Kali!!Kali!!Kali!!

[Guest guest]

Om Amrtesvaryai Namah!!

 

Namaste dear sisters and brothers!!

 

(this was also posted on the other Amma list)

i was rereading thru the online version of some of the earlier

Immortal Bliss magazines...and along with some great Messages from

Mother as to why She came, i came upon this wonderful essay upon

Mother Kali...which i remember reading earlier, but was glad to

reread...and felt so awed by it that i wanted to share it with all of

you!! Amma's messages as to why She is here were also in that same

issue, as well as the next one if any one is interested!

 

Immortal Bliss

1997 1st Quarter Issue

 

Kali-The Divine Force Behind the

Universe

 

Human beings are tormented by their negative

thoughts and desires and by emotions like

jealousy, hate, fear, greed and selfishness. These

are their greatest enemies, undermining their peace

within and happiness without. They have to be

completely annihilated for the Supreme Self to be

unveiled, so that the dwelling place of bliss may be

attained. Persuasion and gentility have no chance

in the face of such terrible enemies. They must be

struck down and destroyed without pity.

 

"O Mother Kali, only You can save me from these terrible enemies who

harrass

me ceaselessly!"

 

It is this idea of fierce destruction which is invoked by Kali

worship. She destroys

in order to rebuild, She tears away so as to give back in abundance.

She

annihilates the dark obscurities of ignorance so that She Herself

may arise within

us, as the Light of lights allowing our divinity to shine through.

 

The great saint of the 19th century, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,

worshipped

Goddess Kali in a temple in Calcutta where Her idol can still be

seen. I knew that

Mother had installed the self-same idol, made by the same family of

sculptors in

Her ashram at Amritapuri. The `coincidence' always intrigued me. I

had seen the

Calcutta Kali worshipped fervently, even madly by the devotees

there, and it had

always struck me that something about Her was mysteriously strong.

 

On my arrival at Amritapuri, I was pleased to see Her again. It

seemed wonderful.

I could see Her so much more closely than in Calcutta. I was being

drawn,

mysteriously so. There were things I did not understand. Then,

suddenly one

evening, attracted by the arati (waving of oil lamps before the

deity) which

seemed so moving, I dashed to the shrine to see Her closer. I needed

to be next

to Her. The pujari, seeing me running into the inner temple, kindly

gestured to me

to go in. After still feeling drawn, mentally and physically, I

asked him, "What

does the arati to Her mean for you?" His reply struck me to the

core. I had never

expected such a response. Not only was his interpretation beautiful

in itself, but I

discovered I was being prayed for. His arati was a beautiful prayer

and

astonishingly I was included in it too

 

THE INVOCATION OF LIGHT

 

He began, "There is an inscription on a temple to the Divine Mother

in

Chottanikara, Kerala. It reads, `Sarvam kalvidam evaham nanyad asmi

sanatanam' (Whatever one can call this, this is Me alone. I am

eternal). There is

nothing else but Her. She is all that is tangible. She is Divine.

The word comes

from diva, meaning light. She is Light. This Light represents

Eternal Knowledge,

meaning all the Knowledge pertaining to knowing one's inner Self.

This is

different from information and scientific knowledge. These are

limited forms of

knowledge, revealing only what can be known to the senses and the

intellect.

They cannot lead one to the Light or to Self-Knowledge. Compared to

the

Knowledge that the Light represents, all else is in darkness.

 

"When we hold the light before the image, it is done with the

awareness that it

stands for the Divinity that the image represents. We start by

borrowing the light

from Her, in order to show it to ourselves. When we wave it around

Her, it is

being waved around all living things on earth because She says that

She has

become all these beings. This Light is hidden in every being as

their own inner

Self. I'm trying to bring it out, show it to Her. Thus I wave the

lamp with the

attitude and feeling that I am waving the Light around every living

being. For me it

is scientifically and logically the practical expression of the

mantra. Whatever

one can call this, this is Me alone. Let the inner divinity of every

being be

manifested so each one may be happy. This ritual is a practical

prayer, an act of

invoking the divinity in everybody. The light, borrowed from Devi

Herself, is

instrumental. The invocation acts in a marvelous, many-faceted way,

because

the light is shown to Her aura which acts like a reflector, or a

series of

cross-mirrors reflecting all, bringing the light out in everybody.

While waving the

lamp, we do it with the attitude `Lokaha samastha sukino bhavanthu'

meaning

`Let the whole world be happy.' By waving this light I wish that all

beings find the

Light which cannot be destroyed, not even by crucifixion. Let this

Light shine in

everyone."

 

THE ARATI

 

He then explained the four circles and wavings he makes with the

lamp. "First I

go to Shiva. He lies beneath the striding feet of Kali, on His back

with a snake

around His neck. Lying down, He represents the substratum, the

fundamental,

unchanging, unmanifested state. Secondly, I go to Kali, the

manifested form of

God, the embodiment of the Light. I take the lamp around Her aura,

as explained.

Her aura is represented by the shiny silver halo which reflects

Divinity, our real

nature. Thirdly, I go to the ornaments of the Deity, Her bangles,

chain, crown,

everything that beautifies Her. They are there because of our need

to beautify the

stone image. God is beauty itself. We wave the light before Her with

the attitude,

`Let Mother help bring out the inherent beauty hidden in all beings,

their

compassion and innocence.' To serve the whole of humanity is the

best way to

serve ourselves. Forgetting ourselves, let us pray for the

well-being of the whole

universe.

 

"The fourth and final waving of the lamp is based on another mantra

which is

contained in a traditional puja which invokes the Kundalini Devi

during dusk, the

time when the influence of worldly vibrations are at their lowest

ebb. It says,

`Utthista devi ganthavyam punaragamana yacha. Praseeda devi

tushtyartham

pravishya hridayam mama.' (O Devi please awake and rise to Thy

consummation,

return to Thy source. Grant Thy grace for contentment and kindly

enter into the

cave of my heart).

 

The idea behind the mantras and the worship of the image as

Bhavatarini are as

follows: Bhava means the changing phenomenon signifying the flux,

the endless

series of births and deaths of the soul. The `ocean' is a common

symbol for the

changing phenomenon. Tarini means to cross over. Therefore, worship

of

Bhavatarini helps us cross over the ocean of change. To do this, we

wake up the

spiritual power, kundalini, in us. It is said to be a hidden power,

shaped like a

snake coiled up at the base of the spine. If this power rises up

through the

central nervous system and passes through the six energy centers to

the

seventh in the brain, then one is said to realize `Light'. From a

spiritual point of

view, this is the purpose of birth as a human, to reach there, to

achieve that state

(samadhi). Then you will become unchanging Bliss. If the energy

stays there, the

soul won't come back to this world; it will want to stay there in

bliss. But we

want the realized man to serve humanity, like Mother does, not stay

`up there' in

samadhi. So with the fourth and final waving, we take the light up,

wave it on the

face, then above the head and back to the face again to imitate the

raising of the

Kundalini Shakti and then I bring it down again to the navel area

and hold it there.

We have to raise it up, but pray `Please come back, dwell in the

heart of

everybody, so they remain in bliss in the happiness that cannot be

taken away,

in order that man, now fully fulfilled, will serve humanity.' The

intention is to pray

for the well-being of everyone and for the bringing out of spiritual

knowledge, so

that everyone will be happy."

 

And I knew what he meant. During the weeks between my first dash to

be near

Kali and our meetings to prepare this article, I too had come to

understand Her

more deeply. How, from that fierce stance swiping at our vasanas,

flows

compassion. How, from a spiritual point of view, the hardest blows

must come

from the softest love and that fury and compassion are inseparable.

How too, the

fierce Kali inside the temple is inseparable from our beloved Guru

who sits

outside, tenderly pouring Her love on all. So blessed do I feel, to

be able to kneel

so closely at the doors of Her shrine, to lay my head on Her

doorstep as if it

were Mother's lap itself. Yes, even when leaving us to ourselves to

find our way,

Mother is there, walking beside us, bringing us to the Light.

 

KALI - FRIEND OF THE SOUL

 

Kali, the black Goddess, embodies Shakti - the essential energy

which pervades

the universe, the creative force which bursts forth from the pure,

unchanging

consciousness of Shiva. In this guise She represents prakriti -

living nature,while

Shiva represents purusha -the soul, that underlying, changeless

support of

eternal movement, the passive witness of living nature. Usually She

is shown

dancing on the chest of Shiva who is depicted motionless, lying like

a corpse

under Her feet. But behind this dynamism and this stillness lies the

One which

expresses itself in many forms, for the Divine Mother being equal to

the

Absolute, is at the same time both Shakti and Shiva, prakriti and

purusha, She

is the Soul of souls, OM, the eternal sound.

 

She is the great destroyer, forever swallowing up all She has

created in order to

refashion it within Herself and send it forth in new births. Her

dance of death is

that of a life constantly renewed. Like the gods She has light, like

the demons

She has force, but more divine than the gods and more terrible than

the demons,

She can conquer all. This is why She is depicted showing opposing

tendencies

like beauty and beastliness, terror and tenderness, because they can

and do

co-exist within us. Sometimes She enchants the world, at other times

Her

frightening dance makes the world tremble beneath Her feet. She

bewitches with

Her charm and instills fear. Yet beyond these, She wields a power in

which all

oppositions melt away.

 

The stories which tell of the appearances of the Divine Mother in

the form of Kali

are numerous and vary one to another. The appearance of Her forms is

always

due to an imbalance and tension arising from the victory of demons

over gods.

She has to appear dreadful, for Kali's task is to conquer the demons

(dark

forces) and restore in their place the gods (forces of purity and

light).

 

"Whenever disorder arises because of the demons I incarnate and

destroy the

enemy"

 

Devi Mahatmyam ll-55

 

However, to better understand Kali and Her appearance, we must leave

the world

of perceptions and delve more into the mysteries of Her symbolism.

 

Her name

 

What does Her name really mean? The word kali was, in origin, a

female

adjective. Several meanings are given — here are the main ones. She

is called

Kali because:

 

1) The color of Her body is black (kala krishna)

 

2) She has power over time (kala shakti)

 

3) It is by Her that all is created (kalanat)

 

Her role

 

To understand Her character, let us select an extract from one of

the best known

legends of the Devi Mahatmyam in which Kali appears: Two brother

asuras

(demons) Sumbha and Nisumbha, because they had performed intense

austerities, had obtained from the god of creation (Brahma), a

special

power—they could never be killed by a being of the masculine sex,

from the gods

down to animals, including human beings. Being convinced of their

power, they

did not think they had anything to fear from a woman. Thanks to

their allies and

their powerful armies, the two brothers had taken control of all the

kingdoms of

the earth. They had then attacked the gods and conquered them also.

Two other

great fighters known for their bravery, Chanda and Munda, had become

allied with

the brothers.

 

The asuras symbolize the different negative tendencies of the ego,

which conceal

the pure (sattvic) qualities. The ego itself is incarnated in the

person of the most

powerful asura, the chief, who has the power and manner of a

dictator. The two

brothers Sumbha and Nisumbha represent that aspect of the ego which

tends

towards arrogance and the desire for immortality. They correspond to

the limited

intellect which cannot understand the infinite Reality.

 

The gods, having become destitute wanderers living in forests,

approached their

Guru Brihaspati who advised them to pray to the Divine Mother. The

gods

immersed themselves in the worship of Devi, meditating on Her form

constantly

and singing Her praises:

 

It is surprising to no one that a mother feeds and protects Her

sons. But You,

Mother of the gods, are their saviour. With Your whole heart, You

also fulfill their

desires. O Devi! We know not the limits of your power and forms.

 

O Goddess, You are adored by the entire universe. Against all

dangers, You are

our only protection. Have pity on us, save us.

 

You can annihilate our enemies without even shooting a single arrow,

without

making a single blow, without any weapons. Simply by Your will You

can kill, but

for the pleasure of Your play and for the good of all, You come

forth and fight.

 

Devi responded to the call of the gods and appeared in a form full

of youth and

beauty. She promised to put to death the asura usurpers. The battle

began and

just at that moment Kali appeared at the side of Devi, attacking the

army led by

Dhumralochana. Her piercing shrieks and screams were enough to

reduce

Dhumralochana to ashes.

 

Dhumralochana represents the gross levels of ignorance and

selfishness which

can be destroyed just by the shouting of the mantra "Hum." Our

superficial

attachments can likewise be removed by a simple act of will but,

like the soldiers

of Dhumralochana, they tend to regroup again around the ego and must

be fought

against constantly.

 

The two asuras Chanda and Munda came to their rescue. Kali is

described as

emerging from between the frowning eyebrows of Devi. Furious, She

launches

into the army of the asuras head on, seizing men and animals,

throwing them

into Her mouth, crushing them with Her teeth or trampling on them.

She cuts

them into pieces with Her sword and rains blows all around Her with

Her other

weapons, all the while filling the air with the sound of Her

terrible, blood curdling

laughter. The asuras use the entire arsenal of their army against

Her. The sight of

thousands of weapons being sucked into Her mouth was like watching a

thousand suns penetrate the eye of a black cloud.

 

Finally, after a fierce battle, Kali seizes Chanda by his hair,

chops off his head

and drinks his blood. Munda is not far behind in suffering the same

fate. Ever

since, this fierce aspect of Kali has been known as Chamunda.

 

In this allegorical description of the destruction of ego, Chanda

and Munda

represent our negative tendencies which must be fought, mastered and

eliminated by sadhana (spiritual practice). The drinking of blood is

symbolic of

the freeing and transformation of emotional energy which is usually

trapped by

harmful tendencies. Chamunda Kali represents the power of

concentration and

the ability of spiritual vitality to devour the incessant murmurings

of the weak

mind and to raise it to the highest peak of Realization. The energy

of the freed

negative tendencies serves as fuel for the pursuance of sadhana

 

THE MEANING OF HER ATTRIBUTES

 

Kali is always dark, "She who devours evil has become more black

than black."

Kali represents the state where time, space and causality have

disappeared

without trace—a limitless void which has swallowed all.

 

"Just as the various colors disappear into the color black, so do

names and forms

disappear into Kali."

 

-Mahanirvana Tantra

 

But Sri Ramakrishna tells us, "You see Her as dark because you are

far from

Her. The sky seems blue. Nevertheless, viewed closely it is

colorless. In the

same way, if you come close to Kali and realize Her, you will see

She is

identical to Brahman without form. She appears black to those whose

spirit is

not yet pure, but an advanced disciple sees no color."

 

Kali is naked because all Her veils have been lifted. She is

"clothed in space"

(digambara). Her only dress is the vast, unlimited space.

 

Her thick long locks of hair are unkempt (mukta-keshi) representing

Her wild

unrestricted freedom and unceasing activity. Every strand of hair is

said to be an

individual soul, because all beings have their origin in Kali.

 

Usually Kali has four arms pointing in four directions. The

left-hand side shows

Her violent aspect: the upper hand brandishes a swirling sword which

mercilessly

destroys undesirable tendencies. The lower hand holds a head, bloody

with pride

and ignorance, ie. ego. The right-hand side is by contrast benign:

Kali is always

ready to give fully to the sincere disciple. The upper hand, holding

a mudra which

indicates the absence of fear (abhaya mudra) tells us: "Fear not, I

am your very

own," because the other, violent side of Kali is, in fact, directed

against the

enemies of the disciple's spiritual development. It represents the

divine protection

of the disciple. The lower hand of the right side confers favors,

(mudra varada)

giving the disciples all that they need, every step of the way along

their spiritual

path. The right hand points towards Shiva, the basis of Her being,

the Absolute,

the state of origin. To be one with the Absolute, this is the

ultimate favor that Kali

grants Her disciples.

 

Kali wears a necklace of human skulls which represents all the

stages of life

from birth right up to extreme old age. It is the power of time to

mercilessly

devour all beings and things, without regard for age; we can, at any

moment, be

reabsorbed helplessly into the Mistress of Time. The necklace is

called the

garland of letters (varna mala). It numbers fifty-one skulls, which

corresponds to

the number of letters in the Sanskrit alphabet and signifies the

world of names

and forms, words (shabda) and meaning (artha), which is created and

then

reabsorbed, by Kali the great Devouress.

 

Om mahàgràsàyai namaã. Salutations to She who devours all.

 

Om mahàéanànyai namaã. Salutations to She who swallows all.

 

(Names 752 & 753, Lalita Sahasranàm )

 

Kali the great Devouress, forever hungry, eats everything—Time,

demons, our

actions, our lives. At the final dissolution, She takes only one

mouthful to absorb

the entire universe which She guards within Her until the next

creation.

 

The protuberance of the tongue of Kali expresses Her amazement and

astonishment when, during the course of Her mad dance, She suddenly

saw that

She was treading on the chest of Shiva.

 

The red tongue symbolises rajas—the bursting energy and insatiable

appetite of

Kali. Through rajas She conquers and devours the tamas of the

disciple (inertia,

ignorance and negativity associated with the color black). Kali

bites Her tongue

between white teeth representing sattva, ie. control and purity.

Through sattva,

which controls rajas, Kali brings the disciple to Absolute Reality,

to Shiva, whose

color is white, who is motionless, eternal. Shiva is looking at Kali

without being

the least affected by Her play.

 

AMMA SPEAKS OF KALI

 

One evening during the world tour of 1992, Swami Paramatmananda was

giving a

satsang in English beside Amma who was sitting on Her little

platform, Her eyes

closed. The swami was telling the story of a devotee of Kali and at

one point of

the story he started to say, "Kali then became terribly angry." Amma

suddenly

interrupted and explained, "Kali never gets angry. Even if Kali

seems furious, Her

motive is born out of the most pure love and Her goal is the

purification of the

disciple. Kali never feels anger against anyone."

 

On another occasion, Amma said, "Shiva is Brahman (the Absolute

Reality). The

meaning of Kali standing on Shiva's chest is that Shakti, endowed

with the three

qualities of sattva (tranquility), rajas (activity) and tamas

(dullness) becomes calm and

peaceful by the touch of Brahman. The union of the individual and

the Absolute is what

is depicted here.

 

"Kali is symbolic of the divine principle of fierceness that kills

the ego. Similar is

the case with the other forms of God. When we yell at a cow saying,

`Go away!'

when it eats the leaves of a young coconut palm, we have the same

attitude of

fierceness. The cow will not run away if we lovingly tell it to go.

It needs a certain

show of anger. Likewise, the Mother is roaring and killing the ego

through the

manifestation of Kali. Through this understanding we can transcend

all forms. We

can become identified with that form if our resolve is strong

enough. In that state

(of being able to identify with an object), whatever we think of, we

will become,

just as vettapacha (a kind of plant) when dipped in ink turns the

same color as

the ink. If we think of a person, we will feel that we are that

person, or if we think

of a cow, we will feel that we are a cow. During the course of

sadhana, there are

stages in which we would feel so. From there, we can go to the

Attributeless

State.

 

"The sages have portrayed the gods and goddesses with different

forms, having

given each a particular meaning. Haven't you seen pictures of Kali

with the

blood-soaked head of the demon Daruka in Her hand? That demon is the

demon

of vasanas, the demon of the ego which Kali has slain. That demon is

within

each of us and must be killed. Even so, not all deities are just

products of the

sages' imagination. Some actually lived, like Krishna and Rama.

 

"Those who meditate on Mother Kali will get Her darshan quickly. Do

you know

why this is so? Our mind will easily get fixed on Her rudra bhava

(fierce aspect).

(Smiling) That is predominating in our character, isn't it? Most of

us are rajasic.

Kali's form is suitable for a rajasic mind. Once the mind gets fixed

on the form, if

the aspirant continues with the same intensity and sincerity, the

Deity will

appear before him. Concentration of mind is all-important. Once the

mind is

conquered, everything else will become easy. All forms are only for

gaining

concentration. Among those, the form of Kali is special in that the

mind will

quickly get fixed on it. But the ultimate Realization is possible

only through the

eradication of vasanas.

 

"If we worship the fierce aspect of the Divine Mother while knowing

and

understanding the essential principle behind it, there is no harm in

that. Our

attitude should be that Kali is the Absolute Pure Being, that She is

the Supreme

Power and that She is everything. Many worship Kali considering Her

only as a

fierce goddess who kills enemies, but those who worship Her in that

manner will

have the same fiery nature. Quarrels and conflicts will occur in

such houses,

which will cause harm to them who worship in that way. In fact, that

is the wrong

conception and the wrong way to worship Her. There is no harm if one

worships

while understanding the essential principle or tattwa.

 

"Among all the gods, Kali is the only one who didn't marry. Eternal

virgin, yogini

(one who is established in eternal union with Shiva, the Pure

Consciousness),

eternally celibate! (Laughing) Whom should Kali marry? Who can marry

Her?

Shouldn't there be two people in order to marry? Where is that

second person?

How could Kali's marriage happen? Kali is neither man nor woman. She

is both.

She is Pure Consciousness as well as Primordial Nature. (In a voice

filled with

Shakti) She fills both outside and inside. Kali is the compassionate

Mother of the

devotee who longs to see Her as well as the fierce Bhadrakali who

kills the ego

of the egotistical. Kali is everything. Kali is here and there, up

and down, inside

and outside, above and below... Kali!..Kali!..Kali!.."

 

The Holy Mother stood up. The call became louder and louder. At the

top of Her

voice, She called out, "KALI!" The sound was seemingly endless. It

reverberated

and echoed all around. The atmosphere shook as if the hut was going

to come

down. It seemed that each and every atom repeated, responded and

resounded

to the call, "Kali!..Kali!..Kali!.." The atmosphere was charged with

vibrant spiritual

energy. The devotees stood still. They were struck with awe. There

was pin-drop

silence. The call slowly ceased. The Mother's body became still. All

Her hairs

stood on end. Her eyes rolled back and Her breath stopped. She right

hand

displayed a mudra (gesture) and Her left hand was tightly gripped

into a fist.

There was a divine glow on Her face. A benign smile lit Her

countenance. All

eyes were fixed on Her radiant face.

 

After returning to Her normal mood, Amma continued, "Most people

want to protect

their possessions and their wealth. They believe in God, but they do

not want to lose

what they have accumulated. They want honor, status and position. In

other words,

they do not want to give up their egos. Such devotees believe that

God can help them

to prosper materially and when they are prosperous, they believe

that God will protect

their wealth. They have the faith that if God gets angry, He can

destroy their wealth and

possessions, or that He can snatch everything away. They believe

that if God gets

angry, He will invoke natural forces like storms, floods, droughts

and earthquakes to

destroy everything they have. Therefore, they worship God out of

fear. They think that

they can appease Him through prayer and offerings, and they abstain

from things which

they think will displease Him. They will perform righteous actions

and help others in

different ways. They may even build a temple or a church or an

orphanage. All this is

done to please God, so that they themselves will profit.

Nevertheless, this kind of

reverence and fear of God is good. At least, it helps people to be

good and righteous.

Though they do not want to surrender fully to God, and though they

do not want to

surrender their egos, their attachments, such people are far better

than people who

don't do any spiritual practices at all.

 

"A true devotee completely surrenders to God. He longs for God to

kill his ego.

That he will not be able to surrender to God or that God won't

destroy his ego is

a true seeker's greatest fear. Look at the fierce form of Kali. Kali

is the destroyer

of the ego. Because a true seeker wants to be free from the ego, he

will love this

aspect of the Divine Mother. Surrendering to Kali or to what She

represents, a

true devotee will happily offer his head to Her in order to add one

more bead to

Kali's garland of skulls.

 

"On the other hand, a devotee who is still attached to possessions

and wealth,

and to honor and position, will greatly fear this aspect of the

Divine. He will never

keep a picture of Her in his house or in his puja room. He's afraid

that Kali will

destroy everything that is dear to him. He thinks that She will kill

his ego and

that without his ego he cannot exist. An ordinary devotee wants to

keep his ego,

whereas a true devotee wants to die to his ego so that he can live

in

Consciousness or in pure, innocent Love. A true devotee stops

feeding the ego.

He stops listening to the intellect. He only listens to the heart.

Dying to the ego

is real death; that death makes you immortal. Death of the ego leads

you to

deathlessness. When the ego dies, you live eternally in Bliss."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

There we have it....

 

In Her Divine Love,

and in Her Service,

as ever,

your own self,

 

visvanathan

 

Om Amrtesvaryai Namah!