Question

Read this excerpt from Diane Di Prima’s poem "Buddhist New Year Song."
I could see the planet from which we had come

I could not remember (then) what our purpose was
but remembered the name Mahakala, in the dawn

in the dawn confronted Shiva, the cold light
revealed the “mindborn” worlds

What is the purpose of these allusions in this excerpt?
to show the speaker of the poem’s intelligence
to explain the purpose of the dawn
to depict the importance of religious faith
to reference figures of destruction and creation

Answer 1

to reference figures of destruction and creation

Both Mahakala and Shiva are associated with powerful cosmic forces—destruction, transformation, and creation—so the allusions evoke those themes rather than simply showing intelligence, explaining dawn, or promoting faith.