your beautiful black mystery."
by Ramprasad Sen in Mother of the Universe, edited by Lex Hixon