The Hindu goddess of destruction, who is also represented as the Great Mother, the giver of life. She is the consort of Shiva.
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Kali (Sanskrit: काली) (Pronounced /kɑːliː/) is a goddess with a long and complex history in Hinduism (although sometimes presented in the West as dark and violent). Finally, the comparatively recent devotional movement largely conceives of Kali as a straightforwardly benevolent mother-goddess. Therefore, as well her association with the deva (god) Shiva, Kali is associated with many devis (goddesses) - Durga, Badrakali, Bhavani, Sati, Rudrani, Parvati, Chinnamasta, Chamunda, Kamakshi or kamakhya, Uma, Meenakshi, Himavati, Kumari and Tara.
She is not to be confused with Kali, the male demon from the Mahabharata and Kalki Purana and the personification of Kali yuga.
Meaning
Kali is a feminine form of the Sanskrit word "kala," meaning "time". Kali has therefore been translated variously as "She who is time," "She who devours time," "She who is the Mother of time," "She who is black," and "She who is black time". Kali's association with blackness stands in contrast to her consort, Shiva, who's dark body is covered by the white ashes of the cremation ground (Sanskrit: 'śmaśan') in which he meditates, and with which they are both associated, hence Kali's epithet 'Śmaśanâ.'
Kali properly transliterated from Sanskrit is Kālī (spelled with a "long" a), which should not be confused with the common Sanskrit word properly transliterated as Kali (spelled with a "short" a), meaning "terrible." This "terrible" Kali is another similarly named deity who acts as the personification of Kali yuga. Frequent confusion comes in interpreting the Kali yuga," or "terrible age," one of the four great ages (yugas) of Hindu cosmology, as conflated with the goddess Kali. In fact, the goddess Kali should not be confused with kali yuga, as her name holds separate and unrelated meaning.
Origin
The name Kali first appears in the Rig Veda, not as that of a goddess, but as that of the black tongue of the seven flickering tongues of Agni, the Hindu god of fire. However, the prototype of the figure now known as Kali does appear, in the form of a goddess named Raatri. Raatri is considered to be the prototype of both Durga and Kali.
In the Sangam era of Tamilakam, a Kali-like bloodthirsty goddess named Kottravai appears in the literature of the period. Like Kali she has dishevelled hair, inspires fear in those who approach her and feasts on battlegrounds littered with the dead. It is quite likely that the fusion of the Sanskrit goddess Raatri and the indigenous Kottravai produced the fearsome goddesses of medieval Hinduism, amongst them Kali being the most prominent. (See also Sanskritisation)
It was the composition of the Puranas in late antiquity that firmly gave Kali a place in the Hindu pantheon. Kali or Kalika is described in the Devi Mahatmya (also known as the Chandi or the Durgasaptasati) from the Markandeya Purana, circa 300-600CE, where she is said to have emanated from the brow of the goddess Durga, a slayer of demons or avidya, during one of the battles between the divine and anti-divine forces. In this context, Kali is considered the 'forceful' form of the great goddess Durga. Another account of the origins of Kali is found in the Matsya Purana, circa 1500CE, which states that she originated as a mountain tribal goddess in the north-central part of India, in the region of Mount Kalanjara (now known as Kalinjar).
Iconography
The iconography of Kali can be explained by studying the aesthetic formalities of the Nidanshastra -- an authoritative collective on South-Asian symbolism and plastic arts.
Popular form of Kali
Classic depictions of Kali share several features, as follows:
Kali has four arms and hands. Hindus believe Sanskrit is a language of dynamism, and each of these letters represents a form of energy, or a form of Kali.
She is also accompanied by serpents and a jackal while standing on a seemingly dead Shiva, usually right foot forward to symbolize the more popular Dakshinamargi or right-handed path, as opposed to the more infamous and secretive Vamamargi or left-handed path. There is a mythological story for the reason behind her standing on what appears to be Shiva’s corpse, which translates as follows:
Once Kali had destroyed all the demons in battle, she began a terrific dance out of the sheer joy of victory. When Kali eventually stepped upon her husband she realized her mistake and bit her tongue in shame.It is also said that the story goes like this: In a time of dark age when a demon roamed the earth and couldn't be destroyed by any man, only a woman that from the 3 divine forces of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma a lady figure was formed. Mother kali is an incarnation of mother durga and mother parvati and they all depict the female force of Shiva. The story of kali goes like this. There came a time when there was so much evil that mother durga couldn't take it any more that she grew angry and came to earth as kali maa. Kali maa destryoed all the demons and had to drink their blood for our sake for if it fell on the floor the demons would multiply. But Lord Shiva himself appeared under her and seeing his divine face she stopped.
However, the symbolism of the above mentioned theological perspective is often seen as antiquated and misogynistic. The more thoughtful (and Tantric) interpretation of Kali standing on top of her husband is as follows:
The Shiv tattava (Divine Consciousness as Shiva) is inactive, while the Shakti tattava (Divine Energy as Kali) is active. Kali, on the other hand, represents the potential (and manifested) energy responsible for all names, forms and activities.
To properly understand this complex Tantric symbolism it is important to remember that the meaning behind Shiva and Kali does not stray from the non-dualistic parlance of Shankara or the Upanisads. This form of reality is known as Kali or Shakti, and (in its entirety) is still specified as the same Absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda. It is here in this second plane that the universe (as we commonly know it) is experienced and is described by the Tantric seer as the play of Shakti, or God as Mother Kali.
From a Tantric perspective, when one meditates on reality at rest, as absolute pure consciousness (without the activities of creation, preservation or dissolution) one refers to this as Shiva or Brahman. When one meditates on reality as dynamic and creative, as the Absolute content of pure consciousness (with all the activities of creation, preservation or dissolution) one refers to it as Kali or Shakti. It is this which is generally accepted as the meaning of Kali standing on the chest of Shiva.
In spite of her seemingly terrible form, Kali is often considered the kindest and most loving of all the Hindu goddesses, as she is regarded by her devotees as the Mother of the whole Universe. But, where do you run when you are in trouble?”
Throughout her history artists the world over have portrayed Kali in a myriad of poses and settings (see figs. Although theoretically Shiva and Kali (or Shakti) are inseparable, like fire and its power to burn, in the case of creation they are often seen has having separate roles. With Shiva as male and Kali as female it is only by their union that creation may transpire.
Association with Thuggee
Kali's poor reputation in the West is often ascribed largely to the cult of the Thuggee, a group of radical, indigenous and immigrant South-Asians (primarily centered near Kolkata, circa 13th-19th century CE) who took the goddess Kali as their deity. Although much controversy surrounds their habits, it has been widely reported that the Thuggee robbed and murdered travellers as sacrifices to Kali and were eventually broken up by the occupying, British colonists. Many non-Hindus were introduced to Kali by way of the Goddess appearing as a villain deity in the films Gunga Din, Help! and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Development
In the later traditions, Kali has become inextricably linked with Shiva. The unleashed form of Kali often becomes wild and uncontrollable, and only Shiva is able to tame her.
Shiva's involvement with Tantra and Kali's dark nature have led to her becoming an important Tantric figure. Kali's role sometimes increased beyond a chaos who could be confronted to bring wisdom, and she is given great metaphysical significance by some Tantric texts.
The final stage of development is the worshipping of Kali as the Great Mother, devoid of her usual violence. The pioneers of this tradition are the 18th century Shakta poets such as Ramprasad Sen, who show an awareness of Kali's ambivalent nature. Ramakrishna, the 19th century, Bengali saint, was also a great devotee of Kali; Rachel McDermott's work, however, suggests that for the common, modern worshipper, Kali is not seen as fearful, and only those educated in old traditions see her as having a wrathful component. In this sense, Kali is simply part of a larger whole.
Like Sir John Woodroffe and Georg Feuerstein, many Tantric scholars (as well as sincere practitioners) agree though that, no matter how propitious or appalling you describe them, Shiva and Devi are simply recognizable symbols for everyday, abstract (yet tangible) concepts such as perception, knowledge, space-time, causation and the process of liberating oneself from the confines of such things. In this sense, the projection of some of Devi’s more gentle qualities onto Kali is not sacrilege and the development of Kali really lies in the practitioner, not the murthi. You are Savitri7 and the supreme Mother of the devas.
1 The propitiatory mantra of the devas uttered when an oblation is poured in the fire for them. 2 The propitiatory mantra of the manes (Pitrs) uttered when offerings are made in ceremonies in honor of departed ancestry. 3 Vashatkara in this text signifies Yajna, Vedic sacrifice. 4 all utterances. 5 Sudha, is the nectar of the devas and signifies immortality. 6 sound measures, long, short and unmetered. Also interpreted as omkara, made up of a, u and m, the original three sounds, made with open, intermediate and closed lips 7 The famous Savitri hymn which occurs in the Rigveda.
B Out of the surface of her forehead, fierce with frown, issued suddenly Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose. Bearing the strange khatvanga (skull-topped staff ) , decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger’s skin, very appalling owing to her emaciated flesh, with gaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lolling out, having deep reddish eyes, filling the regions of the sky with her roars, falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she devoured those hordes of the foes of the devas.
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