Undoubtedly, Kali has a fearful appearance but she is the most caring mother of her worshipper. No one can forget her legendary devotees like Swami Vivekanand, Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Ramprasad. They loved Kali as intimately as they loved their biological mother.
Kali is recognized with different names like Dakshina Kalika, Chamundi, Syama, Tara ma, Adya ma, Bhadra kali and Shyamashana Kali are the most popular forms. Most popular Kali temples are Kalighat and Dakshineshwar in Calcutta.
Who is Kali?
She is portrayed of being born from Goddess Durga’s eyebrow, during a fierce battle with evil forces. In the battle, she got so involved in a killing fling and began to destroy everything that came in her way. Lord Shiva fell under her feet to stop her.
Kali stuck her tongue out in shock, when she saw Lord Shiva under her feet. Hence, you can see the common Kali images in her melee temper, standing with one foot on Lord Shiva’s chest. In addition, her enormous tongue is stuck out.
Fearful Symmetry
- Kali has 4 arms out of which one hand has a sword and the other has a demon’s head.
- With the remaining two hands, she blesses her worshippers conveying them not to fear.
- Her earrings consist of two dead heads
- Necklace or garland is made from string of skulls
- A girdle of human hands acts as a piece of clothing around her waist.
- Her tongue sticks out long from her mouth
- Eyes are blood red
- Breasts and face are desecrated with blood
Awesome Symbols
The fierce form of Kali is strewed with remarkable symbols.
- Black complexion symbolizes as embracing the transcendental nature. Just like all the colors get absorbed in black, all her forms and names get absorbed in her.
- Her nudity is primordial, fundamental, and translucent like nature (earth, sky, and sea). She is free from the bond of illusory covering.
- Kali’s necklace made from 50 demon heads displays the 50 letters in Sanskrit alphabet, thus symbolizing infinite knowledge.
- Waist girdle of many human hands indicates to work and get liberated from the karma cycle.
- White teeth shows her inner purity
- Red lolling tongue displays her omnivorous nature
- Her sword destroys the false consciousness and eight bonds binding humans
- Three eyes represents the three modes of time – past, present, future
- Kali’s closeness to cremation grounds points to the birth and death cycle
- Stretched out posture of Lord Shiva under her feet suggests that without Shakti or Kali, Shiva is static
Kali Pooja
On Diwali (Amavasya night), Indians worship Lakshmi (Goddess of prosperity) but in West Bengal worship Kali (Goddess of strength). Spectacular images of Ma Kali are installed, worshipped, and immersed in the rivers or sea.
Devotees can get Kali statues online for performing the pooja and also to get rid of negative tendencies, which obstruct material prosperity and spiritual progress. The main intention of Kali pooja is to attain the help of Ma Kali in destroying the internal (within us) and external (outside world) evils.
