Mahakali

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the goddess of time and death in Shaktism. For the form of Parvati, see Kali. For the consort of Virabhadra, see Bhadrakali.
For other uses, see Mahakali (disambiguation).
Mahakali
Mother Goddess
Goddess of Time and Death
Saraswati
AbodeManidvipa
Mantraॐ क्रीं कालिकायै नमः
oṁ krīṁ kālikāyai namaḥ


ॐ काली महाकाली कालिके परमेश्वरी सर्वानंद करे देवी नारायणी नमोस्तुते:
om Kali Mahakali Kalike Parameshwari Sarvanand kare Devi Narayani Namostute
Weapon
chakram, noose, vajra
, conch

Mahakali (

romanized: Mahākālī) is the Hindu goddess of time and death in the goddess-centric tradition of Shaktism
. She is also known as the supreme being in various Tantras and Puranas.

Similar to Kali, Mahakali is a fierce goddess associated with universal power, time, life, death, and both rebirth and liberation. She is the consort of Bhairava, the god of consciousness, the basis of reality and existence. Mahakali, in Sanskrit, is etymologically the feminised variant of Mahakala, or Great Time (which is also interpreted as Death), an epithet of the deities Narasimha and Shiva in Hinduism.

Meaning

Mahakali's origin is contained in various

yoganidra of Vishnu
.

Iconography

Mahakali is most often depicted in blue/black complexion in popular Indian art.

Her most common four armed iconographic image shows each hand carrying variously a crescent-shaped khadha,khatval

Mantras) or 50, which represents the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, Devanagari
, and wears a skirt made of demon arms.

Mahakali Yantra

Her ten headed (dashamukhi) image is known as the 10

Mahavidyas Mahakali, and in this form she is said to represent the ten Mahavidyas or "Great Wisdom (Goddess)s". She is sometimes shown sitting on a flaming grave or a rotting corpse. Her complexion is described as that of the night sky, devoid of stars. She is depicted in this form as having ten heads, thirty flaming eyes, ten arms, and ten legs but otherwise usually conforms to the four armed icon in other respects. Each of her ten hands is carrying an implement which varies in different accounts, but each of these represent the power of one of the devas, and are often the identifying weapon or ritual item of a given Deva. The implication is that Mahakali subsumes and is responsible for the powers that these deities possess and this is in line with the interpretation that Mahakali is identical with Brahman. While not displaying ten heads, an "ekamukhi" or one headed image may be displayed with ten arms, signifying the same concept: the powers of the various Gods come only through her grace
.

In either one of these images she is shown standing on the prone, inert body of Shiva. This is interpreted in various ways but the most common is that Mahakali represents

corpse in Sanskrit and the play on words is that all Sanskrit consonants are assumed to be followed by a short letter "a" unless otherwise noted. The short letter "i" represents the female power or Shakti that activates Creation. This is often the explanation for why she is standing on Shiva, who is her husband in Shaktism, and also the Supreme Godhead in Shaivism
. Another understanding is that the wild destructive Mahakali can only stop her fury in the presence of Shiva the God of Consciousness, so that the balance of life is not completely overrun over by wild nature.

Kashmir Shaivism

In Kashmir Shaivism, the highest form of Kali is Kalasankarshini, who is nirguna, formless and is often shown as a flame above the head of Guhyakali, the highest gross form of Kali. In Nepali Newar arts, both form and formless attributes of Kali are often envisioned in a single art form showing the hierarchy of goddesses in their tradition. In it, the Guhyakali image culminates in flame, with Kalasankarshini, the highest deity in the sequence, who consumes time within herself and is envisioned solely as a flame representing Para Brahman.[2] She is like a divine actress in her own universal play who assumes the form and role of Sristi Kali, Rakta Kali, Yama Kali, Samhara Kali, Mrityu Kali, Rudra Kali, Mahakaala Kali, Paramaraka Kali, Kalagnirudra Kali, Martanda Kali, Sthitinasha Kali and Mahabhairavaghorachanda Kali who is none other than Kalasankarshini Kali.[citation needed]

Literature

The Kali Sahasranama Stotra from the Kalika Kulasarvasva Tantra states that she is supreme (paramā) and indeed

Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Ātman Vidya and Brahmavidya.[3] In the Mahanirvana Tantra she is called Adya
or Primordial Kali, the origin and devourer of all things:

Because Thou devourest Kala, Thou art Kali, the original form of all things, and because Thou art the Origin of and devourest all things Thou art called the Adya Kali. Resuming after Dissolution Thine own form, dark and formless, Thou alone remainest as One ineffable and inconceivable. Though having a form, yet art Thou formless; though Thyself without beginning, multiform by the power of Maya, Thou art the Beginning of all, Creatrix, Protectress, and Destructress.[4]

The

Sumba and Nisumba
:

All this egg of Brahmā, O king, is pervaded by her, who is Mahākālī at Māhākāla, and who has the nature of the Great Destroying Goddess. She indeed is Mahāmārī at the fated time; she indeed is creation, the Unborn; she indeed the Eternal gives stability to created beings at their fated time. She indeed is Lakṣmī, bestowing prosperity on the houses of men while she abides with them; and she indeed when she is absent becomes the goddess of Fortune unto their destruction. When hymned and worshipped with flowers, and with incense, perfumes and other offerings, she bestows wealth and sons, and a mind brilliant in righteousness.[5]

— Markandeya Purana, Canto XCII

In

Danavas
, he decided to take the refuge of Mahakali:

Then the supreme Yogi, Bhagavān Viṣṇu, of immeasurable spirit began to praise with folded palms that great Bhuvaneśvarī Mahā Kāli, the giver of boons for the destruction of the Dānavas. “O Devī! I bow down to Thee O Mahāmāyā, the Creatrix and Destructrix! Thou beginningless and deathless! O auspicious Chandike! The Bestower of enjoyment and liberation I do not know Thy Saguṇa or Nirguṇa forms; how then can I know Thy glorious deeds, innumerable as they are.”[6]

— The Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 1, Chapter 9

Several other scriptures also state that Mahakali is the primordial being. Some examples of this are the

Nirguna.[9]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Harding (1993), p. 53.
  2. ^ Pal (2004), pp. 29–33.
  3. ^ Kalika Kulasarvasva [1] Kalika Sahasranama
  4. ^ Avalon (1913a), Chapter 4.
  5. ^ Pargiter (1904), Canto XCII.
  6. ^ Vijñanananda (1921), Book 1 Chapter 9.
  7. ^ Tripathi (1994), Page 173.
  8. ^ Kak (1938), [2].
  9. ^ Avalon (1913b), [3].

Works cited

  • Harding, Elizabeth Usha (1993). Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar. Nicolas-Hays.
    ISBN 0-89254-025-7
    .
  • Pal, Pratapaditya (2004). Nepal: Old Images, New Insights. India: Marg Publications.
    ISBN 978-8185026688
    .
  • The Markandeya Purana: Translated with Notes. Translated by Pargiter, Frederick Eden. India: Asiatic Society. 1904 – via Wisdomlib.org.
  • The Devi Bhagavata Purana. Translated by Vijñanananda, Swami. India: Allahabad Panini Office. 1921 – via Wisdomlib.org.
  • The Great Liberation: Mahanirvana Tantra. Translated by Avalon, Arthur. Madras: Ganesh & Co. 1913a – via Archive.org.
  • Rudra Yamala Tantra. Translated by Tripathi, Rudradev. New Delhi: Ranjan Publications. 1994 – via Archive.org.
  • Brihan Nila Tantram. Translated by Kak, Ramachandra. Kashmir: The Kashmir Mercantile Press. 1938 – via Archive.org.
  • Tantrik Texts (PDF). Translated by Avalon, Arthur. London: Luzac & Co. 1913b – via Archive.org.

Further reading

External links
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