Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/63

Rh own Good she cruelly tramples under her foot !* Alas, Mother ! " Tears rolled down the cheeks of the monk. Mahendra asked, " Why are there arms in her hand ? " " We are her children, we have only just given her the arms. Say, 'Hail, Mother.' " Mahendra said "Hail Mother J> and made his bow to Kali. Then the monk showed him the way through another tunnel, bid Mahendra follow him, and himself began to climb up. Suddenly the rays of the morning sun flashed before their eyes and sweet warblers poured forth their delicious songs. In a large marble temple to which the alley led, Mahendra saw a golden image of the ten-handed god- dess smiling brightly in the morning sun. Bowing to this goddess, the monk observed : " This is the mother as she would be : — her ten hands spreading on all sides and her varied powers appearing in them in the form of so many arms; — the enemy trampled under her feet and the lion at her feet engaged in killing her foes, Her hands," he said, and tears rose to his eyes, — "point to all sides ; the wielder of many arms and chastiser of her foes she stands — with luck-giving Lakshmi to her right and Vani, the spring of knowledge and science, to her left. With her stand Kartik, the mythology. The form of Siva under Kali's feet the author takes to be an allegorical representation of * Good,' for Siva means ' good.' It should be botne in mind that these allegorical explanations are the author's own and not sanctioned by mythology.
 * This is the form in which the goddess Kali is represented in Hindu