Kali And Sin And The Six Enemies

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CAST: Kali, Sin, Lust, Anger, Greed, Envy, Illusion, Madness.

(Sin enters along with her six devilish assistants — Lust, Anger, Greed, Illusion, Madness and Envy. They all say "Bravo! Bravo!" and take their places before Sin's throne as she addresses them)

Sin: As seeds grow to become flower-bearing trees, my pets, so like a seed do I lie in the innermost chamber of the heart of all fallen souls. And, day by day, I develop till I do deliver to each and every individual the fruits and flowers of his own sinful life — misery, disease, confusion, pain and poverty. For the sins of his past, a man suffers, but he is uncontrollably impelled by my force to commit more and more sins. And from these, he suffers in the future and again commits more. My innumerable seeds are indestructible. They are deeply sown and, like irrepressible weeds, give misery to all. By my design the poor soul who contemplates sense objects develops attachment for them. That attachment leads to lust, and from lust, anger arises... from anger, then delusion... and finally loss of intelligence. And when a man loses his intelligence, he comes more firmly under my grip. (all applaud) Thank you, my expert foremen. How grateful I am that with your assistance my authority has been expanded throughout the universe. My pets, recite to me now what expert means you use to expand my kingdom, and I shall reward each of you as you deserve. (all speak simultaneously) Wait, wait, my pets. One at a time, please, one at a time. Now let me see... who shall it be? You begin, O Lust...

Envy: He always gets to start first!

Sin: (claps) Silence, Envy!

Lust: (rises) O Empress Sin, your influence is boundless. Who can escape the enchantment of your web? I am not one to brag, (others murmur) but I must admit that it is I who am the greatest enemy of all the living entities!

All: What, you?!

Sin: (claps) Silence! Let him continue.

Lust: Yes, I! It is I, dear Empress, who induces the pure soul to become entangled in your clutches. My work is simple, very simple. Listen, mother, how I do your work to the best of my ability...

The beautiful woman sits in her bedroom, and with her quickly-moving eyes she sees the redness of her own lips in the mirror. And as she brushes her hair, which is black like the wings of a crow, the desires in her mind easily flow. Seeing her own reflection, her mind becomes delighted, and at any time I whisper in her ear... slowly, slowly I say to that lusty woman: "Alas, O beautiful-eyed one, why are you sitting here alone, not being cared for? Why don't you attract some young man's mind and bind him up? Go, go! For what reason do you remain here idly? How can you tolerate the pride of these young men? Why not make them cry out in desire? Why not make them all roll at your feet?" With a steady mind she hears these words. Slightly smiling, she rises and, holding the mirror with her own reflection in front of her, the enchantress runs off to conquer in all directions!!!

When I see laziness in a man, I go to him and say: "O mystifier of the worlds, what are you doing? Just see — women are dying for you! You are just like a bumble-bee, now go and drink honey from many flowers!" Hearing my sweet words, the scandalous man begins to think himself the lord of love. And at that moment, the beautiful woman attacks him with the arrows of her glances. In this way, the young man and woman fall down by Lust's deception. In the end, they enjoy poisonous fruits, and the depths of their hearts burn day and night. Thus bound by ropes of attachment, they come under your control... their shouts of remorse never end! In this manner do I, Lust, ever cause the best of men to fall.

Sin: (happily clapping) Beautiful! Beautiful!

Envy: Now me! Let me!

Sin: Wait! All in good time! Speak to me, Anger — what is your business?

Anger: O Sin! All glories unto you! Without you, what would this world be like to live in? Please hear of my exploits on your behalf. Lust's work is simple, he says. I couldn't agree with him more. But my work is thorough. He may capture a man's senses, mind and intelligence, but it is my toxins that pollute his whole body. After Lust does what little he can, his victim gets passed on to me. (Lust responds with insults) Then I make the man's gentle voice harsh and loud, his muscles taut, his heart palpitate, his actions uncontrolled. Just see the pauper in my palm, his blood boiling and his face flushed red by my wrath! That soul will not listen, reason cannot find him, patience has deserted him. Only arrogance and pride provoke him, and he turns upon his own beloved wife, children and friends. Being unkind to them, he suffers all the more. O dearest Sin, devastation is my work! You can see the evidence of my work everywhere in the form of enmity: between husband and wife, between brothers, friends and families, between societies, religions and nations. I have men at each other's throats over mere trifles. Then after my brief visit is over, my black shadow, war, arrives! And that's when the real fun begins! (harsh laughter. The other enemies mimick his laughter sarcastically) Ah shut up! Shut up!

Sin: Next! Who shall speak next? (clamor) Quiet! (immediate silence) All right, Greed, go on.

Greed: Of all your foremen, sweet Sin, I truly am the foremost! (all respond negatively) Like a faithful gardener, I lavishly water the seeds you so carefully sow! Please hear, Your Majesty, of my qualifications — of which you certainly already know. Whatever there may be within the universe to satisfy one's senses can never satisfy me. Even though a man has everything, under my influence he wants more. With discontent by my side, I sap the very vitality of human life. Where I reside, rest assured, happiness never dares show her face. My pitiful prisoner, one foot through the gate of hell, thinks: "So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes." Thus he works hard like an ass day in, day out, and even overtime...Rushing to work at breakneck speed, full of anxiety, convinced that he is free. But in truth he's working for me!

No matter what he goes through and gets, it will never make amends...

thus he takes to stealing and cheating, even from his friends.

Then they steal from him and, thus oppressed,

they become enemies over a farthing or less.

Let but my sticky fingertips lightly touch the most esoteric philosopher, the most advanced scientist, the most renowned politician, the most brilliant poet, and they become morose, living a life of two extremes: hankering for future gain, and lamenting for past loss.

Ahhh! Just see how I make them all insane!

Illusion: Ho-hum!

Greed: My queen, these are the waters of my reign...

Illusion: Enough!

Greed: ...and the flood has only just begun...

Illusion: Enough!

Greed: ...by my touch, they all become undone!

Illusion: I can't stand any more!

Greed: Too bad!

Sin: Illusion, Illusion, please.

Illusion: (jumping up and interrupting Greed) O Sin! With all due respect, I have heard enough! After all, why does a man endeavor to enjoy himself? And why is he angered when he fails? I ask you why... why is he dissatisfied with his wealth? It is because I, Illusion, have spread my veils. You should know that all beautiful, glorious and mighty sins spring from but a spark of my splendor. (Sin squirms nervously) With but a single fragment of myself, I pervade and support all these other petty seedlings. (other enemies protest vigorously) Why do I reign supreme?

All: Supreme?!

Illusion: For one reason only: because of my cheerful smile called ignorance. It is due to ignorance, Madame Sin, that men are overcome by your glance. Poor little Lust and Anger simply carry on my work. (negative response) And when I make a man want more than what he's due, then only is he susceptible to you, O noble Greed! And why are souls called fallen? Because I cast them down. And why do they stay down? Because I enshroud them. For every being is born in my grip, overcome by desire and hate.

I have decided for modern man

that life is a complex chemical combination,

that there is no God in control,

and within the body there is no soul.

He thinks that his body made merely

of earthly lifeless elements

is his complete identity.

Poor lost little living entity!

He's unaware that there's a joyful Lord in control,

that within the body, there's a blissful living soul.

You see, they only age in years, but not in knowledge,

for I hide reality behind my shawl,

for the detriment of one and all.

Good queen, you know this world to be

a place of death, happiness has no place here.

But for them, this truth is wholly unclear.

They are blind, for within their minds, I pit hope against hope. "Things will be better," they think, "and the future is so bright."

That's my master plan...

to keep them locked up in this sham.

Sin: Your master plan?

Illusion: Well, I didn't mean...

Sin: That is quite enough now, Illusion. Don't let yourself get carried away.

Illusion: But my Queen, I haven't...

Sin: Sit down, Illusion! Sit! Good. Now, Madness, you've been ominously quiet and reserved. Let's hear of your play.

Madness: I, reserved? How very droll.

Sin: Why not let us into the labyrinth of your mind?

Madness: Excuse me if I seem a bit reserved. A real hero shows prowess by his actions, not high sounding words. (negative response) Allow me to quietly reveal my seductive plot. Man is mortal; this statement seems quite sound, you must admit. (responses: "So what else is new? Ho-hum!")

Old folks have died, and he who is a child today,

will sooner or later pass away.

Yet although he knows his destiny to be dust,

he madly accumulate more and more and more,

and becomes a prime target for Illusion, Greed, Anger and Lust.

And why? Because he cannot help himself... he must!

All: He must?

Madness: He must! Do you hear? And this is the substance of my gift... This is what I, Madness, contribute. So, Mistress Sin, you can see that I'm the best, I trust.

Sin: (to Madness) Hmmm. Perhaps. After all, there is method to your madness. Well now, Envy. Envy?

All: Hey Envy!!!

Envy: Huh? Who, me?

All: Yes, you!

Sin: At last it is your turn to beat the drum. But I must caution you — don't be too malicious!

Envy: Who, me?

All: Yes, you!

Envy: (intensely eager) To begin with, O Queen, let me ask: From which tree do the seeds of sin come? (all respond in favor of themselves) Wrong! From me! (all freak out) There — you see! Ha! The desire-tree of Envy! Without me, men would live peacefully,

he'd not care if another was more opulent than he.

None would strive to accumulate more and more,

and then, Madness, where would you be?

Lust, Anger, Greed, Illusion and Madness all envy me! (wild response) They know that only my call

lures the soul to want what is not his

and makes him fall — (faint kirtan is heard in distance) and it all begins when he envies God!!!

That's why I will never let it end,

for my roots are stronger than an iron rod.

And nothing in this world can ever make them bend. (dissention increases)

(a kirtan is heard offstage in the distance, and this does not stop for the rest of the play. The actors must shout over it)

Sin: Shhh, quiet. Listen! What's that?

All: What's what?

Sin: That sound!

All: What sound?

Sin: That! That horrible sound. It sounds like music...

All: Music?

Sin: Yes, happy music!

All: (they stand up) Yes, yes it is!

Sin: All right, who's responsible for this?

All: Honestly, Sin, we didn't...

Sin: I warn you — if this is someone's idea of a joke, I'm not amused! I want it stopped. I want it stopped immediately! (silence, no one moves) Well, someone do something. Someone go out there and tell them to stop it this instant! (Kali enters)

All: Kali! Kali!

Sin: O Kali! How wonderful to see you, my dear! (kirtan is more noticeable in background)

Kali: (sadly) O my Queen, my poor Queen...

Sin: What's the matter, Kali?

Kali: (distraught, pacing back and forth) I never thought it could happen... Brace yourself, my queen, I have bad news.

Sin: Bad news?!

Kali: Yes... It's all over! Our doom is in the making!

Sin: Our doom?

Kali: Yes! They are chanting and spreading those horrible names!

Sin: What names?

Kali: You know — those names!

Sin: What are you talking about?

Kali: Must I spell out everything for you? The Holy Names of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead! They are planting those names in the minds and hearts of everyone, everywhere!

Sin: Oh, no! No!

Kali: Our entire empire is quaking!

Sin: But how can that be? We've sown

uncountable seeds of sin within their hearts. (All: "Yes! Yes!")And those seeds will kill piety

like piercing, poisonous darts. (All: "They must! They must!")

Kali: (shakes his head dismally) Excuse me, don't you realize this chanting of the Lord's names nullifies all sinful seeds...

Sin: Nullifies?

All: Nullifies?

Kali: ...and all reactions to sinful deeds?

Sin: No, no, it can't be!

Kali: Yes, it can. It's useless! All our work gone for nought; it's useless, don't you see?

Sin: (in extreme anxiety) But I don't understand. It just can't be!

Kali: But it can, it can! The Supreme Lord has come to say: "Abandon all varieties of religion, just surrender unto Me and I'll protect you from all sin."

Sin: (more calmly) Oh, is that all? But that's not news! No one will listen to that when faced by Envy's might! (All: "Right!") And who will care for such words when Lust makes his strike? (All: "Right!") Our stalwart army will not fall! (All: "Never!")

Kali: (interrupts her, shouting) That's where you're wrong! Our stalwart soldiers are being used by these devotees!!!

Sin: What gall! (All: "What gall!") They must be deprogrammed at once... (All: "At once") ...once and for all!

Kali: Listen! They transform their lust into love for the Lord.

Sin: For the Lord?!

All: Disgusting!

Kali: They use their anger and envy to fight those who decry the Lord and His divine plans. Their greed becomes eagerness to attain the Lord's favor. And separation from the Lord will make even Madness stand mute with folded hands as they wait for their beloved Lord to benedict the devotees with His ecstatic flavor! These devotees seem to taste some mysterious sweet that gives them strength to control their minds!!! O my queen, what can it be that makes our treats tasteless? (Lust, Anger, Greed, Envy and Madness slink off; only Illusion remains)

Sin: Let them try to control us! Illusion will captivate them back to our view! Just wait and see!

Kali: (with sad voice) O my poor Queen, I'm afraid Illusion won't do!

Sin: (hopelessly) What do you mean, Illusion won't do?

Kali: Let me show you. Illusion, come here! Under whose control are you?

Illusion: Sin's of course. For the source of my power, it is Sin I woo.

Kali: That may be true. But beyond her milieu, in whose shadow do you stand?

Illusion: (great hesitancy) I? Well... I stand behind the Lord!

Kali: And who is your Lord?

Illusion: My Lord? Why, ultimately Krishna, of course. Who else?

Sin: Ah! Don't mention that name! (she tries to attack Illusion but Kali stops her)

Kali: Wait! And when your Lord commands you, can you afford to disobey?

Illusion: No, never. How could I disobey my Lord? (he runs off. Sin calls after the enemies)

Sin: Illusion! Envy! Greed! Those miserable clowns claimed to abound in the confines of my world. But I've found their boasts to be merely bad jokes. May they all to their deaths be hurled! (chanting continues. Kali and Sin look at each other for a moment, listening. They continue talking, but now more slowly than before)

Sin: What a cacophonous disruption! (pause) I demand to see who's doing this! (gets up to go)

Kali: (alarmed) O my consort Sin, if you wish to stay with me, I urge you not to go!!! (to kirtan party) Stop it! Stop it! My head is about to burst!!! (he sits down as if he has a great headache)

Sin: (to herself) Until this happened, our might was immeasurable! How could they deal such a blow? I must know! I must go... I must see how it could be so! (she turns, sees Kali is not watching and runs off)

Kali: (immediately looks up and sees she's gone) Wait! Wait! Sin! You'll be entrapped by our foe! (he runs after her)

(the kirtan party enters and audience participates in a loud kirtan)

The End