Kali is the supreme goddess of eastern tantra school known as Kali-kula sampraday . For many , she is fearsome and destructive goddess . For others she is the compassionate mother . Beneath these diverse concepts and gross misunderstandings lies the true symbolism of this divine power .
Purusha Prakriti of samkhya
Kali is the most successful depiction of the Purusha Prakriti concept of Sankhya darshan . Samkhya seeks to explain the mysteries of cosmos by elaborating on two fundamental concepts--the male or Purusha and the female or Prakriti . Together they constitute the whole or existence . In later ages this Purusha Prakriti concepts were indentified with various principle deities of Hindu pantheon . Thus this Purusha Prakriti concept came to be expressed as Radha Krishna , Laxmi Narayan , Shiva-Parvati , or Kali and Shiva . However among all of them the form of Kali and Shiva is the most satisfactory in terms of iconography .
The attributeless unity called Brahman is basically inactive . His activity starts with the process of creation . During this time the energy of Brahman begins to work . Strictly speaking Brahman cannot be separated from its energy . But this energy is personified as Devi and the inactive component of Brahman as Shiva --the Purusha .
Put in a different way the same Brahman when inactive and attributeless is Purusha , and when it starts to work and create its with attributes and Prakriti .
In Kali , we see her dancing atop the chest of her husband . Shiva , the Purusha lies inactive below . so he is called Shava-Shiva or Shiva the corpse . And this Shiva's divine energy takes the form of Kali and does all the work . Hence she is dancing and is active . But they are not mutually exclusive . They represent two sides of the same reality and are inseperable . Hence they are interconnected . Kali is always standing on her husbands chest .
The union of Purusha and Prakriti results in cosmos . Therefore Shiva's eyes are fixed on the eyes of Kali . And Kali looks down in acceptance .
Her arms - Both sides of almighty
God is not just benevolent but also destructive . This is reflected in the hands of Kali . In her right hand side arms she shows the Abhaya mudra(gesture of fearlessness) and Vara mudra(gesture of benediction) repectively . This is the benevolent aspect of the almighty . But on the other arm in left side she holds a bloody scimitar and a severed head depicting destruction and end .
God is there for both renunciates and grihasta devotees . Kali's left hand arms with severed head and scimitar are for those disciples who intend to break away from material bondage . With the scimitar she cuts off the material bondage of this world and the severed head represents the removal of our ego , which is the main hindrance towards spiritual progress.
With her right hands she blesses those devotees who want material benedictions and sense enjoyments . She is mother to all .
Her lack of clothing
She stands naked because she is brahmaswaroop . no cloth is sufficient to cover her .
Her colour
She is black in color because black is that color which absorbes all other colurs . She is the repository for all the talents and good qualities , hence she is black .
Her tongue
Her tongue is lolls out and is red in color . This symbolises unrestrained Rajo guna or mode of passion . But her white teeth bites this lolling tongue representing control of Rajo guna by Sattva guna or mode of goodness .
Her eyes
Her third eye in the forehead is the Gyana netra or the eye of wisdom . the three eyes represent the past , present and the future ......she is Trikaldarshi .
Garland of human heads
She wears a garland of severed human heads 51 in number . This represents the 51 syllables of Sanskrit script . Starting with the primordial sound ' om ' all sound vibrations emanate from the supreme . Hence each sound has a presiding deity . Kali as the true mother wears the garland of 51 types of sound in her neck .
Girdle of human hands
Around her waist there is a girdle of severed human hands . She is the one who can reduce or take away our karma-phal . When she is pleased she takes away the past samskars and karma phals of the sadhak and thereby help in his liberation . This severed hands symbolises taking away of karma by her .
Her hair
Her flowing hair spreads all over her back and reaches upto her ankles . This symbolises her spread of maya . Her maya spreads over every corner much like this mesh of hair .
Her abode - Crematoriums
Kali's eternal dwelling place is crematoriums or smashans . Apprently this is repulsive and even frightening . But cremtaoriums have been refered to as holy places in scriptures . This is because , a single visit to any such place helps one to realise the temporal nature of this world . The sight of dead person , the relatives lamenting over the loss , the funeral pyre etc makes us realize that this is where we are all going to end up some day , sooner of later , maybe tommorrow itself or after 50 years ! It awakens the sense of vairagya or detachment from worldly thougths . Therefore smashaans are the holiest of places . The only true thing in this universe is that we are all going to die . But the most bewildering truth of this universe is that we all seem to forget this basic truth . Kali , the mother is the resident of this crematorium , the presiding deity of the truth misunderstood as death . She is standing for all of us at the end to take us back to her , back to home , back to the lap of maa .
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