Understanding Goddess Kali

The following is an objective report on goddess Kali, studying her has made me realize what life and the world today is all about...

KALI’S FORM:

She is described as the mistress of death. She is portrayed as being dark, wearing dark cloths, with her tongue poised as if to lick. She has fearful teeth, sunken eyes and is smiling. She wears a necklace of snakes has a large belly, rides on a large ghost and wears children’s corpse as earrings. It is not just her form that makes her terrifying but it also the fact that her anger can destroy the world. She is supposed to live in the cemetery.

Kali, coveys the image of death, destruction, fear and terror,: all aspects of reality.Kali was and is still associated as a tribal goddess in some places. She was initially worshiped by thieves and tribal groups living on the periphery of Indian society. Kali at some point ceases to be an indigenous tribal goddess and gets associated as a part of the pantheon, and hence over the years becomes a “Mother Goddess”.

“Kali’s origins can not adequately explain her subsequent history. She eventually transcends her origins”-David Kinsley.

KALI’S PRE-HISTORY:

The word “Kali” is used to describe one of the seven tongues of Agni in the Mundaka Upanishad. Agni’s tongues are to be taken as representatives of actual beings. No further mention is made of ‘Kali’ in the Upanishad. There is another mention of a goddess called ‘Nirrti’ very similar to Kali’s description. She is not referred to once the term ‘Kali’ is mentioned. However, Nirrti was not a famous goddess. Kali is supposed to have first emerged from Durga, during the battle with Rakthabija. As Durga is unable to fight Rakthabija, she creates Kali who comes in her vicious form and drinks the blood of Rakthabija and kills him in the process. In the Agni and Garuda Purana, she is summoned in the mantras for success in wars. Her description in the mantras as spine chilling. The Bhagavata purana mentions Kali as the patron goddess of a band of thieves.

Kali is worshiped in great extent in Tamil Nadu and is mentioned in the Silappadigaram and the Manimekalai. The practice of the offering of navakondar, the nine parts of the body was practiced in south India. Bengal is another state in India where Kali worship was and still is very popular. The Ananda Mangal Kavya clearly describes Kali and is dated roughly to the 8^th century. Tantrasana of Krishnananda Agamavagisa and Syamarahasya of Purnanand also talk about Kali extensively.

Apart from Bengal and Tamil Nadu, Kali worship was prevalent in Orissa, Assam and Rajasthan. In Rajasthan, Kali is not associated to Durga.It is very interesting to know that that during the medieval period just when the worship of Kali in Bengal began, it disappeared in Rajasthan. David Kinsley stresses that the goddess was considered as inauspicious goddess until the Devi Mahatmiyam. Even after that it took some time before people accepted Kali as a mother goddess. Her acceptance was gradual and occurred reluctantly.

Tracing Kali’s growth in popularity, she became well known and popular in the Hindu tradition only after she was associated with Shiva. In the Vamana Purana during Shiva and Parvathi’s wedding, Kali is mentioned, but not in her ferocious form. In the Vamana Purana Kali and Parvathi’s names are used interchangeably. In the Devi Mahatmiyam it is suggested that Kali was born out of Kausiki (Parvathi) to kill Canda and Munda. The Vamana Purana, describes Kali as being born out of Durga to kill Rakthabija.

In the Shiva Purana, Kali is described as being created from the locks of Shiva’s hair. According to the Linga purana, all the gods came pleading to Shiva kill Daruka, the demon. Shiva asks Parvathy who in turn creates Kali. After the battle Shiva manifests himself as a crying child in the battle field and Kali seeing the child nurses him. When the child does not stop crying she dances, watching this, Shiva gets pleased. In another different tale the manifestation of Kali is seen when Shiva would not allow Sati to go to her Fathers’ house.

ATTAINING KALI:

GODDESS OF TANTRA:

In the Tantric texts, Kali is seen and worshiped as the supreme goddess. In the Tantra’s, she maintains her fierce aspect but is confronted by the hero(the worshipper), who thus identifies with her, controls her and wins her boons. In the Karpura stotra, she is associated to the five elements and is seen as the supreme mistress of the universe.

MAA KALI:

Some authors have noted that Ramprasad never gets put off by Kali’s image and habits, but only craves more for her. The same goes for Ramakrishna Paramahansa, as both the saints looked at Kali as the divine mother, and despite her weird behavior and strange image, they revel in her a loving maternal presence. They saw her image as a mask and approached her as a child, and they succeeded in making her take off her mask. Kali’s appearance changes and softens, as she becomes the central deity in Tantrism and Bengal devotionalism.

KALI AS MAYA:

One of the authors who have done extensive work on Kali is, David Kinsley and he extorts his readers to look beyond Kali, beyond the chaotic dancing and her out of control behavior, and seek what lies beneath the external appearance. There is permanence and when one looks at the world today it is the same. There fore she manifests herself as the eternal being and hence her believers see her as the world is today.