Page:The Gospel of Râmakrishna.djvu/173

 quake, drought or flood. At cemeteries, burn- ing Ghats or crematories She appears in the form of the Destroyer. The dead body, the jackal, the spirits of destruction are Her terrible companions. She lives in the midst of those horrible scenes, of those fearful environments. Streams of blood, a garland of skulls thrown round Her neck, a girdle made of the hands of those that are dead, are the symbols that mark Her as the dread Mother, as the All- Destroyer. Now look at Her mode of creation. At the end of a cycle, upon the destruction of the world, my Mother, good Matron that She is, puts together the seeds of creation. The mistress of a house has a hodge- podge pot of her own in which to keep sundry things for household use. (Ramakrishna, smil- ing) Yes, my friends, that is indeed so. The mistress of a house has such a pot in her posses- sion. In it are kept the "sea-foam" in a solid state, small parcels containing seeds of the cucumber, gourd, and so on. She brings them out when wanted. In much the same way my Mother keeps the seeds of creation after the destruction of the world at the end of a cycle.