Kali: Goddess Of Death, Time And Sexuality +11 Facts

Meet with us Kali, the Hindu Goddess of Death, Time and Sexuality. Discover her origin and legends that accompany her.

Goddess Kali

Kali Goddess of death in Hindu. She is sometimes considered a strong mother-like figure and some say she symbolizes motherly love. But she is better known as the goddess of death and time. She is often associated with violence and sexuality. She is the reincarnation of Shiva’s wife Parvati. The goddess also embodies Shakti, the Hindu word for female energy, fertility and creativity.

Origins

The name Kali is derived from Sanskrit. It means “she who is black” or “she who is death”. She has several other names, including Kaushika, Chaturbhuja Kali, and Chinnamasta. She is appealing to both gods and mortals. As the embodiment of time, Kali devours all things. She is traditionally worshipped throughout India, but especially in South India, Kashmir, Assam and Bengal. She is one of the most recognized Hindu goddesses today and one of the few to whom blood sacrifices are still made.

Legends and Stories

Kali is one of the most well-known Hindu goddesses, especially for her immense power and responsibility. Here are two myths that show just how powerful the deity is.

The birth of Kali

There are a few different versions telling how Kali came to be. The first version involves Durga, the warrior goddess with ten arms, each of which carries a type of weapon. She rode a lion into battle and fought the buffalo demon, Mahishasure. Durga’s fury grew and out of her anger, Kali was formed. Kali immediately ate all the demons around her and decapitated their heads, threading them on a chain she wore around her neck.

No one was able to stop Kali’s attacks. One day, Shiva lay down on a road to stop Kali. She immediately calmed down when she realized who she was standing on. Another version says that Kali appeared when Parvati, Shiva’s wife, lost her skin. Her skin was transformed into Kali and explains why her skin is so dark. The dark color of her skin symbolizes the eternal darkness associated with destruction.

The final version says that Daruka was terrorizing both mortals and gods. He can only be killed by a woman. The gods asked Parvati to take care of the demon. She jumped down Shiva’s throat to retrieve a poison she had ingested years before. When she met the poison, she transformed into Kali. She jumped down Shiva’s throat and quickly eliminated Daruka.

Raktabija

There is another story about the origins of Kali. There was a terrible demon named Raktabija. He terrorized mortals and gods alike. To make matters worse, every time a drop of his blood hit the ground, a new demon would appear. So when someone tried to attack the demon, more demons would appear. The gods decided they needed to work together and come up with a plan.

They combined all their divine energy in an effort to produce a super being capable of destroying the demon once and for all. The result was Kali. He quickly sought out Raktabija, along with his demon army, and swallowed the entire army. This prevented the blood from hitting the ground. She defeated Raktabija by cutting off his head with her sword and then drinking his blood to ensure that no more demons entered the world.

Band of Thieves

If Kali was angry, she was always quick to seek revenge. A group of thieves wished to make a human sacrifice to the god, but they unwisely chose a monk. They dragged him to the nearest temple where they prepared to make the sacrifice in front of the statue of Kali when it suddenly came to life. She was furious that the thieves planned to sacrifice a monk and sought revenge by beheading all the thieves. The monk was able to escape and Kali spent the rest of the day shaking the decapitated heads for fun.

Family

Kali is the consort of Shiva. She is the dynamic aspect of the duo while Shiva is the silent aspect. Together, they fulfill the highest Supreme. They balance each other’s powers. It is said that if you look at the gods with human eyes, you will see them as separate beings. But if you look at them with your inner eye, you will see that they are really one force.

Appearance

In artistic depictions, Kali is usually portrayed with black or blue skin. She is usually nude, except for a painted clay crown. She has multiple arms and the number varies. Some pictures show her with as few as four arms, while others show her with as many as 18 arms. Each arm usually has something in its hand. These objects include a dagger, a cup, a chakra, a whip, a bell, a sword, a trident, a drum, a lotus bud and a shield.

Kali usually appears seated cross-legged. She is usually eight feet tall. Her poses vary, however. In some depictions, she is shown slaying demons. Sometimes she stands with one foot on Shiva while holding a severed head. His expression is terrifying and his tongue hangs out of his mouth dripping blood. In these scenarios, he is shown wearing a skirt of severed human arms, earrings of dead children and a necklace of decapitated heads.

Symbology of Kali Goddess of death

There are many themes surrounding Kali, including change, hope, courage, rebirth, joy and cleansing. There are also many symbols associated with the goddess, including swords, honey, flowers and dance. Her multiple arms are also symbolic. When shown with four arms, she is said to symbolize the full circle of life, both creation and destruction, along with everything in between.

Her right hands represent her creative side while her left hands are usually shown holding a sword covered in blood or a decapitated head to represent her destructive side. The sword is said to represent knowledge and by using it, she cuts away ignorance and opens the gates of freedom. Kali also has three eyes, which are said to represent the sun, moon and fire. With these elements, she is able to observe all modes of time, including past, present and future.