KālīKali redirects here. See Kali(disambiguation) for other uses.

Not to be confused with Kali (demon),the personification of Kali Yuga

Kali

The Goddess Kali, (1770) by Richard B. Godfrey(1728 - N/A); from LACMA

Goddess of Time, Change

Devanagari ????

Affiliation Devi , Mahavidya , Matrika

Abode Cremation grounds

Mantra Om Krīm Kālyai namaḥ ,Om Kapālinaye Namah,Om Hrim Shrim KrimParameshvari Kalike Svaha

Weapon Sword

Consort Shiva

Mount Jackal

Kali, also known as Kalika (Bengali: ????,Kālī / ?????? Kālikā ; Sanskrit: ????), is aHindu goddess associated with death and de-struction. The name Kali means "black", buthas by folk etymology come to mean "force oftime (kala)". Despite her negative connota-tions, she is today considered the goddess oftime and change. Although sometimespresented as dark and violent, her earliest in-carnation as a figure of annihilation still hassome influence. More complex Tantric beliefssometimes extend her role so far as to be the"ultimate reality" or Brahman. She is alsorevered as Bhavatarini (literally "redeemerof the universe"). Comparatively recent devo-tional movements largely conceive Kali as abenevolent mother goddess.

Kali is represented as the consort of godShiva, on whose body she is often seen stand-ing. She is associated with many other Hindugoddesses like Durga, Bhadrakali, Sati,

Rudrani, Parvati and Chamunda. She is theforemost among the Dasa-Mahavidyas, tenfierce Tantric goddesses.[1]

EtymologyKālī is the feminine of kāla "black, dark col-oured" (per Panini 4.1.42). It appears as thename of a form of Durga in Mahabharata4.195, and as the name of an evil female spir-it in Harivamsa 11552.

The homonymous kāla "appointed time",which depending on context can mean"death", is distinct from kāla "black", but be-came associated through folk etymology. Theassociation is seen in a passage from theMahābhārata, depicting a female figure whocarries away the spirits of slain warriors andanimals. She is called kālarātri (which Tho-mas Coburn, a historian of Sanskrit Goddessliterature, translates as "night of death") andalso kālī (which, as Coburn notes, can beread here either as a proper name or as a de-scription "the black one").[2]

Kali’s association with blackness stands incontrast to her consort, Shiva, whose body iscovered by the white ashes of the cremationground (Sanskrit: śmaśāna) in which he med-itates, and with which Kali is also associated,as śmaśāna-kālī.

OriginsAccording to David Kinsley, Kali is first men-tioned in Hinduism as a distinct goddess, re-lated to war, around 600 CE. Scriptures likeAgni Purana and Garuda Purana describe herterrible appearance and associate her withcorpses and war. Bhagavata Purana calls herthe patron deity of thieves. She was wor-shipped initially by tribals and low-caste Hin-dus, in "wild places". An architectural workdating between the sixth to eighth centuryprescribes her temples be built near crema-tion grounds or houses of low-caste people(Chndalas). Kali or goddesses with similariconography like Chamunda, appear in differ-ent Sanskrit works, dating from seventh totwelfth century, as lovers of blood sacrifice,adorned with human skulls and corpses and

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residing near cremation grounds. Kali ap-pears as the wrath of goddess Durga or Par-vati, notably in the Devi Mahatmya and LingaPurana.[3]

In Tantra

Mahakali Yantra

Goddesses play an important role in thestudy and practice of Tantra Yoga, and areaffirmed to be as central to discerning thenature of reality as the male deities are. Al-though Parvati is often said to be the recipi-ent and student of Shiva’s wisdom in theform of Tantras, it is Kali who seems to dom-inate much of the Tantric iconography, texts,and rituals.[4] In many sources Kali is praisedas the highest reality or greatest of all deit-ies. The Nirvana-tantra says the godsBrahma, Vishnu, and Shiva all arise from herlike bubbles in the sea, ceaselessly arisingand passing away, leaving their originalsource unchanged. The Niruttara-tantra andthe Picchila-tantra declare all of Kali’s man-tras to be the greatest and the Yogini-tantra,Kamakhya-tantra and the Niruttara-tantra allproclaim Kali vidyas (manifestations of Ma-hadevi, or "divinity itself"). They declare herto be an essence of her own form (svarupa) ofthe Mahadevi.[5]

In the Mahanirvana-tantra, Kali is one ofthe epithets for the primordial sakti, and inone passage Shiva praises her:

At the dissolution of things, it is Kala[Time] Who will devour all, and byreason of this He is called Mahakala [anepithet of Lord Shiva], and since Thoudevourest Mahakala Himself, it is Thouwho art the Supreme Primordial Kalika.Because Thou devourest Kala, Thou art

Kali, the original form of all things, andbecause Thou art the Origin of anddevourest all things Thou art called theAdya [primordial Kali. Resuming afterDissolution Thine own form, dark andformless, Thou alone remainest as Oneineffable and inconceivable. Thoughhaving a form, yet art Thou formless;though Thyself without beginning,multiform by the power of Maya, Thouart the Beginning of all, Creatrix,Protectress, and Destructress that Thouart.[6]

The figure of Kali conveys death, destruction,fear, and the consuming aspects of reality. Assuch, she is also a "forbidden thing", or evendeath itself. In the Pancatattva ritual, thesadhaka boldly seeks to confront Kali, andthereby assimilates and transforms her into avehicle of salvation.[7] This is clear in thework of the Karpuradi-stotra[8], a shortpraise to Kali describing the Pancatattva ritu-al unto her, performed on cremationgrounds. (Samahana-sadhana)

He, O Mahakali who in the cremation-ground, naked, and with dishevelledhair, intently meditates upon Thee andrecites Thy mantra, and with eachrecitation makes offering to Thee of athousand Akanda flowers with seed,becomes without any effort a Lord of theearth. 0 Kali, whoever on Tuesday atmidnight, having uttered Thy mantra,makes offering even but once withdevotion to Thee of a hair of his Sakti[his female companion] in the cremation-ground, becomes a great poet, a Lord ofthe earth, and ever goes mounted uponan elephant.[9]

The Karpuradi-stotra clearly indicates thatKali is more than a terrible, vicious, slayer ofdemons who serves Durga or Shiva. Here,she is identified as the supreme mistress ofthe universe, associated with the five ele-ments. In union with Lord Shiva, who is saidto be her spouse, she creates and destroysworlds. Her appearance also takes a differentturn, befitting her role as ruler of the worldand object of meditation.[10] In contrast toher terrible aspects, she takes on hints of amore benign dimension. She is described asyoung and beautiful, has a gentle smile, andmakes gestures with her two right hands todispel any fear and offer boons. The more

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positive features exposed offer the distillationof divine wrath into a goddess of salvation,who rids the sadhaka of fear. Here, Kali ap-pears as a symbol of triumph over death.[11]

In Bengali traditionKali is also central figure in late medievalBengali devotional literature, with such de-votees as Ramprasad Sen (1718–75). Withthe exception of being associated with Par-vati as Shiva’s consort, Kali is rarely picturedin Hindu mythology and iconography as amotherly figure until Bengali devotion begin-ning in the early eighteenth century. Even inBengali tradition her appearance and habitschange little, if at all.[12]

The Tantric approach to Kali is to displaycourage by confronting her on cremationgrounds in the dead of night, despite her ter-rible appearance. In contrast, the Bengali de-votee appropriates Kali’s teachings, adoptingthe attitude of a child. In both cases, the goalof the devotee is to become reconciled withdeath and to learn acceptance of the waythings are. These themes are well addressedin Ramprasad’s work.[13]

Ramprasad comments in many of his othersongs that Kali is indifferent to his wellbeing,causes him to suffer, brings his worldly de-sires to nothing and his worldly goods to ru-in. He also states that she does not behavelike a mother should and that she ignores hispleas:

Can mercy be found in the heart of herwho was born of the stone? [a referenceto Kali as the daughter of Himalaya]

Were she not merciless, would she kickthe breast of her lord?

Men call you merciful, but there is notrace of mercy in you. Mother.

You have cut off the headset the childrenof others, and these you wear as agarland around your neck.

It matters not how much I call you"Mother, Mother." You hear me, but youwill not listen.[14]

To be a child of Kali, Ramprasad asserts, is tobe denied of earthly delights and pleasures.Kali is said to not give what is expected. Tothe devotee, it is perhaps her very refusal todo so that enables her devotees to reflect on

dimensions of themselves and of reality thatgo beyond the material world.[15][16]

A significant portion of Bengali devotionalmusic features Kali as its central theme andis known as Shyama Sangeet. Mostly sung bymale vocalists, today even women have takento this form of music. One of the finest sing-ers of Shyama Sangeet is PannalalBhattacharya.

MythologySlayer of Raktabija

"Kali Triumphant on The Battle Field," Pun-jab, circa 1800–20CE)

In Kali’s most famous myth, Durga and herassistants, Matrikas, wound the demon Rakt-abija, in various ways and with a variety ofweapons, in an attempt to destroy him. Theysoon find that they have worsened the situ-ation, as for every drop of blood that is spiltfrom Raktabija the demon reproduces a cloneof himself. The battlefield becomes increas-ingly filled with his duplicates.[17] Durga, indire need of help, summons Kali to combatthe demons. It is also said that GoddessDurga takes the form of Goddess Kali at thistime.

The Devi Mahatmyam describes:Out of the surface of her (Durga’s) fore-

head, fierce with frown, issued suddenly Kaliof terrible countenance, armed with a swordand noose. Bearing the strange khatvanga(skull-topped staff ), decorated with a gar-land of skulls, clad in a tiger’s skin, very ap-palling owing to her emaciated flesh, withgaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lollingout, having deep reddish eyes, filling the re-gions of the sky with her roars, falling uponimpetuously and slaughtering the great

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asuras in that army, she devoured thosehordes of the foes of the devas.[18]

Kali destroys Raktabija by sucking theblood from his body and putting the manyRaktabija duplicates in her gaping mouth.Pleased with her victory, Kali then dances onthe field of battle, stepping on the corpses ofthe slain. Her consort Shiva lies among thedead beneath her feet, a representation ofKali commonly seen in her iconography asDaksinakali’.[19]

In Devi Mahatmya version of this story,Kali is also described as an Matrika and as aShakti or power of Devi. She is given the epi-thet Cāṃuṇḍā (Chamunda) i.e the slayer ofdemons Chanda and Munda.[20] Chamunda isvery often identified with Kali and is verymuch like her in appearance and habit.[21]

Daksinakali

Bhadrakali (A gentle form of Kali), circa1675.Painting; made in India, Himachal Pradesh,Basohli,now placed in LACMA.

In her most famous pose as Daksinakali, it issaid that Kali, becoming drunk on the bloodof her victims on the battlefield, dances withdestructive frenzy. In her fury she fails to seethe body of her husband Shiva who liesamong the corpses on the battlefield.[22] Ul-timately the cries of Shiva attract Kali’s at-tention, calming her fury. As a sign of hershame at having disrespected her husband insuch a fashion, Kali sticks out her tongue.However, some sources state that this inter-pretation is a later version of the symbolismof the tongue: in tantric contexts, the tongueis seen to denote the element (guna) of rajas

(energy and action) controlled by sattva, spir-itual and godly qualities.[23]

One South Indian tradition tells of a dancecontest between Shiva and Kali. After defeat-ing the two demons Sumbha and Nisumbha,Kali takes residence in a forest. With fiercecompanions she terrorizes the surroundingarea. One of Shiva’s devotees becomes dis-tracted while doing austerities and asksShiva to rid the forest of the destructive god-dess. When Shiva arrives, Kali threatens him,claiming the territory as her own. Shiva chal-lenges her to a dance contest, and defeatsher when she is unable to perform the ener-getic Tandava dance. Although here Kali isdefeated, and is forced to control her disrupt-ive habits, we find very few images or othermyths depicting her in such manner.[24]

Maternal KaliAnother myth depicts the infant Shiva calm-ing Kali, instead. In this similar story, Kaliagain defeated her enemies on the battlefieldand began to dance out of control, drunk onthe blood of the slain. To calm her down andto protect the stability of the world, Shiva issent to the battlefield, as an infant, cryingaloud. Seeing the child’s distress, Kali ceasesdancing to take care of the helpless infant.She picks him up, kisses his head, and pro-ceeds to breast feed the infant Shiva.[25] Thismyth depicts Kali in her benevolent, maternalaspect; something that is revered in Hin-duism, but not often recognized in the West.

Ekamukhi or "One-Faced" Murti of Mahakalidisplaying ten hands holding the signifiers ofvarious Devas

MahakaliMahakali (Sanskrit: Mahākālī, Devanagari:???????), literally translated as Great Kali, issometimes considered as greater form of

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Kali, identified with the Ultimate realityBrahman. It can also simply be used as anhonorific of the Goddess Kali,[26] signifyingher greatness by the prefix "Mahā-". Ma-hakali, in Sanskrit, is etymologically the fem-inized variant of Mahakala or Great Time(which is interpreted also as Death), an epi-thet of the God Shiva in Hinduism. Mahakaliis the presiding Goddess of the first episodeof Devi Mahatmya. Here she is depicted asDevi in her universal form as Shakti. HereDevi serves as the agent who allows the cos-mic order to be restored.

Iconography

Statue from Dakshineswar Kali Temple, WestBengal, India; along with her Yantra.

Kali is portrayed mostly in two forms: thepopular four-armed form and the ten-armedMahakali form. In both of her forms, she isdescribed as being black in color but is mostoften depicted as blue in popular Indian art.Her eyes are described as red with intoxica-tion and in absolute rage, her hair is showndisheveled, small fangs sometimes protrudeout of her mouth and her tongue is lolling.She is often shown naked or just wearing askirt made of human arms and a garland ofhuman heads. She is also accompanied byserpents and a jackal while standing on aseemingly dead Shiva, usually right foot for-ward to symbolize the more popular Dakshin-amarga or right-handed path, as opposed tothe more infamous and transgressiveVamamarga or left-handed path.[27]

In the ten armed form of Mahakali she isdepicted as shining like a blue stone. She hasten faces and ten feet and three eyes. Shehas ornaments decked on all her limbs. Thereis no association with Siva.[28]

The Kalika Purana describes Kali as pos-sessing a soothing dark complexion, as per-fectly beautiful, riding a lion, four armed,holding a sword and blue lotuses, her hairunrestrained, body firm and youthful.[29]

In spite of her seemingly terrible form,Kali is often considered the kindest and mostloving of all the Hindu goddesses, as she isregarded by her devotees as the Mother ofthe whole Universe. And, because of her ter-rible form she is also often seen as a greatprotector. When the Bengali saint Ra-makrishna once asked a devotee why onewould prefer to worship Mother over him,this devotee rhetorically replied, “Maharaj,when they are in trouble your devotees comerunning to you. But, where do you run whenyou are in trouble?”[30]

According to Ramakrishna darkness is Ul-timate Mother or Kali:

My Mother is the principle of conscious-ness. She is Akhanda Satchidananda; indivis-ible Reality, Awareness, and Bliss. The nightsky between the stars is perfectly black. Thewaters of the ocean depths are the same; Theinfinite is always mysteriously dark. This in-ebriating darkness is my beloved Kali.

-Sri RamakrishnaThroughout her history artists the world

over have portrayed Kali in myriad poses andsettings, some of which stray far from thepopular description, and are sometimes evengraphically sexual in nature. Given the

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popularity of this Goddess, artists every-where will continue to explore the magnifi-cence of Kali’s iconography. This is clear inthe work of such contemporary artists asCharles Wish, and Tyeb Mehta, who some-times take great liberties with the traditional,accepted symbolism, but still demonstrate atrue reverence for the Shakta sect.

Popular formClassic depictions of Kali share several fea-tures, as follows:

Kali’s most common four armed icono-graphic image shows each hand carryingvariously a sword, a trishul (trident), asevered head and a bowl or skull-cup(kapala) catching the blood of the severedhead.

Two of these hands (usually the left) areholding a sword and a severed head. TheSword signifies Divine Knowledge and theHuman Head signifies human Ego whichmust be slain by Divine Knowledge in orderto attain Moksha. The other two hands (usu-ally the right) are in the abhaya and varadamudras or blessings, which means her initi-ated devotees (or anyone worshiping her witha true heart) will be saved as she will guidethem here and in the hereafter.[31]

She has a garland consisting of humanheads, variously enumerated at 108 (an aus-picious number in Hinduism and the numberof countable beads on a Japa Mala or rosaryfor repetition of Mantras) or 51, which rep-resents Varnamala or the Garland of lettersof the Sanskrit alphabet, Devanagari. Hindusbelieve Sanskrit is a language of dynamism,and each of these letters represents a form ofenergy, or a form of Kali. Therefore she isgenerally seen as the mother of language,and all mantras.[32]

She is often depicted naked which symbol-izes her being beyond the covering of Mayasince she is pure (nirguna) being-consciousness-bliss and far above prakriti.She is shown as very dark as she is brahmanin its supreme unmanifest state. She has nopermanent qualities — she will continue toexist even when the universe ends. It istherefore believed that the concepts of color,light, good, bad do not apply to her — she isthe pure, un-manifested energy, the Adi-shakti.[33]

Mahakali form

The Dasamukhi Mahakali

Kali is depicted in the Mahakali form as hav-ing ten heads, ten arms, and ten legs. Each ofher ten hands is carrying a various imple-ment which vary in different accounts, buteach of these represent the power of one ofthe Devas or Hindu Gods and are often theidentifying weapon or ritual item of a givenDeva. The implication is that Mahakali sub-sumes and is responsible for the powers thatthese deities possess and this is in line withthe interpretation that Mahakali is identicalwith Brahman. While not displaying tenheads, an "ekamukhi" or one headed imagemay be displayed with ten arms, signifyingthe same concept: the powers of the variousGods come only through Her grace.

Shiva in Kali iconographyIn both these images she is shown standingon the prone, inert or dead body of Shiva.There is a mythological story for the reasonbehind her standing on what appears to beShiva’s corpse, which translates as follows:

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Once Kali had destroyed all thedemons in battle, she began a terrif-ic dance out of the sheer joy of vic-tory. All the worlds or lokas began totremble and sway under the impactof her dance. So, at the request ofall the Gods, Shiva himself asked herto desist from this behavior.However, she was too intoxicated tolisten. Hence, Shiva lay like a corpseamong the slain demons in order toabsorb the shock of the dance intohimself. When Kali eventuallystepped upon her husband she real-ized her mistake and bit her tonguein shame.[34]

The Tantric interpretation of Kali standing ontop of her husband is as follows:

The Shiv tattava (Divine Conscious-ness as Shiva) is inactive, while theShakti tattava (Divine Energy asKali) is active. Shiva, or Mahadevarepresents Brahman, the Absolutepure consciousness which is beyondall names, forms and activities. Kali,on the other hand, represents thepotential (and manifested) energyresponsible for all names, forms andactivities. She is his Shakti, or creat-ive power, and is seen as the sub-stance behind the entire content ofall consciousness. She can never ex-ist apart from Shiva or act independ-ently of him, i.e., Shakti, all the mat-ter/energy of the universe, is not dis-tinct from Shiva, or Brahman, but israther the dynamic power of Brah-man.[35]

While this is an advanced concept in mon-istic Shaktism, it also agrees with the Nondu-al Trika philosophy of Kashmir, popularlyknown as Kashmir Shaivism and associatedmost famously with Abhinavagupta. There isa colloquial saying that "Shiva without Shaktiis Shava" which means that without thepower of action (Shakti) that is Mahakali(represented as the short "i" in Devanagari)Shiva (or consciousness itself) is inactive;Shava means corpse in Sanskrit and the playon words is that all Sanskrit consonants areassumed to be followed by a short letter "a"unless otherwise noted. The short letter "i"represents the female power or Shakti that

Kali in Traditional Form, standing on Shiva’schest.

activates Creation. This is often the explana-tion for why She is standing on Shiva, who iseither Her husband and complement inShaktism or the Supreme Godhead inShaivism.

To properly understand this complex Tan-tric symbolism it is important to rememberthat the meaning behind Shiva and Kali doesnot stray from the non-dualistic parlance ofShankara or the Upanisads. According toboth the Mahanirvana and Kularnava Tan-tras, there are two distinct ways of perceiv-ing the same absolute reality. The first is atranscendental plane which is often de-scribed as static, yet infinite. It is here thatthere is no matter, there is no universe andonly consciousness exists. This form of realityis known as Shiva, the absolute Sat-Chit-An-anda — existence, knowledge and bliss. Thesecond is an active plane, an immanentplane, the plane of matter, of Maya, i.e.,

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where the illusion of space-time and the ap-pearance of an actual universe does exist.This form of reality is known as Kali orShakti, and (in its entirety) is still specified asthe same Absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda. It is herein this second plane that the universe (as wecommonly know it) is experienced and is de-scribed by the Tantric seer as the play ofShakti, or God as Mother Kali.[36]

Kali and Bhairava (the terrible form of Shiva)in Union, 18th century, Nepal

From a Tantric perspective, when onemeditates on reality at rest, as absolute pureconsciousness (without the activities of cre-ation, preservation or dissolution) one refersto this as Shiva or Brahman. When one med-itates on reality as dynamic and creative, asthe Absolute content of pure consciousness(with all the activities of creation, preserva-tion or dissolution) one refers to it as Kali orShakti. However, in either case the yogini oryogi is interested in one and the same reality— the only difference being in name and fluc-tuating aspects of appearance. It is this

which is generally accepted as the meaningof Kali standing on the chest of Shiva.[37]

Although there is often controversy sur-rounding the images of divine copulation, thegeneral consensus is benign and free fromany carnal impurities in its substance. In Tan-tra the human body is a symbol for the micro-cosm of the universe; therefore sexual pro-cess is responsible for the creation of theworld. Although theoretically Shiva and Kali(or Shakti) are inseparable, like fire and itspower to burn, in the case of creation theyare often seen as having separate roles. WithShiva as male and Kali as female it is only bytheir union that creation may transpire. Thisreminds us of the prakrti and purusa doctrineof Samkhya wherein prakāśa- vimarśa has nopractical value, just as without prakrti, pur-usa is quite inactive. This (once again)stresses the interdependencies of Shiva andShakti and the vitality of their union.[38]

Gopi Krishna proposed that Kali standingon the dead Shiva or Shava (Sanskrit fordead body) symbolised the helplessness of aperson undergoing the changing process (psychologically and physiologically) in thebody conducted by the Kundalini Shakti.[39]

DevelopmentIn the later traditions, Kali has become inex-tricably linked with Shiva. The unleashedform of Kali often becomes wild and uncon-trollable, and only Shiva is able to tame her.This is both because she is often a trans-formed version of one of his consorts and be-cause he is able to match her wildness.

The ancient text of Kali Kautuvam de-scribes her competition with Shiva in dance,from which the sacred 108 Karanas ap-peared. Shiva won the competition by actingthe urdva tandava, one of the Karanas, byraising his feet to his head. Other texts de-scribe Shiva appearing as a crying infant andappealing to her maternal instincts. WhileShiva is said to be able to tame her, the icon-ography often presents her dancing on hisfallen body, and there are accounts of thetwo of them dancing together, and drivingeach other to such wildness that the worldcomes close to unravelling.

Shiva’s involvement with Tantra and Kali’sdark nature have led to her becoming an im-portant Tantric figure. To the Tantric wor-shippers, it was essential to face her Curse,the terror of death, as willingly as they

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Bharatanatyam dancer portraying Kali with atrident

accepted Blessings from her beautiful, nur-turing, maternal aspect. For them, wisdommeant learning that no coin has only oneside: as death cannot exist without life, so lifecannot exist without death. Kali’s role some-times grew beyond that of a chaos — whichcould be confronted — to that of one whocould bring wisdom, and she is given greatmetaphysical significance by some Tantrictexts. The Nirvāna-tantra clearly presents heruncontrolled nature as the Ultimate Reality,claiming that the trimurti of Brahma, Visnuand Rudra arise and disappear from her likebubbles from the sea. Although this is an ex-treme case, the Yogini-tantra, Kamakhya-tan-tra and the Niruttara-tantra declare her thesvarupa (own-being) of the Mahadevi (thegreat Goddess, who is in this case seen as thecombination of all devis).

The final stage of development is the wor-shipping of Kali as the Great Mother, devoidof her usual violence. This practice is a breakfrom the more traditional depictions. The pi-oneers of this tradition are the 18th centuryShakta poets such as Ramprasad Sen, whoshow an awareness of Kali’s ambivalentnature. Ramakrishna, the 19th centuryBengali saint, was also a great devotee ofKali; the western popularity of whom mayhave contributed to the more modern, equi-vocal interpretations of this Goddess. RachelMcDermott’s work, however, suggests thatfor the common, modern worshipper, Kali isnot seen as fearful, and only those educatedin old traditions see her as having a wrathfulcomponent. Some credit to the developmentof Devi must also be given to Samkhya. Com-monly referred to as the Devi of delusion,Mahamaya, acting in the confines of (but notbeing bound by) the nature of the threegunas, takes three forms: Maha-Kali, Ma-ha-Lakshmi and Maha-Saraswati, being hertamas-ika, rajas-ika and sattva-ika forms. Inthis sense, Kali is simply part of a largerwhole.

1947 TIME Magazine cover by Boris Artzy-basheff depicting a self-hurting Kālī as a sym-bol of the partition of India

Like Sir John Woodroffe and Georg Feuer-stein, many Tantric scholars (as well as

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sincere practitioners) agree that, no matterhow propitious or appalling you describethem, Shiva and Devi are simply recognizablesymbols for everyday, abstract (yet tangible)concepts such as perception, knowledge,space-time, causation and the process of lib-erating oneself from the confines of suchthings. Shiva, symbolizing pure, absoluteconsciousness, and Devi, symbolizing the en-tire content of that consciousness, are ulti-mately one and the same — totality incarn-ate, a micro-macro-cosmic amalgamation ofall subjects, all objects and all phenomenalrelations between the "two." Like man andwoman who both share many common, hu-man traits yet at the same time they are stilldifferent and, therefore, may also be seen ascomplementary.[40]

Worshippers prescribe various benign andhorrific qualities to Devi simply out of prac-ticality. They do this so they may have a vari-ety of symbols to choose from, symbols whichthey can identify and relate with from theperspective of their own, ever-changing time,place and personal level of unfolding. Justlike modern chemists or physicists use a vari-ety of molecular and atomic models to de-scribe what is unperceivable through rudi-mentary, sensory input, the scientists of onto-logy and epistemology must do the same.One of the underlying distinctions of Tantra,in comparison to other religions, is that it al-lows the devotee the liberty to choose from avast array of complementary symbols andrhetoric that which suits one’s evolving needsand tastes. From an aesthetic standpoint,nothing is interdict and nothing is orthodox.In this sense, the projection of some of Devi’smore gentle qualities onto Kali is not sacri-lege and the development of Kali really lies inthe practitioner, not the murthi.

A TIME Magazine article of October 27,1947 used Kālī as a symbol and metaphor forthe human suffering in British India duringits partition that year.[41]

In New Age andNeopaganismAn academic study of Western Kali enthusi-asts noted that, "as shown in the histories ofall cross-cultural religious transplants, Kalidevotionalism in the West must take on itsown indigenous forms if it is to adapt to itsnew environment."[42] The adoption of Kali

by the West has raised accusations of cultur-al misappropriation:

"A variety of writers and thinkers[...] have found Kali an exciting fig-ure for reflection and exploration,notably feminists and participants inNew Age spirituality who are attrac-ted to goddess worship. [For them],Kali is a symbol of wholeness andhealing, associated especially withrepressed female power and sexual-ity. [However, such interpretationsoften exhibit] confusion and misrep-resentation, stemming from a lack ofknowledge of Hindu history amongthese authors, [who only rarely]draw upon materials written byscholars of the Hindu religious tradi-tion. The majority instead relychiefly on other popular feministsources, almost none of which basetheir interpretations on a close read-ing of Kali’s Indian background. [...]The most important issue arisingfrom this discussion – even more im-portant than the question of’correct’ interpretation – concernsthe adoption of other people’s reli-gious symbols. [...] It is hard to im-port the worship of a goddess fromanother culture: religious associ-ations and connotations have to belearned, imagined or intuited whenthe deep symbolic meanings embed-ded in the native culture are notavailable."[43]

Gerald Gardner was reportedly particularlyinterested in Kali whilst he was in the fareast, before returning to England to write hisseminal works on Wicca.

References[1] Encyclopedia International, by Grolier

Incorporated Copyright in Canada 1974.AE5.E447 1974 031 73-11206 ISBN0-7172-0705-6 page 95

[2] Mahābhārata 10.8.64-69, cited inCoburn, Thomas; Devī-Māhātmya —Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition;Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1984; ISBN81-208-0557-7 pages 111–112.

[3] Kinsley pp. 116-8[4] D. Kinsley p. 122.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kālī

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[5] D. Kinsley p. 122–123.[6] D. Kinsley p. 122.[7] D. Kinsley p. 124.[8] Karpuradi Stotra, Tantrik Texts Vol IX,

Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe),Calcutta Agamanusandhana Samiti,1922.

[9] D. Kinsley p. 124.[10]D. Kinsley p. 124–125.[11]D. Kinsley p. 125.[12]D. Kinsley p. 126.[13]D. Kinsley p.125–126.[14]D. Kinsley p. 128.[15]D. Kinsley p. 128.[16]MantraOnNet.com:Text & Images of Kali[17]D. Kinsley p. 118.[18]Devi Mahatmyam, Swami

Jagadiswarananda, Ramakrishna Math,1953.

[19]D. Kinsley p. 118–119.[20]Wangu p. 72.[21]Kinsley p. 241 Footnotes.[22]D. Kinsley pp. 119, 130.[23]McDermott 2003.[24]D. Kinsley p. 119.[25]D. Kinsley p. 131.[26]Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls By June

McDaniel p.257[27]The Art of Tantra, Philip Rawson,

Thames & Hudson, 1973.[28]Sankaranarayanan. S. Devi Mahatmya. p

127.[29]Tantra in Practice, edited by David

Gordon White, (ISBN 81-208-1778-8]p466.

[30]Sri Ramakrishna (The Great Master),Swami Saradananda, Ramakrishna Math,1952, page 624, Sri Ramakrishna: TheSpiritual Glow, Kamalpada Hati, P.K.Pramanik, Orient Book Co., 1985, pages17–18.

[31]Tantra in Practice, David Gordon White,Princeton Press, 2000, page 477.

[32]Tantra in Practice, David Gordon White,Princeton Press, 2000, page 475.

[33]Tantra in Practice, David Gordon White,Princeton Press, 2000, page 463–488.

[34]Hindu Gods & Goddesses, SwamiHarshananda, Ramakrishna Math, 1981,pages 116–117.

[35]Tantra (The Path of Ecstasy), GeorgFeuerstein, Shambhala, 1998, pages70–84, Shakti and Shâkta, Arthur Avalon(Sir John Woodroffe), Oxford Press/Ganesha & Co., 1918.

[36]Tantra in Practice, David Gordon White,Princeton Press, 2000, page 463–488,Shakti and Shâkta, Arthur Avalon (SirJohn Woodroffe), Oxford Press/Ganesha& Co., 1918.

[37]Tantra (The Path of Ecstasy), GeorgFeuerstein, Shambhala, 1998, pages70–84, Shakti and Shâkta, Arthur Avalon(Sir John Woodroffe), Oxford Press/Ganesha & Co., 1918.

[38] Impact of Tantra on Religion & Art, T. N.Mishra, D.K. Print World, 1997, V.

[39]Krishna, Gopi (1993)Living withKundalini: (Shambhala, 1993 ISBN0877739471).

[40]Tantra (The Path of Ecstasy), GeorgFeuerstein, Shambhala, 1998, Shakti andShâkta, Arthur Avalon (Sir JohnWoodroffe), Oxford Press/Ganesha & Co.,1918.

[41]The Trial of Kali, TIME Magazine,October 27, 1947.

[42]Fell McDermett, Rachel, "The WesternKali," in Hawley, p. 305.

[43]Fell in Hawley, pp. 281–305.• Shakti and Shâkta, Arthur Avalon (Sir

John Woodroffe), Oxford Press/Ganesha &Co., 1918

• Sri Ramakrishna (The Great Master),Swami Saradananda, RamakrishnaMath,1952

• Devi Mahatmyam, SwamiJagadiswarananda, Ramakrishna Math,1953

• The Art of Tantra, Philip Rawson, Thames& Hudson, 1973

• Hindu Gods & Goddesses, SwamiHarshananda, Ramakrishna Math, 1981

• Sri Ramakrishna: The Spiritual Glow,Kamalpada Hati, P.K. Pramanik, OrientBook Co., 1985

• Hindu Goddesses, David R. Kinsley,University of California Press, 1988

• Kali (The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar)Elizabeth U. Harding, Nicolas Hays, 1993

• Impact of Tantra on Religion & Art, T. N.Mishra, D.K. Print World, 1997

• Indian Art (revised), Roy C. Craven,Thames & Hudson, 1997

• A Dictionary of Buddhist & HinduIconography (Illustrated), Frederick W.Bunce, D.K. Print World, 1997

• Tantra (The Path of Ecstasy), GeorgFeuerstein, Shambhala, 1998

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kālī

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• Oxford Concise Dictionary of WorldReligions, John Bowker, Oxford Press,2000

• Tantra in Practice, David Gordon White,Princeton Press, 2000

• Encountering Kali (In the margins, at thecenter, in the west), Rachel FellMcDermott, Berkeley : University ofCalifornia Press, 2003

Further reading• Shanmukha Anantha Natha and Shri Ma

Kristina Baird, Divine Initiation Shri KaliPublications (2001) ISBN 0-9582324-0-7 -Has a chapter on Mahadevi with acommentary on the Devi Mahatmyam fromthe Markandeya Purana.

• Swami Jagadiswarananda, tr., DeviMahatmyam Chennai, Ramakrishna Math.ISBN 81-7120-139-3

• Elizabeth Usha Harding, Kali: The BlackGoddess of Dakshineswar ISBN0-89254-025-7

• Devadatta Kali, In Praise of The Goddess,The Devimahatmyam and Its MeaningISBN 0-89254-080-X

• David Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses: Vision ofthe Divine Feminine in the HinduReligious Traditions ISBN 81-208-0379-5

• Rachel Fell McDermott, EncounteringKali: In the Margins, at the Center, in theWest (ISBN 0-520-23240-2)

• Ajit Mookerjee, Kali: The Feminine ForceISBN 0-89281-212-5

• Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Kali PujaISBN 1-887472-64-9

• Ramprasad Sen, Grace and Mercy in HerWild Hair: Selected Poems to the MotherGoddess ISBN 0-934252-94-7

• Sir John Woodroffe (aka ArthurAvalon)Hymns to the Goddess and Hymnto Kali ISBN 81-85988-16-1

• Robert E. Svoboda, Aghora, at the lefthand of God ISBN 0-914732-21-8

• Lex Hixon, Mother of the Universe:Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymnsof Enlightenment ISBN 0-8356-0702-X

• Neela Bhattacharya Saxena, In theBeginning is Desire: Tracing Kali’s

Footprints in Indian Literature ISBN818798161X

• The Goddess Kali of Kolkata (ISBN81-7476-514-X) by Shoma A. Chatterji

• Encountering The Goddess: A Translationof the Devi-Mahatmya and a Study of ItsInterpretation (ISBN 0-7914-0446-3) byThomas B. Coburn

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend(ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by AnnaDallapiccola

• Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar(ISBN 0-89254-025-7) by Elizabeth UshaHarding

• In Praise of The Goddess: TheDevimahatmyam and Its Meaning (ISBN0-89254-080-X) by Devadatta Kali

• Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the DivineFeminine in the Hindu ReligiousTraditions (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by DavidKinsley

• Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine(ISBN 0-520-20499-9) by David Kinsley

• Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: PopularGoddess Worship in West Bengal (ISBN0-195-16791-0) by June McDaniel

• Encountering Kali: In the Margins, at theCenter, in the West (ISBN 0-520-23240-2)by Rachel Fell McDermott

• Mother of My Heart, Daughter of MyDreams: Kali and Uma in the DevotionalPoetry of Bengal (ISBN 0-19-513435-4) byRachel Fell McDermott

• Kali: The Feminine Force (ISBN0-89281-212-5) by Ajit Mookerjee

• Seeking Mahadevi: Constructing theIdentities of the Hindu Great Goddess(ISBN 0-791-45008-2) Edited by TracyPintchman

• The Rise of the Goddess in the HinduTradition (ISBN 0-7914-2112-0) by TracyPintchman

External links• Kālī at the Open Directory Project

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%81l%C4%AB"

Categories: Destroyer goddesses, Time and fate goddesses, Mother goddesses, Hindu god-desses, Mahavidyas, Shaktism, Sanskrit words and phrases

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kālī

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