Guest guest Posted August 31, 2002 Report Share Posted August 31, 2002 >Look at Kali Ma-she is dancing on Lord Shiva's chest >right now! >He doesn't seem to mind;-) Yes, but according to the detail of the myth the way I have heard it, she stepped on him accidentally not knowing who he was. She was horribly embarassed to have broken custom in this manner. Sister Usha Devi [sorry, but I am not the Goddess of the Week you have been discussing, but merely one of her humble servants] ===== Sister Usha Devi Founder, Divinely Female and worshipper of the Sacred Flame that shines inside every woman Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2002 Report Share Posted August 31, 2002 As per another legend, THE gods could not kill the demon Raktabija. Every drop of his blood that touched the ground transformed itself into another demon. Within a few minutes of attacking this asura with their weapons, the gods would find the entire battlefield covered with millions of demon clones. In despair, the gods turned to Shiva. But Shiva was lost in meditation, so they turned to his consort Parvati. The goddess immediately set out to do battle with this dreaded demon in the form of Kali. She rode into the battleground on her lion, and Raktabija experienced fear for the first time in his demonic heart. Kali ordered the gods to attack Raktabija. Kali then spread her tongue to cover the battlefield preventing even a single drop of Raktabija's blood from falling on the group. Thus preventing Raktabija from reproducing himself. Drunk on Raktabija's blood, Kali ran across the cosmos killing anyone who dared cross her path. She adorned herself with the heads, limbs and entrails of her victims. To pacify her, Shiva threw himself under her feet. This stopped the goddess. She calmed down, embraced her husband, and shed her ferocious form. (source-devadutt patnaik) also, the image of shiva lying under rhe feet of kali has a 'sexual' connotation- KALI is shown as the 'dominant' partner. on another note, in modes of worship, "pada sevanam" or worshipping the lotus feet of god/ess is considered very sacred ! that is why they are called lotus feet ! when you rest your head at the feet of god/ess , they say you attain 'moksha' or liberation! in fact, if you see all pictures of durga mata, you will see 'mahishasur' the buffalo demon being trampled under the feet of goddess durga- he attained salvation this way!!! the feet of saints and gods/resses are considered very holy and sacred and are therefore worshippable! jai mahakali! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2002 Report Share Posted August 31, 2002 In a message dated 8/31/2002 3:14:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jami108 writes: > In short, since our Mother Kali is the Mother of the > Universe as well as being the Universe, of what could > She possibly be ashamed? True enough. She is also naked and doesn't seem to mind;-) There are many myths to explain images and ideas, but ultimately the images speak directly to the deepest parts of our minds. With Kali Ma I see that everything is sacred. She appears to brake all the rules because ultimately rules are just human constructs based off of our limited minds. Really there are no rules as such. Kali Ma for me has always been absolute freedom. Something I strive to reach, but at the same time the most difficult thing to obtain;-) Jai Kali Ma William Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2002 Report Share Posted August 31, 2002 My understanding is that narrative follows iconography. The image of Kali standing on Shiva came first. The narratives came later to explain the image. All of the scholarly western commentators I have read, Kinsley and the gang, agree that the embarrasment notion is a patriarchal overlay. This would also agree with the Indian notion of the deities and their mantras appearing to the rishis in their deep meditation. The narratives explaining these images religiously and culturally came later in the form of the Puranas. In short, since our Mother Kali is the Mother of the Universe as well as being the Universe, of what could She possibly be ashamed? The only embarrasment can be that of a patriarchal culture attempting to explain away the obvious. All of this, of course, is just my 2 pennies worth. Jai Ma Kali! Aravind P.S. Is it common knowledge that David Kinsley passed away a couple of years ago? --- Sister Usha Devi <sisterusha wrote: > >Look at Kali Ma-she is dancing on Lord Shiva's > chest > >right now! > > >He doesn't seem to mind;-) > > Yes, but according to the detail of the myth the way > I > have heard it, she stepped on him accidentally not > knowing who he was. She was horribly embarassed to > have broken custom in this manner. > > Sister Usha Devi [sorry, but I am not the Goddess of > the Week you have been discussing, but merely one of > her humble servants] > > ===== > Sister Usha Devi > Founder, Divinely Female and worshipper of the > Sacred Flame that shines inside every woman > > > > Finance - Get real-time stock quotes > http://finance. > Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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