Worship of Dakshina Kali

[Guest guest]

Dakshina Kali Puja DakSiNaa Kaalikaa devii puuja

The worship of Dakshina Kali Part 1.

 

A note: I will note all mantras in Itrans format. You can find the key at

http://www.alkhemy.com/sanskrit/dict/itrans.html

 

Ma Bhavatarini, the Kali of Dakshineswar temple, is a Dakshina Kali. Dakshina

Kali is dark, sometimes described as black, other times as dark blue. She

stands, with her right foot forward (one meaning of "dakshina"), upon the

prostrate, inert, corpselike body of her husband, Shiva, who is white, smeared

with ash. Shiva is the formless, absolute Brahman, nameless, formless, unmoving

ground of being. Kali is prakriti, the manifest multiverse.Shiva essentially has

no color. Kali is all colors. Kali and Shiva cannot be separated. As Ramakrishna

Paramahamsa says"Shiva and Kali are like fire and its power to burn, like milk

and its whiteness." From the union of Shiva and Kali the multiverse arises.

 

Dakshina Kali has four arms. The left side of the Mother shows her terrible

aspect. Her upper left hand holds a bloody sword. The sword has a single eye. It

is a wisdom eye, for, symbolically, it is the sword of wisdom that cuts through

the ignorance/avidyaa that keeps us from realizing the Self. Her lower left hand

clutches a severed head, which symbolizes the ignorance that is slain by her

grace. The right side of the Mother is her beneficent side. Her upper right hand

is in abhaya mudra, the hand postion which says "Fear not." Her lower right hand

is in the dakshina mudra (another reason she bears the same name) which

indicates the giving of boons to her children. Though showing two sides, she

transcends them both.

 

Dakshina Kali is generally portrayed as a beautiful girl of 16, rather than a

fearsome hag. She has 3 eyes. Her tongue is lolling out. There are many

interpretations of why this is. One need only to read the descriptions of Kali

in the Chandi to get a good idea why. Some favor the more benign explanation

that her tongue is stuck out in embarassment Why? Because she has accidentally

stepped on the body of her husband.

 

Dakshina Kali wears a girdle of severed demon arms, symbolizing that she is the

mistress, the creator, of all action. Interestingly, the Kali at Dakshineshwar

temple does not wear this girdle of arms because the temple's foundress, Rani

Rasmani, did not want demon arms to be touching her young and beautiful Mother.

She wears a garland of heads. Each head is said to symbolize one of the letters

in the Sanskrit/devanagari alphabet scheme. As all the letters are in themselves

mantras, the Mother is the source of all mantras. She is the multiverse manifest

as vibration.

 

This, in a nutshell, is the description of Dakshina Kali from my tradition, the

lineage of Paramahamsa Ramakrishna. For more descriptions, please consult:

David Kinsley, TANTRIC VISIONS OF THE DIVINE FEMININE, Univ. of Calif.

Press

David Frawley,TANTIC YOGA AND THE WISDOM GODDESSES, Passage Press

There are also many websites with info. My favorites are Shiva Shakti

Mandalam, and my friends at kalimandir.org.

 

There is always the debate about the use of mantras by the uninitiated. Here are

3 versions of the Mother's mantra,debate aside:

1.OM kreeM

2.OM hreeM kreeM

3.OM kreeM kreeM kreeM huuM huuM hreeM hreem dakSiNe kaalike kreeM kreeM kreeM

huuM huuM hreeM hreeM svaahaa

 

This is the end of part 1. Part 2 will cover items needed for the worship. This

will be as soon as I am able to get back online after hassling around with new

modems etc.

Jai Ma, Gitaprana

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Whoa!!!

 

Reverend Chuck

The Apollonian King

[Guest guest]

Why not perform the puja mentally (manasa puja)?

 

gitaprana <gitaprana wrote:Namaste- Sorry for the delay re the puja

instructions. I am having to really consider just how much is too much. First of

all, the puja in its complete form is very elaborate, requiring many items that

bhaktas of the Mother, who live outside India and have no access to Indian

stores, are going to have a very hard time obtaining. For instance, sandalpaste.

A puja can be simplified to a certain extent so that people living busy lives

won't find the process too intimidating. Does anyone have any advice?

Jai Ma, Gitaprana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

"Sorry for the delay re the puja instructions."

 

Dont be gitaprana. Patience is virtue. I am sure we all can wait, it

is worth it.

 

"I am having to really consider just how much is too much"

I always believe when comes to DEVI, nothing is too much. The more

the better. [smiles]. Dont worry about it, just post accordingly. I

am sure the members here are very please and awaits patiently for

part 2 of Worship of Dakshina Kali.

 

Alternatively let break it up into simple mode. I will be willing to

do it for you.

 

"First of all, the puja in its complete form is very elaborate,

requiring many items that bhaktas of the Mother, who live outside

India and have no access to Indian stores, are going to have a very

hard time obtaining. For instance, sandalpaste. A puja can be

simplified to a certain extent so that people living busy lives won't

find the process too intimidating. Does anyone have any advice?"

 

I always believe that simplicity is the way. If you cant find it,

then use alternative. I am sure DEVI is very flexible and forgiving.

We dont have to be very rigid in our Sadhana. A very humble, shy and

experience member told me once : Sadhana should be simple and Fun.

 

Akka gave a good suggestion : Menasa pooja. But my question is : can

we do menasa pooja for all poojas/sadhana?

 

This reminds me our respected kochu owed us a post on Menasa Pooja.

[Guest Indrajit]

Is the part 2 of Worship of Dakshina Kali available ?