Goddess Kali Blesses Raman
After learning the sacred mantras from the monk, Raman began to chant them with full devotion. One night, he went to the temple of Goddess Kali and started reciting the mantras continuously. The midnight air was still and eerie — only Raman’s chanting broke the silence of the night.
Suddenly, there was a deafening thunder. Amidst blinding flashes of light appeared Goddess Kali herself — a terrifying sight with a thousand heads and a thousand fiery eyes. Flames burst from her mouths, and her long teeth gleamed menacingly. The entire temple trembled at her presence.
But Raman remained calm and unafraid. He simply smiled at the Goddess.
“Why do you laugh?” asked Goddess Kali in surprise.
Raman replied with a bow, “O Mother, please forgive me. I was just wondering— I have only one head and one nose, and even then, during a cold, I struggle to wipe my nose with my two hands. You have a thousand heads and noses, but still only two hands! How do you manage?”
Hearing this, the Goddess burst into laughter. She was delighted by Raman’s wit and presence of mind.
Then, she presented him with two golden pots and said, “In one pot is the milk of wealth, and in the other, the milk of wisdom. You may choose only one.”
Raman hesitated for a moment and asked curiously, “Mother, elders often say that wealth is sour. What does that mean?”
Goddess Kali smiled and explained, “It means that the ways people follow to gain wealth are often not good. If you drink the milk of wealth, you will become rich. If you drink the milk of wisdom, you will become intelligent and wise. Now choose wisely.”
Raman thought for a moment, then said cleverly, “O Goddess, how can I choose without tasting both?” And before Kali could respond, he quickly drank both pots of milk!
Goddess Kali was astonished. “You are indeed clever,” she said. “But no one told you to drink both pots. As a punishment for your cunning, I curse you to become a jester.”
Raman immediately bowed and pleaded, “O Mother, please don’t curse me! Let me at least be a jester with intelligence and poetry. And forgive me, but you too held both pots in your hands at the same time— doesn’t that mean you consider both wisdom and wealth equally important?”
Hearing this, the Goddess smiled again and said, “Raman, you have outwitted even me. You shall indeed become both — a poet and a jester. But remember, the world will remember you more for your wit than your poetry.”
With these words, Goddess Kali blessed Raman and vanished. Raman was filled with joy and gratitude. He bowed to the goddess and thanked her for her divine blessing — the gift of both wisdom and humor.
Moral: True wisdom lies in using intelligence with wit. Cleverness used with humility can turn even a curse into a blessing.