Be victorious Goddess who destroys all passions! Be victorious, Goddess you who remove the afflictions of all beings! Be victorious, Goddess who pervades all. As the dark night of time, reverence to You. – Mahatmya, Argala Strotra – 2 Markandeya Purana

Kali is the resident of one’s heart and she is addressed as Rakt (blood) Kali as she is the pulsating of the heart. She is dark blue in color. The blue is the color of eternal time, infinite space and death. She wears a garland of skulls. The garland of skulls stands for all creatures of the world as well as our own incarnations.

The single severed head she carries represents the ego. The skull also represents her ability to free our minds She has her long tongue sticking out and is laughing. Sometimes instead of a tongue she has two fangs. She has four arms and four hands and hold a head chopper with one hand and a severed head dripping blood with the other.

The head chopper cuts off one’s ego. People who are evil, are terrified of it as they are afraid of facing death. The wise acknowledge the head chopper as the power to remove all bondage. With her two hands, she makes the mudras of bestowing boons and dispelling fear. She wears a skirt of human arms. The skirt of arm shows her power over all the organs of action.

Nature of pure being

Kali is portrayed as dancing in a cremation ground and striding on a corpse, which is the form of Shiva himself. The corpse she stands on indicates the inert nature of matter and the body apart from the life force. Lord Shiva indicates the transcendent and inactive nature of pure Being which is the origin of the life-force.

Kali has two Bija mantras. Krim, which is the power of action and Klim, which is shakti mantra, one that stimulates the divine feminine energy.

Kali’s name means beauty. The root kal from which the name comes means to count, to measure or set in motion, hence time. It also refers to what is well formed or measured out, hence beauty.

Aim Hrim Klim

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