A-U-M
“A” represents the waking state . . .
“U” the dreaming state . . .
“M” the state of deep sleep.
AUM in its entirety,
followed by a moment of silence, represents the Shanti— the peace beyond understanding.

Aum Shri Ganeshaya Namah (ओम श्री गणेश्या नम)
(Praise to Lord Ganesha)
I am Ganapati…?
son of Shiva and Parvati.?
Lord Ganapati… Lord of the Ganas… the celestial ones… who watch over all… protect all.
I am Vighnahara… Remover of Obstacles… I am Siddhipriya… Bestower of Wishes and Boons… Buddhinath… God of Wisdom… Swaroop… Lover of Beauty… Uddanda… Nemesis of Evils and Vices. And… I am Kaveesha… Master of Poets… I have one hundred and eight names.
Most know me by Ganesha… Ganeshe… God of the People.
But… truly… sadly… most do not know me at all… or even acknowledge my very existence.
There are countless stories… legends really… describing how I came into being. Explaining my unique form… part human… part elephant. Some say I came through my mother’s loins… others through her mind… that I came of a wish… a desire… to bring harmony and prosperity to all who reside here… Calm.
But… I came through a sound. A sound so pure and clear and true… it has been known so far to only a very few…
AUM was my birth canal.
And I came out dancing at the first flicker of dawn…?dancing with a joy and a passion and a freedom not yet to be matched. I long for partners in my movements… but the time has not yet arrived. So I dance… for universality… for unity… for the supreme God force present within all things… within all.
I smile broadly, ecstatically.
When I dance… I dance for all… as I am here for all… I am here for you.
I have been here a long time… and I know I must remain here longer still… for this is the Kali Yuga… and I am needed here now more than ever. For this is the period of the greatest… darkest evil of man unto man. The time when avenues of possibility and opportunity and hope appear to be cut off… with only despair and desperation emerging in one’s path.
But truly… this is only an illusion. It is all an illusion. Yet I remain visible to those willing to see me… to let me guide them on.
Esther saw me… although she as yet does not know who I am or why I am here for her. Deep within her… she recognized me… and carried me forward to accompany her… to support her… to help her triumph over that which took place and that which is to come.
This is the Kali Yuga… and the destruction and horror that lies in wait for her will be more immense than the human mind can fathom… more than the celestial ones could conceive. And we remain in the darkest part of that night… when even the stars sleep…? when the forces of ignorance are in full bloom… and the subtle faculties of the soul are obscured.
The depth of Kali’s rage strikes each corner of the globe.
And… can strike in the very core of one’s life… testing heart… testing faith… as with Tadeusz.
Ah… Kali… the black one… the dark one… Kali Ma… is the mother… the goddess… of destruction and dissolution. She… alone… commands transition.
And in contrast to the way I dance to hope and triumph… She steps out with Her left foot… sword in right hand… and dances to death. Burial sites and cremations are Her platform. And Her followers… yes… She has many… dance with Her. Playing their flutes and pungis and kabbas and banging their tablas in revelry… in awe… of Her power… Her force… kicking up the ashes that follow Her everywhere. The footprints of Her destruction.
Her disciples… sing in ecstasy…?
“Because You love cremation grounds
I have made my heart one?
so that You?
Black Goddess of the Burning Grounds
can always dance there.
No desires are left, Ma,
on the pyre?
for the fire burns in my heart,?
and I have covered everything with its ash?
to prepare for Your coming.?
As for the Conqueror of Death, the Destructive Lord,
He can lie at Your feet. But You, come, Ma,?
dance to the beat; I’ll watch You
with my eyes closed.”

Ah… six million… twelve… no… the numbers will be unfathomable… the loss… too expansive… the pain… cavernous…?
And for so many… so very many… for those who will remain… those who will endure… it will appear to be the end… the end of everything… the end of this world.
I take a deep breath and sigh, faintly.
But there is no end… no real end… in the same way there is no real beginning. It can be said… in all candor… that the end of the world never is and never can be anything… but the end of an illusion.
Yes… Kali brings forth destruction. Yes… this is true. But this includes the destruction of ignorance… the end of unconsciousness. She maintains our world order and blesses and frees those who strive for knowledge… for verity.
For Kali’s force…? and Kali’s will… alone… bring forth renewal.
Oh Kali… my Kali… is so reviled… so misunderstood… so terribly misunderstood. So many perceive Her as hideous… evil… unforgiving. But while She kills and destroys… She also creates and nourishes. Kali is the Goddess of Time… a concept few understand.
She is the Goddess of the transformation you call death… the power of time that devours all. But we must learn that when time is transcended…? there is only the eternal night of unbounded tranquility… bliss. By Her magic we see good and we see bad… but in truth there is neither.
The world… this world… this whole world… and all we see… it is the play of Maya… the veil that lays over all.
So… now you know… now you see… death is not an end. This is important… it is key. This is truth. Death is merely transition.
There will be no end for Esther and the others… a passage… perhaps… a shift… but not an end.
Life… IS… precious… sacred… Life is an illusion… Kali is destruction… dissolution…? Kali is renewal…? rebirth.

by Judith Teitelman

Judith Teitelman has always straddled the worlds of arts, literature, and business. Life’s journeys took her from bookstores to fine art galleries to the cultural sector, where she has worked as staff, consultant, and educator for 38 years. Throughout, she continued her pursuit of all things literary. Guesthouse for Ganesha is her award-winning debut novel.