If many people know about the Indian goddess Kali, it is mainly from Hollywood films. For a Western person, the idea of this goddess can be approximately as follows. Kali is the goddess of death, worshiped by mad fanatics who arrange bloodthirsty ritual sacrifices.
It is thanks to the propaganda of the film industry that people react ambiguously when they hear the name of this goddess from Indian mythology. However, the Indians themselves know very well who Kali is and sacredly worship her. Her image is at the same time frightening and shielding from evil anyone who seeks God. It cannot be unequivocally called either bad or good. But, we can definitely say that her image was not originally associated with the worship of death and the praise of human sacrifice. The revised interpretation of its symbolism became fertile ground for the emergence of a kind of satanic religious movements. Naturally, from each image, you can take what is beneficial for a particular person or group of people.
Goddess Kali - the many-faced, frightening mother of all
The Goddess Kali in Hinduism is understood as the Power and Desire (Shakti) of God. Thanks to her, all evil is destroyed. She is the mother goddess, the source of fertility and life. But at the same time, she is the dark side of Prakriti (nature). In her power - creation and destruction.
From the sacred Shakta text "Devi-mahatmya", which appeared around the 5th-6th centuries AD, we know that the prehistoric prototype of the source of all life in the world is transformed into a certain goddess Kali, which is a powerful cosmic force.
In the texts, she appears as a goddess defeating demons in the battle of two forces - the divine and those who want to take the place of the deities. According to the legend, the asura Mahisha, an evil demon, desired to establish his own power over the whole world. But the gods found a way out by creating a warrior creature who combined all kinds of abilities from different deities. For example, from Vishnu, she took unsurpassed power, from Shiva - a mighty flame, from Indra - incomparable strength with anything else.
She rushed into the attack with a battle cry. Everyone who stood in her way was instantly destroyed. Fiercely, fiercely, she struck all opponents. Gushing blood turned into endless streams, mountains - into dust, and the sky even turned black from the horror that it saw. Having destroyed all the demons, Kali overtook Mahisha and brutally cut off his head.
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But the majestic goddess could no longer calm her ardor. She crushed everything in front of her. Performing a crazy dance, Kali enjoyed the triumph of victory, not wanting to stop. When the gods realized that, rejoicing, she was capable of destroying the world, Shiva decided to go for a trick to stop her.
According to one version, he turned into a crying baby lying on the battlefield among slain demons. Kali, seeing him, could not calm down her maternal feelings, and took the child in her arms. Having begun to calm him down, she forgot about her crazy dance. According to another version, Shiva simply fell to the ground in front of the passing Kali, which caused her to stumble.
When evening came, Shiva decided to appease the goddess by performing tandava (dance of creation). Kali could not restrain herself and also began to dance.
Since the moment of the great battle, it has been entrusted with one of its main missions - the destruction of all evil in the world.
Kali is like a mother to her children. She gives not only love, protection and care, but also the greatest knowledge to those who worship her. It is not for nothing that she is also called the goddess of death. Sadness, death, decay cannot be defeated - they must be taken for granted. For a complete awareness of his being, a person must accept the fact that it is useless to fight these manifestations of life (yes, pain, grief and death are also a manifestation of life). She also denies in every possible way the desire of a person to put his ego at the center of the universe, thereby trying to attract attention to himself and change the natural course of life.
Man must accept his mortality. Only in this way will he be able to liberate himself, become truly free. Here one more important purpose of Kali is manifested - to reveal their mortal essence to people, freeing them from the fetters of rationality and practicality.
The multiple names of the goddess Kali
For the first time, the mention of the goddess under the name "Kali" is found in the Rig Vedas. This word is translated from Sanskrit as "black". But she has so many names that everything, perhaps, can not be counted:
Kalarati ("black night");
Kalika, Kalike - the form of the name Kali;
Kottravey - among the Tamils;
Kalikamata "black earthly mother".
In addition, her other names are known, reflecting the versatility of her essence: Devi, Mahamaya, Durga, Lolita.
In the treatise of Sri Shankaracharya "1000 names of Lolita" multiple names of Kali are indicated, each of which has a specific meaning.
From the legend about her creation and the bloody battle with the demonic army of Mahish, in which she won, it becomes clear why she has such names:
Shri Nihsamshya (Without Doubt);
Sri Paramesvari (Principal Ruler);
Sri Rakshakari (Savior);
Vishva-Garbha (The entire universe is contained in Her);
Sri Adi Shaktihi (Holy Spirit, Primary Power);
Sri Krodhini (Cosmic Anger);
Sri Ugraprabha (Radiating Fury);
Sri Naramandali (Wearing a garland of skulls).
These names characterize her as a majestic ruler, a merciless warrior with boundless strength and fury, a deliverer from evil.
But, at the same time, she can radiate care and kindness. This is evidenced by such her names:
Sri Bhogavati (Supreme Giver);
Sri Vilasini (Ocean of Joy);
Sri Manorama (Supreme Divine Grace and Charm).
The plurality of Kali's names indicates that it contains the entire Universe with its various manifestations. It is not good or evil. It represents something like justice: those who are in search of God and the righteous path, Kali helps, protects from evil; to the one who thinks himself omnipotent, it indicates the limitation and mortality of the physical body.
Deep symbolism in the image of Kali
Kali in the photo, illustrating the image of this goddess, demonstrate a deep meaning and her role in the universe.
Perhaps her appearance is the most terrifying among all the gods of Indian mythology. Dressed in the skin of a panther, or presented naked, four-armed, thin, with disheveled hair, she proudly holds a sword in one hand, and with the other raises the head of the demon she has killed. The skin of the body and face, which, by the way, is black or bluish-black, is covered with blood. The eyes blaze with fire, and a scarlet tongue sticks out of his mouth.
Absolutely every detail in the image of Kali necessarily carries some kind of semantic load. There is not a single element that would be present "just like that". Despite the fact that the symbolism of death, destruction and boundless fear is visible in everything, everything can be interpreted quite differently from what it seems at first glance.
So what symbols will we find in the image of Kali?
1. The three eyes of the goddess represent creation (past), preservation (present), destruction (future). This meaning is hidden in the very name of Kali, since the word "kala" in Sanskrit is used to denote time. In addition, three eyes also symbolize Fire (or lightning), the Moon, the Sun. By the way, the crescent moon is considered the symbol of Kali.
2. A bright red tongue, sticking out of the mouth, depicts the Rajas guna - passion, activity, activity.
3. White teeth are a reflection of cleanliness.
4. Four hands - a full circle of creation and destruction, four cardinal points and four chakras. Each of Kali's hands has its own purpose. The top right makes a defensive gesture to drive away fear. With the lower right hand, the goddess blesses everyone who is looking for their own path, helps in the fulfillment of desires.
Kali's upper left hand is usually depicted with a bloody sword. He debunks all doubts, ambiguity, false knowledge. The lower left hand holds the severed head of the demon. This is nothing more than cutting off the Ego, which prevents one from comprehending true knowledge.
5. The full chest of Kali is a symbol of motherhood, giving life to something new. Also understood as creativity.
6. The neck and chest of the goddess is decorated with a necklace of human heads. There are 50 of them in total - the same as the letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. This should be understood as wisdom, knowledge. Heads also represent a continuous series of life transformations.
7. On the thighs of Kali one can see a belt consisting of human hands. This is a type of karma. Why hands? A person, with the help of his actions, contributes to the formation of karma, which affects the fate of the personality, its samsara. Since it is the hands that represent action and labor, such a symbol takes place. But if a person is completely devoted to Kali, the goddess can "pull" him out of the cycle of karma.
8. Shiva, lying under the feet of his consort Kali, shows that the spiritual is superior to the physical, and that the feminine principle in creation is an order of magnitude higher than the passive masculine principle.
Kali and Shiva
The goddess in many of her manifestations patronizes creativity, since she herself not only destroys, but also creates something new. Therefore, she is considered a source of inspiration for all creative people - writers, poets, artists, etc.
The multifaceted meaning of blackness and nakedness of the goddess Kali
The fact that the Goddess is usually depicted naked, and her skin is black, also has a deep meaning.
Black color, enclosed, by the way, in one of the names of the goddess ("Kali" from Sanskrit - "black"), can be interpreted as:
- Pure consciousness, infinity. The space itself is black. Kali is a symbol of the eternity of time and the universe.
- Kali is mother nature, supreme over everything that exists in the world. It is even higher than the realm of death. This is similar to what features black has. It not only dissolves all colors. It is still the basis for them, but, at the same time, it is also characterized by a complete absence of color.
But only from a distance is Kali's skin black. If you look closely, you can understand that it is comparable to the ocean or the sky. If you scoop up water with your palm or look at the sky, it becomes a discovery that they have no color.
The nakedness of the goddess should be viewed as freedom from ignorance, illusion. Clothes simply cannot hold on to her, as they burn out from the bright fire of truths.
The worship of Kali and the worship of the goddess
The goddess has her worshipers. They are united in the cult of Kali. It is most common in Bengal.
Bengal is a historical region of South Asia located in its northeastern part. Today West Bengal occupies the territory of the eastern state of India, East Bengal is the state of Bangladesh.
Kali was especially massively revered during the period from the 13th to the 14th century. But even today the cult of the goddess is quite widespread.
The main temple of Kali is called Kalighata. Thanks to him, the capital of the Indian state got its name - Calcutta (in English, Calighata has just such a pronunciation). The second most important temple was erected in Dakshineswar.
In September, there is even a Diwali festival dedicated to Kali. During ritual worship of the goddess, women apply bindi (a red dot on the forehead), offer red flowers, light candles, drink wine and sacred water. After the prayers have been read, you can proceed to the meal, consisting of sacrificial offerings.
As you can see, there is nothing satanic in this ritual, no bloody sacrifices, as those who have remotely heard about the goddess of death can imagine.
Of course, it was not without a perverse interpretation of the image of Kali. Favorably presenting her solely as the goddess of destruction and death, fanatics committed (and, perhaps, continue to commit) ritual murders and other, truly terrible things.
The image of the Goddess carries many meanings. For example, it perfectly reflects the very idea of the world - unpredictable, sometimes insane, beyond the control of man. In the continuous dance of this goddess, everything is created and destroyed. Kali, which should also be understood as mother nature, seems to remind that man is only invited to the dance of life, therefore he should not forget about his mortality.