WELCOME TO “THE HEART OF KALI”!

                           BY AMY BELANGER

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Kali, translated from Sanskrit means “black”. She is know as one of the fiercest and most destructive goddesses. She is a frightening aspect of the supreme goddess, known as Devi. There are many descriptions of Kali, but this is one of the most popular accounts taken from everything I have read. Kali is characterized as a hideous, black faced hag smeared with blood, with bared teeth and a protruding tongue. She has four hands that each hold a different thing. One holds the severed head of a giant. Another, holds a shield for protection. Yet another holds a sword. And the last hand holds a strangling noose. If Kali is not holding these items, her arms are stretched upward in a gesture of assurance. She is always naked except for her belt made of severed hands and her necklace of skulls.(EBO,1999,pg1)
 

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Mistress of death is such a vulgar title for a feminine being. But she proved herself to be as strong or stronger than many of the other gods and goddesses. She was called upon to kill a demon named Raktavija. Killing him was how she developed her taste for blood, according to the encyclopedia article I read. The story is that Raktavija produced 1,000 more like himself every time a drop of his blood fell on the Earth. Kali got rid of Raktavija by piercing him with a spear and holding him high enough in the air so that she could drink his blood and none of it would fall on the Earth. Goats are still sacrificed to her everyday at the temples in places like Calcutta.

Kali symbolizes death and destruction, but remains the one true goddess. She is pure spirit(website,p3). It is said that she came forth from the brow of Durga during a battle to annihilate demonic male power in order to restore peace and equilibrium. Although she is presented as a horrific sight, she is seen to many as a creator and nurturer according to Ajit Mookerjee. She has been labeled as horrific and terrible in masculine biased commentaries, and she has not been properly presented to the world from he feminine viewpoint to bring out the truth of Kali’s mothering like existence(Mookerjee, 1988.p8).

 

  Kali’s main place of worship is in the cremation ground, in the dead of night, on a suitable day of the waning moon(website, p1). She has a very bad reputation in the West. It probably arose from her association with the Thuggees, also know as the thugs. They were Muslims who took on Kali as their instructing goddess. One could refer to the Thuggees as a type of cult. No one will ever know her true origin. However, she pre-dates the Thuggees by several thousands of years (website,p1).
 

 Find out more about Kali and many other goddesses!
 
 
 

The image of Kali gives the impression that she is associated with blood, often referred to as the sap of life. She constantly drinks blood and also receives blood offerings from her worshippers in order to satisfy her thirst for blood. She prefers the human victim to the sacrafice of an animal. Kinsley observes that “Kali reveals that ultimately all creatures are her children and also her food that no social role or identity can remove the individual from this sacrificial give and take” (Olson,1990.p34). Kali gives life as the divine mother, but demands a continuous flow of fresh blood inorder to maintain her creative activities(Olson,1990.p34). The deeper I get into this paper, the more scared I am of Kali. However, I am not quite sure if one should be scared of her. It seems to me that she is seen in opposite lights, one being a hideous beings that destroys, and the other being considered the Divine Mother.   More Hindu Goddesses

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The goddess Kali who is worshipped in India today has not changed much over the years. Her appearance has been altered slightly,softening to some extent. And she has gained her independence from Durga(Kinsley,1975.93). Her popularity has grown so much and she has millions of devoted worshippers. David Kinsley experienced what Kali’s power was like when he visited India in 1968. He encountered some ceremonies and certain periods of times as longs as seven days that were spent for worshipping this mighty goddess known as Kali. It is hard to believe that Kali is considered one of the most popular divine beings considering she is perceived so frightening and terrible. She called attention to the realities of pain and suffering, and also death. Later in history, whens she is rarely associated with battle, Kali has a warm voluptuous appearance. She is naked and full breasted. She is said to enjoy sexual experiences very much and has a certain aggressivenss about her (Kinsley,1975.p155). But despite her vulgarness, she is considered the Mother of all and reveals a creative presence to those who worship her.  I have learned so much about the culture of India while writing this paper. I know I have said throughout the paper that the idea of a goddess like Kali scares me, but I think that I have grown to understand her being and her power. It is an incredible power to have worshippers that believe in something so strongly. Even though I only may understand her a little better now, I’m glad that I don’t belong to that kind of a culture. However, I have deep respect for those who do. Belonging to a culture or belief is extremely important to people. Those who have certain beliefs, no matter what culture should on to them. When I think of the goddess Kali, negative things come to mind, but so do the positive aspects about her such as determination, strength, and her power to challenge anyone or anything. I wish I had qualities like that, the positive ones of course. This project brought me to a better understanding of a culture other than my own. I am grateful that I got the chance to experience that.

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Just one more interesting site dedicated to KALIKA!