Chamunda or Kali (or someone else?)

[Guest guest]

Kalipadma,

 

What a nice story.

 

I doubt you'll ever see such a book. At least not an authorative one.

My feeling is that the more esoteric forms are so intimately tied to

their systems of worship and realization that the truth about them is

as secret as the divine presence in their devotee's hearts.

 

Chris

 

 

, Len Rosenberg <kalipadma108>

wrote:

>

> Many years ago, I purchased the first of many bronze

> murthies which I have worshipped and collected over

> the years. It was a statue of Parvati, and I fell in

> love at first sight. I asked the proprietor of the

> import store if I could see "that statue" (pointing at

> it). He smiled and told his assistant, "Bring me the

> Kali."

>

> Now, I had done a lot of reading about iconography,

> and I was puzzled. I said, "This statue has only two

> arms. She is not holding a weapon, nor the head of a

> demon. She is dressed in folds of cloth, not in a

> skirt of hands, and her hair is tucked up into her

> headdress, not worn long and wild. Surely this is a

> statue of Parvati. Why do you call her Kali?"

>

> The proprietor smiled again, and whispered to me, "ALL

> the goddesses are Kali!"

>

> And to a Bhakta, indeed, the form doesn't matter.

>

> (But, since I too have a strong leaning towards Jnana,

> I'd certainly love to see a book or essay which

> explains all of the myriad names and forms of the Dark

> Mother! I've read that Chamunda is portrayed as a

> withered old woman, dressed in an elephant-skin, with

> bulging eyes, a sagging bosom, and a cave-like hollow

> belly as she is forever hungry.)

>

> -- Len/ Kalipadma

>

>

> Mon, 09 May 2005 03:29:48 -0000

> "Nanda" <chandimaakijai>

> 353--Q&A WITH SWAMIJI--Chamunda Puja

>

> Question from Aravind:

> I have a poster of Chamunda. I do not perform my Kali

> Puja to it, even

> though I love it dearly, because it does not match the

> Dakshina Kali

> dhyanam. Is it OK to perform the puja to this image

> without the

> dhyanam matching, or is there a Chamunda dhyanam I

> should use instead.

> Would then the sankalpa and mula mantra for the puja

> need to change?

>

> Swamiji's response:

> It is perfectly okay to perform puja to a deity, even

> though the exact

> details of that deity do not correspond to the

> dhyanam. There is no

> need to only worship the image whose characteristics

> you are reciting.

_______

>

>

>

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