Kali The Goddess

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Mahakali (Shakti of Shiva), embodying the power of towering strength and force, has an extreme intensity of divine violence that nothing can resist. When she moves into action, nothing can stand before her. To all the agents and champions of falsehood like Asuras (demons, evil doers), she displays the warrior spirit of manifesting the divine that thrives on battle (Durga and Kali). She also stretches her hand to succour for she too is a mother stretches her hand to succor for she too is a mother; behind her wrath there is the deep love which is intent on the greatest progress of the seeker (Parwati-Durga). Mahakali brings intensity wherever she manifests, and she motivates the victory of the Divine.

The Vedas have enunciated the identity of Shiva and Shakti. Both have been described as the same: one without the other is a non-entity. Shiva is the form of knowledge and aesthetics, and Shakti is the form of action and power. Without action, knowledge is useless, a corpse, and that is why Kali, standing on the chest of Shiva, is worshipped. This book deals with all aspects of Kali-be it as the goddess, as Mahakali in Saktism, in Tantricism, and in all different aspects- which an interested reader shall find fascinating.

The book is small as compared to the vast mythology, exploits and episodes of Goddess Kali but brings out all the essential knowledge about the great Goddess.

The supreme reality is one, absolute, indescribable, ineffable. It is beyond the grip of the human mind, which returns baffled when it attempts to seize the reality. Turned towards manifestation, it moves into a divine presentation of itself as being and consciousness, as PURUSHA and the SHAKTI, the lord and the power. He and She. He wills to manifest, and His power, she effectuates, because this She is no other than He. It is He as SHE. It is prima power, the Divine Mother, the head of all Creation, all the words, all the Beings, and all that constitute Manifestation.

Among the personifications of the Divine Mother, the Supreme Shakti, are four great divinities, Maheshwari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswati, concerned with the fulfillment of cosmic purpose. They harmonise and dominate all existence. As the transcendent mother, she connects the manifest with the Unmanifest.

Mahakali (Shakti of Shiva) embodies the power of towering Strength and force, has one intensity and a divine violence that nothing can resist. When she moves into action, nothing can stand before her. To all the agents and champions of falsehood like Asuras (demons, evil doers), she embodies the warrior spirit of manifesting the divine that thrives on battle (Durga and Kali). She also stretches her hand to succour, for she too is the mother, and behind her wrath there is deep love, which is intent on the greatest progress of the seeker (Parvati-Durga). Mahakali brings intensity wherever she manifests; she is the force for the victory of the divine.

The Vedas have enunciated the identity of Siva and Sakti. Both have been described as the same one; without the other is a corpse. Siva is the form of knowledge and aesthetics, and Sakti is the form of action and power; without action, knowledge is useless, a corpse, and that is why Kali, standing on the chest of Siva, is worshipped. This book deals with all aspects of Kali, as the goddess Mahakali in Saktism, Tantricism, and in all different aspects which an interested reader shall find fascinating.

The book is small as compared to the vast mythological exploits and episodes of Goddess Kali, but brings out the essential knowledge about the great Goddess.

This handy book has graciously been published by Indian publishing houses, and the authors are grateful to Shri SC Sethi

In Hinduism, there are three major and equally important Gods or embodiments of the Absolute (Brahma), Visnu, Siva and Devi (Divine mother), each of whom (except Brahma) is the centre of a separate devotional cult. A devout Hindu worships either of the three (Vishnu, Shiva and Devi) as a personal God. Devi, the great Goddess, has probably been worshipped in one form or another since the time of the Saraswati Indus culture (7500 B.C.) and perhaps even earlier. She has an ambiguous nature and appears in many forms. In her benevolent aspects, she is the great mother, a Goddess of abundance, fertility, and childbirth; in her terrific or destructive forms, she is the valiant demon fighter Durga and the bloodthirsty, all-destroying Kali. The Goddess’s devotees regard her as the embodiment of universal energy; she is believed to be the potency that dwells in each of the male Gods and the Spark that arouses them to action. Devi enjoys wide devotion all over India, but she has a particularly large following in Eastern India, the state of West Bengal. Wherever the Bengalis reside, they establish a Kali Badi, a temple where the image of the Goddess Kali is installed.

The divine mother (Bhagwati) in her various forms energizes the whole universe. Everyone is attached to the mother; the father is the nourisher, but the mother is life. The mother is the source of the desire to live, and life is protected by the divine mother, who preserves it in three main forms, according to Durga Saptashati. One is Goddess Lakshmi, another is Saraswati, and the third is Goddess Kali; the three consorts, or Sakti, of the Trinity of Gods Vishnu, Brahma, and Mahesh (Shiva).

Kali represents the eternal mother principle in nature. She traditional pictured as a four-armed female standing on the recumbent form of God Shiva, the infinite, because the activities of nature or the phenomenal world spring from the latent spirit. The four arms symbolize cardinal attributes: two beneficent, two destructive, the essential duality of matter of creation.

Kali is worshipped by all gods. She is Swaha (Ashes) as well as Swadha (religious). She is the preserver, as well as the destroyer. The name Kali is due to a legend that once while Siva and Parvati were sitting in romantic mood on mount Kailasa; in an amorous but silently said that this very Kali will come to the help of the Gods in fights with the demons (asuras); and then I shall acquire this name as Kali. If so happened that when the demon Raktbeeja came to the battlefield, one drop of blood fell from his body, producing thousands of demons, thereby increasing the strength of the demon army. The Gods were perplexed; then the divine mother invoked Kali, requesting her to destroy the demons, but with contention, such a rare quality of good and bad, benevolent and malevolent, cannot exist simultaneously. Kali is destructive (Swaha) while she is in the world, but in the heavens she is benevolent. Ten Mahavidyas and Shodhtopchar are her boons; Gauri (Pavati), Brahmi, Raudri, Varahi, Vaisnavi, Shiva Varuni, Kaveri, Narsinhi, and Vasvi are said to be forms. Thus, Kali has perfection in animo (denonation), Mahima (exaltation), Garima (dignity), Ladhima (acuteness), Prapati (overlord), Prakamaye (Valour), ieshtav (adoration), and Vashitav (Subjection). On Ashtmi (eighth day) of the navratras, these eight Siddhis become Mahagauri’s and Siddhartri on the ninth day.

Kali, Mahakali, or Maheshwari is the Sakti of the God Siva, but what is Sakti? We shall describe it in the next chapter.