Informative

Kali | The Dasa Mahavidyas

In this series of blogs, we are discussing the Dasa Mahavidyas. First of which is Kali.

Kali – The “One Beyond Time” is worshipped as the very essence of Brahman (the universe) or the supreme self. The Kalikula systems worship her as their supreme deity or Kul Devi or Isht. 

Kali is the Supreme Power and Supreme Reality at once. One of the fundamental Tantric teachings is that the Power of Consciousness and Consciousness itself are one and the same, and Kali is the Divine Personification of that teaching. 

When Sati took the form of Kali as she appeared as the Dasa Mahavidyas, she looked like this – Untied, loose hair, body complexion that of a dark cloud, her eyebrows had the shape of curved swords and her eyes were deep-set. She wore a garland of skulls and earrings made from the bones of the corpses. She also stood on a corpse. She had four hands, in one hand she held the head of a skull and a sword with blood dripping in the other. Her other two hands are in mudras depicting fearlessness and blessings. As she roared her ferocious roar, all the ten directions were filled with its sound and the entire universe was shaken. 

Kali is dark and believed to take away all the darkness of ignorance from our minds and bring in the light of wisdom. Hence she is known as the Gyaana Shakti (Energy of Wisdom). 

How to Worship Her- 

The first thing to remember while worshipping any form of the Maha Vidyas is that they are all representations of the Consciousness and the Mother Goddess. Therefore, one needs to understand the importance of awareness and being conscious and mindful as they worship. Ignorance and carelessness don’t bode well with the Supreme. Her kindness and generosity, like the Divine Mother know no limits. But neither does her wrath. Hence it is very important that you understand the worship completely and perform them accordingly. 

Here are a few points to get started – 

1. Complete devotion to her. When she sees your devotion, she will automatically call upon you. 
2. Know your role. We were all created by her for a specific role. Once you find your purpose and start following it, she will see the seriousness in your devotion. To know how to find your purpose, click here (link of finding your purpose blog)

3. Worship her only if you are ready to learn. Kali is what you call, tough love. She will keep bringing in tough lessons for you to learn from and till you don’t learn, they will keep repeating. So step in only if you are ready for it. 

4. She wants an army of fiercely compassionate individuals who are ready to let go of everything to serve their role. So just offering her garlands and food is not going to cut it. These things are just part of the worship. What she asks for is the sacrifice of things that are stopping you from stepping into the truth. So unless you are ready to let go of Maya, her Sadhana isn’t for you. 

5. Lastly but most importantly for Kali Sadhna, it’s best if you get initiated by your Guru first and follow their guidelines for the Sadhana. This way, your Guru will be there to guide you and help you with any obstacles that you may face. 

Her Mantra – 

काली महाकाली कालिके परमेश्वरी ।

 सर्वानन्दकरी देवी नारायणि नमोऽस्तुते ।।

Kali Mahakali kalike paramesvari

 Sarvanandakari Devi Narayani namostute

This Mantra is simply to appease the goddess and ask for the fulfillment of your wishes. To get the Mantra for here Sadhana, you must ask your Guru. 

Kali worship is usually performed at temples during new moon nights as the darkness lifts and light enters, and while in certain traditions an animal is sacrificed for the blood, most people just sacrifice a fruit. The sacrifice is then eaten by the devotees. 

Benefits of Kali Sadhana

People who do Kali Sadhana are blessed with Ashta Siddhis. Kali Sadhna saves the Sadhak from all illnesses, evil or negative energies, brings in professional success and growth, and makes one successful enough to fully fulfill their purpose.  

We hope this blog helped increase your understanding of Maa Kali. Below is the link for the remaining Dasa Mahavidyas. 

https://www.chamundaswamiji.com/category/das_mahavidya

Tell us what feel of the Dasa Mahavidyas in the comments section and in case of any doubts you can write to us at info@chamundaswamiji.com