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The Goddess Kali
By Jean Dandrea
For years, I've been fascinated by the Hindu Goddess, Kali. Kali is very much misunderstood by Westerners, who see her as horrific, murderous, and a destroyer. This is far from the truth; Kali is frightening in some of her aspects, but she is a demon killer, so needs to have that appearance. She is seen by many of her devotees as the Great Mother, Kali-Ma. There are many stories associated with the birth of Kali. This is just one of them:
""She was born from the brow of the Goddess Durga during a battle with the demons, when Durga needed extra strength. Kali killed thousands of demons, before finally defeating the demon king Raktabija by drinking his blood. Drunk on this, she danced madly, endangering the world. The Gods asked her husband Shiva to stop her, and he place himself in her path. Kali did not at first notice she was dancing on her husband's body, but finally she looked down and saw him, and this stopped her dance of death.""
Kali is a transformational goddess, and is sometimes known as Kali the Destroyer. This is not because she destroys people, it is because she destroys ego. She destroys to recreate, and therefore can be seen as a nature goddess. Many of Kali’s devotees worship her in cemeteries, not because she is the Goddess of Death, but because she destroys the idea of the body, and the ego. Her devotees often see her as a kind and generous mother, which is far from how she is depicted in images. Kali wears a necklace of severed heads, and her skirt is made of dead men’s arms. She is black skinned, and her tongue is extended. Her upper pair of arms hold a sword and a severed head, while her lower pair offer sustenance, and blessings, expressing her duality. There is a temple to the Goddess Kali, in Dakshineswar, Kolkata, where she is worshipped daily. Jai Kali Ma.
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Contributor's Note
I believe the images are in the public domain, but if you know otherwise, please let me know.
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Kali is no less fearsome than the ancient God of the Christians. She has the same duality of sustainer and destroyer.
In some ways she is more human than the Christian God because she suffers from some human frailties but manages to overcome them.
I don't think Kali has ever been accused of wiping out whole tribes, destroying cities and demanding first-born sacrifices.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You're right Arthur! Kali destroys only that which needs to be destroyed.
The copyright for this content entitled "The Goddess Kali" has been specified by the contributor as:
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This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.
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May, 2012
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