Scene 2

(Night. The son is sleeping. He suddenly awakens.)

SON: What a strange dream I had! I dreamt that I struck the statue of Kali which is in my father’s room and broke it to pieces. I was so happy to inform my mother that now there is only one statue in the house. All along I have been inwardly, secretly praying to Krishna. I am fond of Krishna and not of Kali. Let me go and see if the statue is broken or not.

(Opens the door to his father’s room and sees a statue of Krishna, not of Kali. He is wonder-struck.)

SON: How can it be? How can it be?

(Goes to his mother’s room and looks in. Her own statue of Krishna is still there.)

SON: Now we have two statues of Krishna! But perhaps I was mistaken. Let me go again to Father’s room and see. Maybe Father has replaced Kali’s statue. Perhaps he has given away Kali’s statue and bought a statue of Krishna so that Mother will be happy. Perhaps he does not want to quarrel with Mother any more.

(He goes to his father’s room and sees that the statue of Krishna is still there. He wakes his father.)

FATHER: What are you doing here at this hour?

SON: Why have you replaced Kali? Why do I see Krishna’s statue?

FATHER: Krishna? Krishna? How did Krishna get here? Has your mother brought her statue here and put it in my room?

SON: No, the same Krishna statue is in her room. I was just there.

FATHER: Let me go into your mother’s room and see.

(Father and son go into the mother’s room and see the same statue of Krishna there.)

MOTHER: What is the matter? What are you doing here at this hour? What are you doing in my room?

SON: Mother, Mother, now there is only Krishna in our family! In your room is Krishna and in Father’s room is Krishna.

MOTHER: What? Is it true? I can’t believe my ears! That means your father has now become Krishna’s devotee. I am so glad. I am so glad that at last you have replaced Kali with Krishna.

FATHER: I have not done it. I don’t know how Krishna’s statue got into my room.

MOTHER: Then how could this happen?

SON: Father, this must be a miracle. Since it is a divine miracle, let us meditate together. Let the three of us meditate together and see what we can learn from within.

(They sit down to meditate. An angel appears.)

ANGEL: It was your son’s prayer that we heard. Your son has always been suffering from your quarrels. One of you cries for Krishna, the other is all for Kali. Although he was fond of Krishna, your son felt miserable because each of you was always fighting for his own chosen deity. In order to prove to you that Kali and Krishna are one, Kali has taken the form of Krishna. From now on there will be no quarrel between you, no dispute between husband and wife, for you know that Kali and Krishna are one. Now Krishna is in both rooms because both wife and son like Krishna. Let there be no more disputes about which deity is better. You two may worship Krishna directly, and you (addressing the husband) may worship Kali inside Krishna. She is most certainly there. They are one.

(The angel disappears and the whole room is flooded with light.)