In today's post, We are going to talk about the goddess Kali, also known as the goddess of time and death, a Hindu goddess. Hinduism is one of the most important religions throughout its history and it contains different myths and legends of great interest. Goddess Kali, or Kalika, is one of the ten Mahavidyas, a list that brings together and combines Buddhist gods and Sakta.
The oldest known appearance of this goddess is as an image of destruction by evil forces. Over time, She has managed to be a goddess worshiped by different devotional movements and even by tantric sects. This goddess is also seen as a divine protection.
Make yourselves comfortable, we are starting this publication in which we will talk about everything related to this goddess and much more. We tell you its origin, meaning, symbology, etc. For those people who love mythology, it is a most interesting publication.
Goddess Kali: meaning and origins
kali, it is considered one of the main deities in Hindu beliefs. This figure is the representation of death and destruction, which has led him to represent one of the most violent figures of that religion.
The word Kali is the feminine of kalam which means dark, black. The names Kali and Kala share the meaning of time, time as that which brings things to life or to the end.. This is not unrelated to the dark and the movement towards death.
Kali's name appears in the Mundaka Upanishad, Hindu scriptures, though not as a goddess, but in the form of the seven-pointed black tongue of Agni, the Hindu god of fire.
It is said that the origin of this goddess takes place in the eyebrows of the goddess Durga. This happens when two demons, Chanda and Munda, attack the goddess Durga and she responds with her anger turning dark and making Kali appear on her forehead. The image she shows is black, with deep-set eyes, dressed in tiger skins and a kind of necklace of human heads.
Another of the legends regarding the origin of this goddess is the one that speaks of Pavarti and Shiva. Pavarti, is represented as a friendly and good goddess. In the linga purana, Hindu religious texts, it is said that Shiva asked Pavarti to kill the demon Daruka. Pavarti merged with Shiva's body and reappeared as Kali who ended up defeating Daruka and his entire army.
How is the goddess Kali?
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this goddess, it is represented with two different forms; one of them, the most popular, has four arms and the other with ten. In both forms, they are related to the color black, but it should be noted that in Hindu art it is represented with blue.
The eyes of this goddess are described as bloodshot, bright red and full of fury.. A disheveled hair and sometimes, with small fangs sticking out of his mouth and with his tongue out.
It is normal to see her represent her naked or only using a skirt of human arms and a kind of necklace made with human heads.. Also, she is often accompanied by snakes and a jackal when she is on Shiva. Normally she stands on her right foot as a method to symbolize the right hand path or also called dakshina marga.
Despite a dark and sinister form and being considered the goddess of destruction, there are many who believe that she is one of the kindest goddesses in the pantheon, being admired as the mother of the universe and great protector.
Classic depiction of Kali
The most popular representation of this goddess, It is a figure with four arms and in which each of them holds a different object.; a sword, a trident, a severed head, and a bowl to collect the blood from the head.
Two of his hands, usually the ones on the left side, are the ones that hold the head and the bowl. The sword has a meaning related to divine knowledge and the head is the ego that people have and that must be eliminated. The other two hands on his body, in this case the ones on the right side, are linked with blessing and fearlessness.
With pride, he wears a garland of human heads that symbolizes knowledge, more specifically the 50 sounds of the Sanskrit language. She is only dressed, as we have indicated in the previous section, with a human arm skirt.
As for the tongue and teeth, they are linked with the three gunnas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.. Passion is represented by Rajas, ignorance by Tamas and discriminating quality by Sattva. The tongue of the goddess Kali would be Rajas, which is subdued by the power of the fangs that are Sattva.
Powers of the goddess Kali
Her connection with the gods of destruction makes this goddess related to the powers of war. To better understand who Kali is, you have to know what her main skills were within the Hindu pantheon.
This deity represents the cycle of life, as well as death and destruction. This goddess believes destruction as a representation of love, that is, without destruction there is no rebirth, so that feeling cannot resurface.
She's also a time eater, with his three eyes he sees three different times, as we all know the present, past and future. Thanks to these three points of view, he can be in different times at the same moment, being able to intervene without anything happening.
It is responsible for finding a balance in the world, so it must end and destroy everything that causes an imbalance. There should be neither too much nor too little, everything has to be balanced and it is she, the goddess Kali, who has that mission.
kali, it is represented as femininity, female power. It can be in all spaces and times, it is infinite, that is why it is said that it is represented naked because nothing can hide or cover an infinite body.
How is Goddess Kali venerated?
One of the main practices of worshiping the goddess Kali is the yepa, it is repeating the names of the venerated god. The objective of this is the concentration and invocation of the deity and the link with that god after death.
Tantra
Shiva's involvement with tantra and, the dark appearance of the goddess Kali, have led to her becoming an important figure in the tantric world. For tantric followers, it was imperative to face their terror so they took the path of accepting their blessings.
Mantra
The mantras for those who do not know what they are, are words of power that are used to induce a certain state or to receive the gifts and aids of a deity that is being venerated.
Next, we leave you one of the mantras addressed to the goddess Kali, which is sung to her to receive all her energy.
om maha kalyai
Ca Vidmahe Smasana Vasinyai
Ca Dhimahi Tanno Kali Prachodayat
ॐ महा काल्यै
छ विद्महे स्मसन वासिन्यै
छ धीमहि तन्नो काली प्रचोदयात
These verses are addressed to the goddess Kali and they mean “Great god Kali, one and only, residing in the oceans of life and in the cremation grounds that dissolve our world. Focusing our energy on you so that you grant us gifts and blessings”.
When people are reciting these lines, your mind transforms into the divine and goes from a gross state to a subtle light that represents pure consciousness, the goddess Kali.
Treatments
There are a number of rituals in which the figure of the goddess Kali is involved, such as a ritual to obtain clarity in our mind. If you are a person who needs to see a certain situation crystal clear, it is said that Goddess Kali can help you clarify your ideas and give you a clearer perception.
This ritual It must be performed during a night with a waxing moon to increase the strength of its powers. It can also be used for the goddess to help us put an end to certain things or situations that are in our way and do not let us see.
worship in the west
Many writers and thinkers find the goddess Kali, a figure that invites reflection and investigation. Many groups see the goddess as a symbol of integrity and healing, related to feminine power.
It is difficult to know for sure the worship of a deity in another culture outside of yours. The religious connotations and associations must be similar, in addition to the fact that certain symbolisms or meanings may not be associated with Western culture.
As we have seen, for Hindus, the goddess Kali has become one of the most prominent figures and is associated with different gods such as Shiva, Sati or Durga. For Hindus, those who worship this deity belong to the sect of Shaktimso, but more often than not, certain practitioners worship Kali as the goddess of the universal kingdom of India.
In short, for Tantric Hinduism she is a very important goddess where she is considered the personification of overcoming suffering, capable of turning everything bad into something good.