Kali Ma Story: A Pathway to Acceptance, Detachment, and Liberation
This Kali Ma story is another good vs evil (gods vs demons) depiction that comes to us from the Vedas and Hinduism.
Kālī (pronounced kaalee) is the goddess most closely connected to "shakti" (or power) and is the consort of Lord Shiva.
She governs both creation and destruction, being both the Creator and Destroyer due to her control of time and the inevitability of death from the passing of time.
The root kāl means to count the time, black, fate, destiny, and space of time.
She assists with detachment from all things as well as letting go of attachment to false identification with the ego.
Detachment has been a strong theme in my life, especially over the last 10-15 years, so this story that I'll share resonates with my journey.
In this post:
One Kali Ma story in the Devi Mahatmayam demonstrates her power to obliterate the ego and encourage enlightenment.
There are many versions of this Kali Ma story, and many stories about how Kali Ma manifests.
This is a compilation of the stories I have heard over the years with some help from the references at the end of this post.
Kali Ma story with Raktabija
While Shiva (a god) was secluded in meditation, the wily demons (asuras) began to attack the gods (devas).
This may not be surprising because according to Vedic texts, the demons and gods have been fighting since the beginning of time.
However, on this occasion, Raktabija (Rakta = Blood, bija = Seed), a demon troubling both man and god, was especially difficult to defeat.
At some point before this battle, he had fasted, meditated, and performed other acts of penance that prompted Brahma to offer him a boon.
The boon he received was that no one could defeat him, man nor god, because anytime his blood was spilled, every single drop would transform into a clone of himself just as strong as the original.
The loving, protective mother of the Universe, Durga (some sources say Parvati), and her assistants, the Matrikas, tried to slay the demon Raktabija.
However, anytime his blood hit the ground the battlefield was overwhelmed by clones of Raktabija who were just as strong as the original.
The gods were losing this war against the demons.
When it looked like all was lost, Kali Ma popped out of Durga's brow to help slay the demons.
The black (sometimes depicted as dark blue) goddess with a "terrible countenance" manifested with a roar.
Naked except for a mala (necklace) of 50 skulls around her neck and a skirt made of severed human hands (and arms), she appeared wielding a sword and a skull-topped staff (khatvanga).
Her form was emaciated with a gaping mouth, small fangs, and her tongue lolling out.
Her eyes were deep red with rage and intoxication.
Her hair was long and disheveled indicating the creative chaos associated with Kali Ma.
Her three eyes represented her control of time; past, present, and future.
In her infinite wisdom, she realized that if she drank the blood of Raktabija before it touched the ground, she could defeat him and win the battle.
She decapitated him with her sword and drank all of his blood before it hit the earth, destroying his superpower of regenerating clones.
Once Raktabija was eliminated, Kali Ma went on a rampage slaying the clone demons on the battlefield and saving the humans and gods.
Some retellings of the story indicate that Durga and her assistants did the slashing, and Kali Ma's main job was to lap up the blood before it could touch the ground.
The original telling of the story in the Devi Mahatmya states that Kali and Durga merged back into one and the gods and goddesses worshiped their combined form for saving the Universe from Raktabija.
Some more modern tellings of the story say that her rampage became so out of control that no one knew how to contain her bloodlust and the gods and humans were afraid she would destroy the entire Universe.
You'll see depictions of Kali standing on Shiva and these modern stories suggest that Shiva stopped her bloodlust by lying on the ground before her, but some scholars believe that this particular interpretation of these pieces of art was the workings of a burgeoning patriarchal society wanting to remove some of the power of the divine feminine.
A more traditional Tantric explanation of this depiction of Kali standing with her foot on Shiva explains that Kali as Prakriti (nature) energizes Shiva (Purusha or divine consciousness) bringing him to life.
No matter which ending is used, this Kali Ma story depicts the triumph of good over evil, the separation of the ego from the divine soul, and the one-pointed focus needed to slay the chatter in the mind.
Some symbolism within the story
Kali's sword represents divine knowledge and the severed head represents the human ego which must be lopped off to obtain moksha, or liberation.
She is like the sun burning away the morning fog, allowing the destruction of the ego and peeling away the layers obscuring the eternal soul.
Kali Ma's empty hands are in mudras representing fearlessness (abhaya) and blessings (varada) indicating that she is indeed the Loving Mother.
Fearlessness and blessings are boons she gives those who worship her with a pure heart so they can slay their ego with divine knowledge.
She wields her sword on her followers to eliminate attachment and release false identification
The earrings of dead children or embryos on her ears show Kali's absolute devotion to her followers who demonstrate child-like qualities of adoration.
The arms and hands making up her skirt represent the karmas (actions) Kali has absorbed from her devotees to relieve them of those karmas so they can obtain moksha (enlightenment).
These arms and hands also represent reincarnation and the uncovering of the layers obscuring the eternal soul over multiple lifetimes.
The severing of these hands represents Kali's ability to release her followers from the binding of karma (their actions) to help them achieve enlightenment.
Even her black color is significant because just like all colors disappear into blackness, all names and forms disappear into Kali, destroying the individual ego.
The blackness of her skin also represents that she is beyond nature (prakriti) and is transcendent.
Kali Ma represents creative chaos and the principle of consciousness that emerges from this chaos and darkness.
She is normally depicted as naked which indicates she is beyond the coverings of illusion (maya).
Kali's devotees who love her unreservedly learn to accept the inevitability of death and acquire the ability to accept all circumstances in this life.
The 50 skulls around her neck represent the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, connecting Kali to sound, especially the primordial sound of "Om."
Some say her red tongue hanging out of her mouth represents the rajasic (active) nature of the mind conquered by the white teeth, the sattvic (pure) nature of the mind.
Some liken the multiplication of Raktabija clones to the fluctuations of the mind (chitta vritis).
Once we quel (or slay) one fluctuation of the mind during yoga or meditation practices, others crop up instantly, but if one is devoted to Kali Ma, those fluctuations can be lapped up by her just like Raktabija's blood.
Another view is that these drops of blood represent our desires, cravings, and attachments and Kali Ma will "drink up" these distractions for her devotees to help them overcome suffering and ultimately find liberation.
How this Kali Ma story resonates with my journey
Detachment is a lesson that has been presented in different forms for me for the past 10-15 years.
At this point, I can clearly see how my attachment to people, things, and "life looking a certain way" causes me to suffer.
The more I can let go of attachment, the less suffering I experience.
I love the idea of this Kali Ma story and the destruction of the ego that peels away the layers of the self obscuring the soul.
For me, the deeper I go inside, the less concerned I am about the external world.
This is not to say that I'm enlightened--I imagine that may happen for me in several thousand more lifetimes--but having moments of what I consider to be a connection to the divine soul helps me to make decisions more easily.
I am more able to go through doors that open easily for me and stop knocking on those doors that are securely locked.
Although, in all honesty, I still catch myself standing at those locked doors pounding to get in from time to time.
This fledgling ability to let go of attachment that I've been working with for years does not mean I never struggle, but I struggle a bit less when I have a closer connection to my divine soul.
I find myself drawn to Kali and her fierce protection of her followers.
Who doesn't want a Mama Bear's protection to help eradicate desires, attachments, and cravings while peeling away the layers of crud obscuring the divine soul?
A chant and a bija mantra (seed syllables for chanting) for Kali Ma
A chant to Kali, two lines of the Devi Mahatmya:
Sarvamangal-māngalyē śivē sarvārthasādhikē.
Śaraṇyē tryambakē Gauri nārāyaṇi namō'stu tē.
Oṃ jayantī mangala kālī bhadrakālī kapālinī .
Durgā kṣamā śivā dhātrī svāhā svadhā namō'stutē.
Kali's bija mantra (seed syllables for chanting). You can use a mala (necklace with beads) to keep track of how many times you chant this bija mantra. Recite all 3 seed syllables for each bead.
KRIM HUM HRIM (pronounced KRIM HOOM HREEM)
Kali Ma Story: A pathway to acceptance, detachment, and liberation
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Use the comment section to tell me about your connection to this Kali Ma story.
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