Kali

(Revision as of 03:27, 3 Dec 2004)

Introduction

Generally, Kali is viewed as the Hindu Goddess of destruction. However, to her followers, she is the supreme Goddess, (i.e. Kali, the Mother of the World and Time) and is therefore deserving of the highest worship. To them she is the only goddess with power enough to save humanity from the evil, sins, & disasters that befall the human race within the Kali Yuga or "Age of Calamity". She protects her followers from all occurrences that can kill or make them ill and grants them both temporal and transcendental abilities. The goddess Kali is primarily associated with Durga, a Hindu warrior goddess, who later became a mother goddess. The worship of Kali in India is very popular, with special reverance paid to her in the Bengal region of India.

Historic Background

Kali is regarded as one of the famous deities in India. The earliest reference of Kali can be found in the Mundak Upanishad. Also in the Oriya Ramayana written by Balaram Das in 15 A.D. we can see a vivid description of Kali and in Shyamasaparyavidhi written by Kasinath in the year 1699 A.D. a reference of Kali worship. Hindu Vedic literature associates Kali with the goddess Nirtti since both of them are dark complexioned, but in post-vedic period Nirtti had lost popularity and Kali raise in importance and deities Some believe Kali is the later form of Vedic goddess -Nirtti. The actual forms of Kali worship are based in three texts: Kali Tantra, Tantrasara and Shyamarahasya.

Kali Forms

The four arms of Kali are believed to represent the complete circle of creation and destruction, a energy of transformation and spiritual awakening, both contained within her. In her right hands, making the mudra position of “fear not” and conferring boons, are the creative aspect of Kali. Her left hands, holding sword and a head are her destructive aspect. The bloodied sword and severed head symbolize the destruction of ignorance and apathy, the awakening for the knowledge, in this frame we can assume that the sword that she holds are the sword of knowledge it self, that cuts the roots of ignorance and dismember the false consciousness (the severed head) from the body. Her three eyes represent the sun, the moon, and the fire, with which she sees though the past, the present and the future. This last tree attributes are also the reason of the name Kali, which is the feminine form of ‘Kala’, a Sanskrit term for Time.