GuhyaKali--The secret aspect of Mother Kali

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Dear All,

The Devi Kali has many forms. Kashmir Shaivism speaks of

twelve Kalis, while in other parts of India she is and was

worshipped as Mahakali, Dakshina Kalika, Shmashanakali, Bhadrakali,

Kamakali, and Guhyakali, amongst many others.

 

The Guhyakalika section (khanda) of Mahakalasamhita is a voluminous

work, comprising many thousands of shlokas (verses) and with

Guhyakalika (Secret Kalika) as its focus. But the work also covers a

number of other tantrik topics in equally great detail, and along

the way also includes subjects rarely referred to in other published

tantras.

 

The work follows the usual tantrik formula, with Mahakala answering

questions posed to him by his spouse, Kali.

 

Mahakala opens the Guhyakali section of the Mahakalasamhita by

saying he will reveal the mantra, yantras, meditation forms (dhyana

and rules of worship relating to Guhyakali, which, he says, have

been previously hidden. There are eighteen Guhyakali mantras, he

says.

 

Guhyakali, he says, has forms with 100, 60, 36, 30, 20, 10, five,

three, two and one faces. Different mantras correspond to these

different forms, which he then reveals, using the usual codes for

the different letters of the Sanskrit alphabet employed in other

tantras.

 

Mahakala starts to talk about Guhyakali when she is on her lion seat

(simhasana), and gives meditations for the guardians of the

directions (dikpala), and the five great corpses, forms of Shiva,

upon which she sits. There is a sixth pitha, Bhairava. He is

described as black in colour, with four arms, terrifying and the

cause of fear. He has five faces, each with three eyes. In his left

hands he holds a skull staff khatvanga and scissors, and in his

right a skull and the hourglass shaped damaru. He is adorned with a

garland of skulls, and is fanged. Lying, on an eight petalled lotus

above Bhairava is a two-armed form of Shiva, clothed in tiger skin

and holding a skull-staff and a trident. The four petals of the

major directions represent dharma (duty), jnana (knowledge),

vairagya (dispassion) and aishvarya (dominion).

 

The 10-faced form of Guhyakali is then described. She has 27 eyes,

with some faces having two, and other three, eyes. Each of her faces

represents a different female animal aspect of Guhyakali and is of a

different hue. For example, her upper face is called Dvipika (a

leopard or possibly a panther), then comes Keshari (a lion) which is

white, Pheru ( jackal) which is black, then Vanara (a monkey) which

is red, Riksha (a bear) which is purple, Nara (a woman) which is of

a cochineal colour, Garuda which tawny, Makara (a crocodile) which

is turmeric colour (yellow), Gaja (elephant) which is of a golden

colour, and Haya (horse) which is of a dark or dusky (shyama)

colour.

 

The human face is on Guhyakali's shoulders. To the left of that face

is the crocodile, above that the horse and above that the bear. To

the right of her face is the Garuda, the elephant, and the monkey.

On the top of her head is the monkey face, above that the lioness

face, and above that the leopardess.

 

Guhyakali's human face has great, fierce sharp fangs, she laughs

very loudly, while streams of blood pour from her mouth. She has a

rolling tongue and is adorned with garlands of skulls, with earrings

also of skulls. The mother of the universe (jagadambika) has 54 arms

each of which holds a weapon. Her right hands hold a jewelled

rosary, a skull, a shield, a noose, a shakti missile, a skull-staff,

a bhushundi weapon, a bow, a discus, a bell, a young corpse, a

mongoose (?), a rock, a man's skeleton, a bamboo stave, a serpent, a

plough, a fire hearth, a damaru, an iron mace, a small spear

(bhindipala -- it could mean a sling), a hammer, a spear, a barbed

hook, a club studded with metal nails (shataghni). Her right hands

hold a jewelled rosary, scissors, make the gestures (mudra) of

threatening, a goad, a danda, a jewelled pot, a trident, five arrows

and so forth.

 

In the same work there is a nyasa specifically for the 10 faces of

this form of the goddess. Here, the faces are related to the 1,000

petalled lotus, the mouth, the right eye, the left eye, the right

nostril, the left nostril, the right cheek, the left cheek, the

right ear and the left ear.

 

Guhyakali has three major forms, corresponding to creation,

maintenance and destruction, a little like a very much darker form

of Tripurasundari.

 

Chapter five of the Guhyakalikhanda describes 18 yantras of the

Devi, corresponding to the 18 separate mantras mentioned earlier.

 

The first consists of a bindu, a triangle, a hexagon, a pentagon, a

circle, 16 petals, eight petals and four doors, adorned with

tridents and skulls. This relates to Guhyakali's one letter mantra,

which is Phrem (see above left).

 

Guhyakali dwells within the centre of eight cremation grounds

(shmashans), whose names are Mahaghora, Kaladanda, Jvalakula,

Chandapasha, Kapalika, Dhumakula, Bhimangara, and Bhutanatha. Her

worship honours the Vetalas (vampires), eight tridents, vajras,

jackals and corpses, Bhairavas, dakinis, Chamundas, Kshetrapalas,

Ganapatis and other denizens of the cremation ground.

 

Yours yogically,

Dattu