Kali( kaalI )-The Black Goddess

(There is a hymn of the black goddess with the original mantra and translation in the following link http://techni-kali.blogspot.com/2008/08/dakshina-kali-dhyan-mantra.html

Wherever the Sanskrit words are in italics they can be found in the English Sanskrit Dictionary of Sir Monier Williams. They are the ‘ITRANS’ version. Refer http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/.)

We have explained earlier that praaNa (commonly known as ‘life force’) is our active soul who at one end is immutable, stationary, unchanged and is active as praaNa at the other end. Consciousness at one pole is inactive, immutable, only knowing oneness in oneness and at other end is splitting, multiplying as many. This active aspect (praaNa) is also called ‘kaala’ whose common meaning is ‘time’. In Sanskrit, the word ‘kaala’ actually signifies the control or the action that creates the events. Thus actions of ‘kaala’ or ‘praaNa’ is known as ‘inception’ or ‘creation’, ‘continuity’ or ‘presence’ and ‘termination’ or ‘annihilation’. These three actions are known as ‘sRiShti’ (creation), ‘sthiti’(continuation or existence) and ‘laya’(termination) respectively. In us, this flow or action of time (kaala) is felt as the flow of life (praaNa). In Sanskrit, for the ‘so called time’ there is a word called ‘samaya’ which means ‘sama’ (same or synchronized) + ‘ayana’(motion or orbital motion). Our normal sense of time is the sense of synchronization. We synchronize our self with the clock. We are synchronized with the sun, with the weeks, months and seasons. The control, action, that makes the sun to rise and set, that makes the seasons to cycle and is behind every event and change is ‘kaala’. This is action of consciousness. Action of consciousness means ‘knowing’ and ‘knowing’ means ‘becoming’. Any conscious action means a revelation i.e. vision or eye. So in the system of life, in the centre, we find a sun, the source of life, vision and time. The internal seat of this is our eye which is also the source of vision and time. (We discussed these to some extent in our earlier publications in ‘Scribd’.)

Vedas have addressed the universal praaNa as ‘mukhya’( ‘principal’ or ‘originating from mouth’) praaNa’. This is ‘praaNa’ who is beyond life and death. Life and death are created from praaNa or from actions of ‘kala’. The word ‘mukhya’ also means related to ‘mukha’ or mouth. The source, the space, from where the words are originating (physiologically it is the hollow or space inside the

mouth). Every split, every differentiation of praaNa is associated with a definition or word. This is ‘praj~naana’, the special form of ‘knowledge’ or ‘consciousness’ associated with that ‘word’. Upanishads have said ‘praaNa’ and ‘praj~naana’ are same. It is as if every word has given consciousness or ‘praaNa’ a shape called ‘praj~naana’. Thus Upanishads have called ‘word’ or the ‘fundamental word’ as the consort or ‘shakti’ of ‘praaNa’. This ‘fundamental word’ or this aspect of consciousness is the celebrated goddess of word called ‘vaak’ in the Vedas and Upanishads.

Thus in the Upanishads ‘praaNa’ and ‘vaak’ are the eternal conjugal pair from whose copulation every grain of the universe is created. This conjugal pair has also been termed as ‘saama’ and ‘Rik’ in the Vedas /Chandogya Upanishads.

The Vedas are also called ‘nigama’ meaning ‘going back finally’ or the ‘return journey’ to the source. Tantras are called ‘agama’ that is ‘to arrive’ or what is coming out of source. There are always two motions, toward the source and away from the source. ‘vaak’ of Vedas has been termed as ‘kaala’ in ‘tantra’.

This knowledge shared here belongs to the seers who for the benefit of the society and to maintain the quality of the society have spoken and written down their experience in the texts. This knowledge lives with them and departs with them. They used to teach this in private, in seclusion, to the near and dear ones who would accept the knowledge with faith and practice. We are discussing now because ‘knowledge’ is fast vanishing and getting extinct.

As the word Veda (veda) is connected to the word ‘vid’ meaning to know and also illumination or light (vid, video, vide, vision…), similarly the word ‘tantra’ has its roots in darkness that is ‘tama’ (darkness). Our preachers have told us that ‘tantra’ means the art of rescuing from darkness by darkness, i.e. ‘tamasa (by darkness) tamosah(from darkness) trayatey (rescues)’. Thus we worship the black goddess ‘kaalI’. ‘kaalI’ means the goddess from whom the ‘time is originating’. There is also a related word called ‘kebala’ meaning ‘only’ or ‘only One’. The word ‘kaala’ also means black. Black means where everything has got shrouded by universal Oneness, nothing else is visible, but one and only one who has overridden all the dualities.

This aspect of the goddess has been cited in the Chandogya Upanishads where the aspect of ‘bhUman’(unending, eternal) has been described. There it is stated that ‘bhUma’(‘bhUman’) is the pleasure and there is no pleasure

in anything that is less or limited or not ‘bhUma’(‘bhUman’).

In the Chandogya (Note1) it is stated as below.

“Here in ‘bhUman’ one does not see anything which is different; no duality is seen; all vision is in Oneness; here in ‘bhUman’ one does not hear anything which is different; no duality is heard; all sound is in Oneness; here in ‘bhUman’ one does not know anything which is different, no duality is known; all knowledge is in Oneness;

where duality is seen, heard and known, there it is ‘less’, ’limited’;

what is ‘bhUman’ is ‘amRita’ or eternal, there is no pleasure in what is less (‘alpa’), limited or mortal;

there is no root of ‘bhUman’, ‘it is in it’; (here there is nothing like creature, creation and creator; all in Oneness;)

‘bhUman’(eternity) is there in the up and there down; ‘bhUman’ is everything; ’me is in every direction’; ‘the soul is in every direction’; one who knows like this, the one(soul) rejoices in Oneself(in soul);all domain is within him/her; he/she roams everywhere as desired;

one who knows like this, he sees that the life is flowing out of the soul/the ONE; the hopes are rising from the soul/the One; the reminiscences are flashing from the soul/the One; the sky/the space is spreading from the soul/the One; the radiations are emanating from the soul/the One; the water flows from the soul/the One; the usher and departure both are in the soul/the One; the food /the nourishment is happening from the soul/the One and so is the ‘strength’/ the ‘force’, so is the ‘science’ or the ‘process of knowing’, so is the ‘mind sustaining the self’, so is the ‘determination’, so are the ‘mind, words, names and mantras’, so are the ‘activities’; it is the soul, it is the One who is everything! “

Thus here everything is shrouded by Oneness.

The tongue of the goddess is the organ by which She, the universal consciousness has worded herself or created the universe. Everything She creates she feels it. Every word She utters, She tastes it. This is the specialty of the tongue.

Tongue in you is the one who receives the oblation. You offer the food to the praaNa, to the agni, to the fire burning as life in you. How earnestly we offer the food. How the tongue, the jihvaa, receives the oblation, how the tongue dissolves the oblation in joy of the taste. It dissolves the duality in oneness, it assimilates. What you eat becomes your ingredient. The tongue also radiates the words. The soul, your core, splits as words. There is only One soul everywhere, in everything. He splits by words, and everything is His word. Here is the god ‘jihvaa’(meaning tongue in Sanskrit)or the god ‘Jehovah’. The word ‘jihvaa’ is from the root ‘hu’ meaning ‘to sacrifice’, ‘to offer oblation’, ’to eat’, ‘to sprinkle’.

Every organ has two roles, sensory and functional. For example:

(i) eye(vision)---sensory, leg(motion)---functional;

(ii) ear ---sensory(listening to words, feeling; feeling means to become same as what is felt; );

tongue---functional(uttering the words, creating);

(iii) lips---sensory, hands---functional;

(iv) taste or tongue--- sensory(assimilating in oneness); genitals---functional(splitting into many-reproduction, creation);

(v) smell----sensory, anus----functional.

Thus tongue is in the category of both functional and sensory roles.

jihvhaa is the seat of nectar, elixir, source of all the juices those can effuse. Thus jihvhaa is also called ‘rasanaa’ connected with the word meaning ‘rasa’ or nectar.

There are seven tongues of the goddess ‘kaalI’(also known as the tongues of ‘agni’(fire) as stated in the Upanishads.(Note2) They are:‘kaalI, karalI, monojaba, sulohita, sudhrumra varNa, sphulingini, vishvaruchi.

(1)kalI----The word kalI is also related to the word ‘kebala’ meaning ‘only one’ . This is the first sacrifice, the first oblation. Upanishads have said that at the beginning there was only the Truth (positivity, light) and also have said in the beginning there was ‘nothing’, ‘death’ or negativity(the Creator exclaimed ‘nanya

kinchamIShat’----‘there is no one else’!). This is probably the most intense light, this is probably the most intense darkness! In the beginning of time there is Oneness.

(2)karalI—the gaping void! There is void in the process of creation. Two different entity means there is a void between them. Without void no multiplication happens. There is void in the plane of time as well as in the plane of space. There is void between two minds, so we do not get mixed with each other. There is void between two galaxies, we see the expanding universe. It’s the Energy that maintains the differentiation. Upanishads have said that the element of space is the ‘word’. (shabda--- tattva, akaasha----tanmatraa.) It is the ‘vaak’, the Goddess of word who has kept two entities, two ‘formed words’ separate. Thus the creation is realized, otherwise it won’t be stable.

(3)manojava---mano(than mind) +java(faster)—who travels before mind, before any materialization. This is why, one name of ‘agni’ or fire or ‘praaNa’ is ‘purohita’(puro=before + hita=existing) meaning priest or who exists prior to everything.

(4)sulohita-----su(well)+ lohita(reddened)

lohita= red; rohita = red, blood; lOuha =iron; lih= to lick; lehana = act of licking; lola = tongue, penis, fickle or changeable(time);

(It may be noted that the blood, hemoglobin contains iron and also saliva contains blood group substances and Lactoferrin which is an iron binding protein.)

‘sulohita’ means who becomes red in the most elegant way. Red is the longest wave in the visible spectrum, the furthest from the source, the ingredient of final formation. By red, by iron, by blood She builds the structures.

sudhrUmravarna---su(well) + dhUmra(smoke) + varNa(complexion)----the complexion that shields the fire/the source/the origin; always in the transitions between the shapes and shapeless.

sphulingini------sparkling(note the ‘sparkling’ firework played during Deepavali or Kalipuja);the universe, the creation is effusing as sparks;

vishvaruchi-----everything is to Her taste; who likes everything, every one; vishva=universe, universal; ruchi=taste, light, liking.

This universe in its external form is vast and inert, extremely awesome; we tend to lose our existence looking at its vastness. Internally it is full of love, unpledged, unconditional love of oneness! Here in ‘bhUman’, in eternal Consciousness everything is naked. Nothing covered. Everything is known, everything is felt to its full, everything is seen from its origin to the destination, it is the spontaneous plane of omniscience. Here all the memory comes back; one identifies oneself with the universal soul.

The external universe is externally extremely noisy and full of inertness. If you see around its all seems to be dead; ours is a lonely planet. It is noisy too. The noise of anxieties and agonies are always tormenting us.

Thus Her face is grim ( karAla-badanAm) and at the same time bearing the smile of love; the tongue is out like a spreading flame. Her abode is full of thunderous sound and splendid power(ghorarabAm mahA-roudrim ).Her abode is the ‘shmashaana’ (sashAnAlaya-bAshinim), the cremation ground, where everybody lies dead with Her, in oneness with Her, where all mortality burns in the fire of consciousness, praaNa, praNaagni(praaNa +agni-fire). So many worlds She has created, so many worlds She has annihilated! So many seed worlds are sleeping in Her waiting to be born! This universe is only giving us the feeling as if nobody else is living here except ourselves. Apparently we are the only living, animated beings. Thus all the sounds we are listening, all the feelings we are getting are inert! Or they are less lively; they are ending, terminating. Thus her two ear rings are made of two dreadful corpses, the dead sounds, the dead words. Her hairs are neither plaited nor with knots. Her hairs are free flowing (mukto-keshi) along her right-side shoulder (danturam dakshina-byapi lambomAn kaccho-choyAam )! There is no confinement, no knot here by fixed instincts.Here it is free instincts! Here you can become a tree or a bird as you like! She is holding a curved sword (khaDga) in her hand and other strange weapons (khaTTaa~Nga). These are weapons which ‘khaT’ or cut everything. She is dissecting herself, splitting herself out of unbounded joy! Thus she is wearing the garland of bleeding heads (universes) around her neck (munda-mAlA bibhushitAm) which are the universes from which the vibrations of creation are gushing out. Her one hand is holding a freshly cut head ( sadya-chinna shira )! Every creation is nascent in Her, every moment is just created,

nothing is really worn out, every moment is fresh and new. The blood is oozing out from the two corners of her mouth (srikkadaya galadrakta-dhArA ). Blood, called ‘rakta’ means ‘red’ as well as ‘affection’ (raga). The blood flowing in you is out of the love from consciousness. She, the universal consciousness tastes what she is becoming; she is assimilating in her all the duality, all of us are returning to the source. The tongue dissolves the foods with saliva with immense satisfaction of taste. We are dissolving in the Oneness. She is standing on Siva displaying Her tongue, the universal soul whose self is also our ‘selves’. Whatever She does, She does standing on Her unchanged, immutable form, called Siva (shaba-rupa mahA-deva hridayo-pari sangsthitAm). They are complimentary to each other, the black goddess and the white Shiva.

She is surrounded by the jackals (shibArbi-ghora rAbArvi chatur-drikkhu samanitwAm ) who utter the yelp during the sunrise and sunset, during the activation and inactivation of time or ‘kaala’, during the joining period of the day and night, life and death. Here, in this aspect of consciousness, existence has become of less prominence by the dominance of the sense of creation and annihilation! These jackals are very noisy and vocal, cunning, and monogamous animals. They mate for the life, mating is between One and One! They are very vocal during mating! They steal away the foods and preys with unthinkable skill and audacity like the time who steals our moments of joy or sorrow, moments of life (or death) with skill beyond our perception! The face of the jackals are very prominent, they are quite pointed. The face seems to be like pointed words or an arrow. We hurl words, pointing at some one. Words points at something, i.e. directed. We have mentioned (see below) that all the shapes or shapes of words are created from the directions. As you are inclined, as your praaNa is inclined so are your words. Vedas /Upanishads have told, ‘praNava dhanu’(the fundamental word OM—oMkaara is beyond all the words is the bow), ‘sharo hi aatmaa’(self or the word uttered is the arrow). When you utter a word, you throw yourself, your soul splits and reveals as that word. Jackals are called ‘shiva’, ‘shRigaala’, ‘sRigaala’ and also ‘shRikaala’. The Sanskrit alphabet ‘sa’ is the dental ‘sa’ and the alphabet ‘sha’ is the palatal ‘sha’. When a word is under final moderation just before the final phase of creation (i.e. through teeth) it is dental ‘sa’, but before that when it is being regulated at an upper level it is ‘sha’, i.e. palatal ‘sha’. The word ‘gaala’ means something produced with throat or the articulated word. The word ‘gala’ means neck or throat and also reed. The word ‘kaala’ means time. Thus the jackals are conveying, carrying the

mysteries of ‘kaala’(time) and ‘vaaka’(the goddess of words).Animals are called ‘vaahana’, i.e. they are the carriers (vehicles, conveyors) of the divinity.(I am not sure if this knowledge has any connection with ‘Anubis’ of Egypt).Her free flowing hairs are spread over her right shoulder along the right side of her body (danturam dakshina-byapi lambomAn kaccho-choyAam). Right, the south belongs to “dakShiNaagni”( dakShiNa agni—the fire on the southern side). In our earlier publication (Agni) we have explained that south is that inclination of praaNa by which the event and happenings of our lives, our destiny and destination after the life and rebirth are determined.

Her mouth is gaping (karAla-badanAm), the whole universe is inside, in the her sky, in her inner sky, in the hollow of Her mouth! She is dense (ghorAm), dense with oneness. Her teeth are fierce (ghora-drashtAm), her face is grim (kara-lAsyAm) but still displaying the smile(hasan-mukhim) and pleasure(sukha-prassanna-badanAm smerAnana..)! Have you ever seen such contrast?

The teeth bite the hardness of the foods to make them dissolve in saliva. The teeth bite the inert to arouse the sense of consciousness. Her complexion is that of a great radiant cloud. The word ‘cloud’ is ‘megha’ in Sanskrit and originating from a root word ‘migh’ meaning to sprinkle. Thus cloud complexioned (mahA-megha-prabhAm) means that She is sprinkling, raining the time (kaala), direction (dik) and space (desha). The time, events, universes are raining from Her!

Her dresses are the directions (dik), i.e. it is not covered by the shapes, it is uncovered, naked (digambarim); ‘sarvey disha sarvey praaNa’----all directions are the inclinations of praaNa, inclinations of the active Consciousness. Her unbounded, unabated flow of actions, ‘knowing’, flowing of consciousness is defining Her dress! All shapes and dimensions, all definitions are held in directions, in the vectors. If I know the mysteries of direction and I say flower, the entire space of flower, I mean flower of all varieties, in all possible terms of existence, across the time and space is held in this direction of ‘flower’. Thus She is not bound by any definition.A cover around Her waist is made by dangling severed hands of corpses raising clapping sound while striking with each other (shabanAm karasanghAtayi krita-kAnchim) i.e. made by all the forms of touch of duality! Her one leg is forward on

the Shiva’s chest indicating the creation and the other leg backward indicating the inward amalgamation! Her three eyes are (bAlArka mandalA-kAra lochana tri tayAnitwam) like the three suns rising in the dawn. They are the three dimensions of time, the three motions of kala or praaNa, the three steps of viShnu (the divine praaNa). Time is always here early, the sun is always here as if in dawn, that’s why Her consort Shiva known also as mahaakaala (the great time or endless time) is described as ‘shishu’ or infant (where time is always in early stage) in the texts. In the origin, the time is always in the early stage. Her vision, her time, is radiating from three centres. The solar sphere (sUrya-maNDala), the lunar sphere (soma maNDala), the ignescent/terrestrial sphere (fiery sphere---agni mandala,). Meaning of the sun, moon and fire is not limited to the two luminous spheres in the sky and the fire. The solar sphere is known to have twelve phases(dvaadasha kalaa). kalaa means phase and etymologically means the ‘akara’(shape) of ‘kaala’(time).The sun who is illuminated by self, is the self-revealing self, is the centre of vision and time. Your life is centred around your vision. Your whole perception, your all the feelings are flagrant in your eyes. The eyes and the sun are same centres, absolutely same. This is why the being in the eye is called ‘indha’(meaning who is flagrant, who is ignescent) and also ‘indra’ (meaning who is looking; indang(it) + dra(seer)= seeing everything). There are several quotes in the texts about these two centres (the sun and the eye) in the macro and micro, some references of them are given in the Note4 at the end of this article.

The sun, the soul, the aaditya, who is the son of ‘aditi’ (the goddess without ‘duality’) is seeing or radiating the time. It is raining in the sky as the years, seasons, months, weeks, days and nights, hours, moments…. In Sanskrit, the work ‘IkShaNa’ means ‘seeing’ and also ‘action of time’.

In Chandogya it has been stated, ‘asou va aaditya devamadhu’(that sun is the honey of all the gods), tasya doureva tIrachIna vaMsha(the divinity is his bent or curved stream of genealogy). The time streaming out with curvature. This is constituting the genealogy, the step by step progression (and regression) of the creation.This is the divine fire, ‘aahavanIya agni’.

The moon is the centre of assimilation. Whatever is being created that is being tasted, assimilated! This is as if the creator is embracing in earnest whatever is created! This

process of assimilation is the centre of progression and regression of creation. Here our development and destiny are determined. Thus this is the place of cooking, tasting and assimilation too. In the texts this is also referred as the ‘fire that digests’.This is ‘dakShiNa agni’.

The terrestrial fire, the fire inside the earth, is also the life burning inside the body. As every physical shape is a terrestrial shape, similarly every articulated word, word aired is the terrestrial word, word caught in gravity, physical word. There is fire inside the word, living, burning life worded; thus in the several places of the texts word and fire are identified as same, fire and earth are identified as same, word and earth are identified as the same(Note3). This is the electricity earthed. When it strikes earth it burns as the terrestrial fire.This is physicality. This is ‘gRihapati agni’, the fire predominating over the physicality.

aahavanIya, the divine fire is behind all revelation. Thus this belongs to the guru. (gu ---gupta—hidden; ru—rUpa, revelation).

dakShiNa agni, the lunar fire is behind the processing of all those are created. Thus evolution happens through the realm of this fire. Thus this belongs to the mother.

gRihapati (meaning lord of the house) is the fire through which a current state is cast or as you are cast and held now. This is the presence or existence. This is the terrestrial fire, belong to father, genealogy.

These three fires, revelation aspects, are Her three eyes.

She is in reverse congress with Him(mahAkAlena cha samam biparita-ratAturam) . Everything is past here, everything is already done here, and everything is already accomplished.

Note1. Refer Chandogya Upanishad, 7th Chapter, chapter 23, 24,25,26.

Note2: Hymns from Mundak Upanishad (First Mundaka(head)

/Chapter, second part, fourth hymn.)

‘kaalI karalI cha monojaba cha, sulohita jaa cha sudhrumra varNa, sphulinginI, vishwaruchI cha devI, lelaymanaa (like a flickering flame)

iti sapta(seven) jihvaa(tongues)’.

Note3

Refer Vrihadaranyaka Upanishad,1st Chapter,5th Brahmin(5th Part)11th hymn---tasai vacho prithivI sharIramjyoti rupam ayam agni----the body of the word is the earth and fire is the word’s radiance.

Refer Chandogya Upanishad, 1st Chapter, 3rd part, 7th Hymn---‘prthivI tham’(earth is the end point or the state of stability)…..’agni tham’ (agni or fire is the end point or the state of stability;)

Refer Chandogya Upanishad, 2nd Chapter, 17th part, 1st Hymn---‘prthivI hinkaroh’(earth is the hinkar or the state that confirms); refer Chandogya Upanishad, 2nd Chapter, 20th part, 1st Hymn---‘agni hinkaroh’ (agni or fire is the hinkar or the state that confirms).

Refer Chandogya Upanishad, 3rd Chapter, 18th part, 3rd Hymn---‘vageba bhramhana chaturtha pada sa angina jyotisha vati(‘vaak’ the word is the 4th state of the absolute and is expressed by the ‘fire’)

Note4Refer Refer Vrihadaranyaka Upanishad,3rdst Chapter,9th Brahmin(5th Part)20th hymn----‘kim devato asyam prachyam dishi asi?(which deity is related to the east direction?);aaditya devata(the deity who is ‘aaditya’ or the sun;); sah aadityah kasmin pratisthitah?(where the sun has its foundation?); chakhurIti(in the eye).

Refer Chandogya Upanishad, 13th Chapter, 23rd part, 1st Hymn------‘tasya ba aetasya hridaysya pancha devah sushoyoh;(there are five divine doors/tunnels connected to the heart;)sah yah asya praak suhoyoh sah pranah, tat chakhu, sa aaditya(the tunnel that is in the eastern direction it leads to ‘praaNa’, it leads to the ‘eye’, it leads to the ‘sun’.(There are many more hymns in the Vedas and Upanishads.)

{This article is written from the teachings received from the Seers Shri. Bijoykrishna Chattopadhaya (1875-1945) and his principle disciple Shri Tridibnath Bandopadhaya(1923-1994). This article was earlier published in Scribd.------Debkumar Lahiri.}

(you may write to the author at dkldk@rediffmail.com or debkumar.lahiri@gmail.com for any comments or query)