The Book of Kali

Seema Mohanty
U one of the least conventional deities and yet immensely po-
one of the most powerful figures in the Hindu pantheon is the goddess Kali, who essentially represents
the dark and opposing aspects of the cosmos. Its naked form and associates-
With violence, blood, and gore, they challenge the very concept of divinity.
Despite everything, for centuries, it has represented a whole range of images with-
conflicted, from that of a bloodthirsty ogress to that of a benevolent goddess. Thus
that today, while she is revered as Chamunda, the ray of the macabre and grotesque,
she is also worshipped in domestic shrines in one of her most peaceful forms,
Dakshina-Kali.
It is this evolution of Kali, from her origins as a tantric goddess to-
his metamorphosis into a divinity of the main religious currents, which
Seema Mohanty brilliantly captures in this book. Relying on a variety
from sources, tales from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras and
Agamas, folklore and movies, has managed to portray in fascinating detail the
myriad of manifestations of the enigmatic deity that is Kali.
Seema Mohanty is a freelance writer based in Bombay. She has
this book is written based on the lectures and writings of his brother, Dr.
Devdutt Pattanaik, the well-known mythologist.
 ‘Hrim, destroyer of time!
Srim, personification of terror!
Krim, giver of blessings!
Mother of Time...
Destroyer of fear, sin, pride...
Dissipator of suffering.

Adya Kali Stotra

(Sixteenth century)
The Book of Kali
Seema Mohanty
 Introductionó

S a wide language the difference from the other goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. Their
nakedness, her loose hair, her association with blood and gore and her sexuali-
unleashed gods challenge conventional ideas of divinity. So much so that for
the uninformed eye of Kali looks less like a divine manifestation and more like a
bloodthirsty ogress, a master of the Thugs and sorcerers.
In the quest to understand Kali, it is essential to appreciate the Hindu concept.
of the divine. Hindus visualize the divine in various forms, human, animal,
vegetal and mineral. Each form, with its respective narrative and rituals, serves to in-
facing the understanding of the unmanifest divinity. The worshippers of Shiva and
Vishnu, the two most popular male manifestations of the divine believe that
the masculine form of the divine represents spiritual reality, while the
the feminine form symbolizes material reality. The worshippers of the goddess, without
embargo, they associate both the material and the spiritual reality with the feminine form
nina. For them, Kali is the Goddess or Devi (the feminine divinity, the manifestation
supreme divine) and goddess (one of the various incarnations of the Devi). As
'Goddess,' Kali personifies the spiritual and material reality, the totality of nature.
she, since she creates, maintains, and destroys the world. As a 'goddess,' she only represents
that aspect of material reality that is wild and untamed, and complements
Gauri, the radiant and affable goddess who represents the manifestation of nature
domesticated and subdued.
The cult of the Goddess in India is as ancient as civilization itself,
and has its roots in the belief that the earth is a living being that nourishes
all animated objects. The most widely accepted theory states that
when the nomadic Aryan herders were assimilated by the settlements of
the agricultural communities of the Indian subcontinent almost 4000 years ago, the deity-
dominant masculine vedic ones and sky contemplators mixed with
the dominant local Dravidian female deities and earthly ones (some
they can say pre-Aryan tantrics). From this fusion arose the goddesses of India
that populate not only the Hindu pantheon but also Jain and Buddhist mythology.
It is difficult to trace the history of the cult of Kali in India. Even before
the name Kali first appeared documented in writings, there was
references to a goddess (and she-devil) that allude to Kali. For example, in the Rig
 The stories where Kali manifests as the ultimate defender establish
clearly the supremacy of the Devi, especially Kali, over other gods,
including Vishnu and Shiva. Narratives of this type became more fre-
counts from the third century to the thirteenth when the devotion to the personal god began
the dominant form of religious expression returned. Worshippers of different
deities tried to project their god as greater than other forms. The worshipped-
Vishnu's gods made this and his incarnations the most powerful manifestations.
roses of the divine, while the worshippers of Shiva preferred Shiva or his
son, Skanda, in the role of supreme defender of the cosmos. In the scriptures of the
worshipers of the goddess, Durga, in her manifestations, including Kali, emerged
like the final liberator on the battlefield.
Traditionally, the responsibility for maintaining order resided in
Vishnu who descended to Earth as Rama or Krishna to restore the
social stability. In the following story, told in one of the less known
Upa-Puranas from Bengal, it is said that Krishna is none other than Kali, while
Shiva lying at the feet of Kali becomes Radha. The narrative links the
dark complexion of the goddess (Kali) of a narrative with the dark complexion of the god (Krishna)
of another and reverses the sexual relationship with their lighter-skinned counterparts (Shi-
va/Radha). This narrative clearly aims to harmonize the relationship between the ri-
Tantric rituals performed by Kali and the rites observed by Krishna in the tradition
Vaishnava faction, which competed for social dominance in the seventeenth century in
Bengal.

The gods begged Kali to free the world from the demon kings.
cos. She agrees to incarnate as Krishna. Shiva prays to Kali and she gives him
permission to incarnate on earth as Radha. Shiva has always been
before the feet of Kali, but when he becomes Radha, he sits in-
Krishna/Kali on top while making love. So what happens is that
he who is at the bottom enjoys the sexual relationship being on top,
but only after acquiring the body of a woman. While she
what is high enjoys the sexual relationship being down, but only
after acquiring the body of a man.
The bloodlust of the goddess
In the Bhagavata Purana, the earth takes the form of a cow and complains to Vishnu.
its celestial guardian, that the kings who were supposed to protect it are plundering its resources.
Vishnu promises to destroy all who afflict the cow-earth. He appears as a cow.
other forms, including Parashurama, Rama, and Krishna, and kills the unjust kings
When they fall, their blood feeds the hungry earth, the earth-goddess,
as a blood drinker, takes the form of a lion, the vehicle of Kali. The his-
story of Rakta-bijaDevi Bhagavatam, count again before, it also links to
Kali with a thirst for blood.
Most classic narratives suggest the idea that the earth gives
life only when the Devi is fed with death, therefore, with blood. In
In popular narratives, the idea is expressed more explicitly, as in the myth-
north Tamil Nadu, where Draupadi from the Mahabharata is worshipped as
the goddess Vira-Panchali, a form of Maha-Kali. Local tradition informs us of
the fury of Draupadi when she was publicly stripped by the Kauravas while her
five husbands, the Pandavas, watched helplessly as it transformed into the
terrifying goddess, Vira-Panchali. With the help of Krishna, the benefactor of the
The Pandavas not only ensure the defeat of the Kauravas, but they also cleanse themselves.
the hair with its blood. The following story is part of the folklore of the Mahabharata
told again at the Vira-Panchali festivals in parts of Tamil Nadu and
Andhra Pradesh.

The Pandavas lost by betting their kingdom against their cousins, the Kauravas.
to the game of dice. In an attempt to reclaim the kingdom, the Pandavas
they bet on themselves, but they lost. Finally, desperate to recover
to wager their kingdom and their freedom, the Pandavas staked their common wife,
Draupadi. They also lost her. The Kauravas dragged Draupadi by
the hair to the cut and they started to strip her in public to proclaim
his absolute power over the Pandavas. The cries of Draupadi asking
help was ignored. Defenseless, she cried out to Krishna, who protected her honor.
replacing each dress that the Kauravas took from her with a new one. To
realizing that God was on Draupadi's side, the Kauravas said
they agreed to return the Pandavas their kingdom, but only after a period
during the thirteen years in which they and their common wife would have to
to live exiled in the jungle. The Pandavas accepted this offer. However,
 Go, before they headed to the jungle, Draupadi made an oath: she
I would leave my hair down until I had the blood of the Kauravas for the-
loose, the bones to comb it and the entrails of the Kauravas to tie it.
During the years of exile, the Pandavas wondered why none of
they could sexually satisfy Draupadi. Krishna informed them that she
she was not an ordinary woman; she was the same Devi, the embodiment of Nature-
Al stripping her, the Kauravas had made her lose her maternal form.
domesticated and reclaim its wild and bloodthirsty form. To conven-
Krishna suggested to them to observe Draupadi at night. Effectively-
Again, at midnight, the time when everyone is supposed to be sleeping,
Draupadi crawled silently into the forest where she transformed.
in a dark goddess, naked and with a fierce appearance, with fangs and eyes in-
shot into blood. She ran naked, hunting wild buffaloes and elephants,
skinning them alive and drinking their blood. When he felt that his husbands
they had discovered her secret, she fell into rage. She ran after them, determined to
eat them. It was successful, but when he grabbed them, his sharp claws tore apart
ran on his skin and made them bleed. When the blood of the five Pandavas touched
the ground transformed into five children. The children's screams diverted
the attention of Draupadi. She forgot her thirst for blood and satisfied her instincts
maternal. Thirteen years later, when the Kauravas refused to return
to see the Pandava kingdom as promised, a great war broke out in the hollow
nurses of Kurukshetra where they were defeated and killed. The Pandavas
they were able to provide Draupadi with the blood, bones, and entrails that she n-
she needed to tie her hair and become the adorable queen once again.

The folklore of the Mahabharata among the Tamils has another story where me-
in front of the blood offering to Kali, the Pandavas ensured their victory in the
battle.

Krishna told the Pandavas that only the perfect human sacrifice com-
It would please Kali enough to assure them victory in battle.
There were three men in the Pandava camp who were suitable as
victims: Krishna, Arjuna, and Aravan the son of Arjuna. The Pandavas were
reluctant to sacrifice Krishna, their mentor or Arjuna, their chief archer. Ara-
They agreed to be sacrificed, but only if they experienced marital pleasure.
 a man condemned to die within a day. So Krishna took the
the form of a woman, the sorceress Mohini, who married Aravan,
spending a night with him and lamenting like a widow at dawn how-
was sacrificed to Kali.

As Kali was assimilated by the dominant religion, she became more

'just.' He did not accept the sacrifice of innocents as he informs us in the following
the historyBhagavata Purana.

The leader of a band of thieves was told that he would have a son if he sacrificed...
Kali went to a young Brahmin who had no defects in his body.
thieves roamed the countryside and found the young man. His name was
Bharata, a devotee of Vishnu-Narayana, who was so absorbed in his...
vocation that never spoke and did his duties in silence. The thieves him
they found him while he was tending to his father's fields. They kidnapped him,
they gave him a bath and a good meal. Then they covered him with turmeric and
vermilion, they took him before the image of Kali. When the priest was
prepared to sacrifice Bharata, something amazing happened. The body of
Bharata began to shine with a spiritual brightness. This brightness was
too much for Kali to bear. She emerged from her idol and began to
devour the thieves who tried to offer him this boy. After
quench your thirst with the blood of the thieves blessed Bharata and disappeared.

The preferred sacrifice was the offering of one's own child. In many carved images
In the temples of Kali, one sees devotees offering their own heads to the
goddess as a sign of utmost devotion. According to folklore, the poet Kalidasa, whose
the name means 'servant of Kali,' acquired his talent after offering his head
behold the goddess Kali.

Kalidasa was a simpleton whose wife could not tolerate him. Determined to...
To drown her affection, I invoke Kali offering her own head (or tongue)
as a sacrifice. The goddess was very pleased to have Kalidasa back.
life. Then it swallowed it whole and vomited it out. Upon entering the body of the
Goddess, Kalidasa emerged clean of all stupidity. He emerged as a poet.
talented. He just reborn from the mouth of Kali started to compose an anthem
 Mother, from the feet upwards, began to describe her from the head downwards.
This act of irreverence angered Kali, who declared that Kalidasa should die.
hands of a woman.

Taming the goddess

When Kali consumes blood, she becomes crazed by her thirst. She turns wild and
randomly kills. When this happens, the gods turn to Shiva and ask him
that it calms down. Because, only in its calm form can it be a mother. According to a tradi-
In the foundation of a Tamil Temple, this is how Shiva responds:

After defeating the demons and drinking their blood, Kali cannot
to contain his fury. He continues killing and destroying everything in his path.
The stability of the three worlds is in danger. So the gods together
with Brahma and Vishnu ask Shiva to stop it. Shiva blocks the march
from Kali and challenges her to a dance competition. 'If you can surpass me
dancing, you can also chop off the head,' he said. Kali accepted the challenge and
he redirected his war fury back to dance. The gods saw how
Shiva and Kali danced. The earth trembled when they stomped with their feet.
The sun and the moon hid behind the hills when the divine couple
he moved his hands. The dance continued for eons. Both dancers were
equalized ban. Kali could do anything that Shiva did. Shiva
I could do anything Kali could do. No one could dominate the
Another, then, suddenly, Shiva raised his left leg up until his
left knee was behind her left ear and her left foot that-
slammed over his head. Kali was about to lift her leg when she
contained by her feminine modesty. How could she adopt such a posture-
To not expose her intimate parts to everyone? She smiled shyly.
and I accept defeat. The gods greeted Shiva as Nataraja, the lord.
of the dance. The posture she adopted became famous as Urdhva-Nataraja,
the posture with the raised leg, which tamed the wild Parvati.

This story tries to clearly resolve the conflict between the traditional role
of the woman as a subordinate being to the man and the symbolic role of the woman as
the manifestation of the divine. As Kali was progressively accepted as
a deity of the main religion, its independence began to threaten this
social ability that largely depended on male dominance. The na-
narratives were woven, which established that it did not matter how powerful it was
The goddess still remained subordinate to the masculine form of the divine. In the
next story, for example, Kali is ashamed of submission. The narrative, the
which has no scriptural foundation, explains the most popular image of Kali where
sticks out its tongue.

After killing the demon Daruka, Kali drinks his blood. The blood makes her...
went crazy from her thirst. I roam the world randomly killing. The
the gods pleaded with Shiva to stop her. So he took the form of
a handsome man lay down in the path of Kali. As soon as Kali
She bit her tongue in embarrassment. She was embarrassed to know.
that her thirst for blood had prevented her from seeing and recognizing her own husband.

In the tantric narratives, on the other hand, Kali does not stick out her tongue in embarrassment.
Yes, neither out of embarrassment nor accidentally stepping on Shiva. Sticks out his tongue to drink.
blood. And she sits on him to satisfy her erotic desires excited by her
beautiful form. Kali, in these narratives, is neither defensive nor apologetic about
of their hunger or sexual longing.

After killing the demon Daruka, Kali drinks his blood. The blood makes her
She was driven crazy by the thirst it gave her. I walk the world randomly killing.
mind. The gods pleaded with Shiva to stop her. So he adopted the
the shape of a handsome man lay down on Kali's path. As soon as
As Kali stepped on him, she was overcome by desire. She sat on Shiva and began-
I was going to make love with him. His violent energy transformed into erotic energy.
Tica. Its fervor, which was destructive, became creative. It was no longer an assailant.
No; she was a lover.

The idea of Kali copulating outdoors, sitting on top of her husband, does not
he appealed to popular imagination, which was dominated by patriarchal values
the. A more acceptable way of the narrative was to retell it in theLinga Pu-
frog.

After killing the demon Daruka, Kali drank his blood. The blood made her
 Skanda, who on the seventh day of his life took command of the armies of
Lestiales, I launched an attack against Taraka and killed him in battle.

In theOld, the Devi 'marries' Shiva and ensures that he becomes mun-
damage. But in Tantra, this idea is expressed more explicitly. Shiva is vi-
visualized so absorbed in meditation that he feels nothing of the outside world; it is
like a corpse. Nobody approaches him for fear of his wrath, lest they disturb him.
Kali not only approaches Shiva, she also sits on him and forces him to copulate.
with her. In this way, she stirs Shiva's mind and forces him to recognize the world
external material. This has led to the following statement in theTodala Tantra:
Sadashiva has no energy (lifeless) unless Maha-Kali manifests.
It is also like a corpse (shava) without union with Shakti. Clearly, without Shak-
you, the primordial God has no life and cannot act.
In Hindu metaphysics, God is the spiritual principle and the Devi is the
material principle. He is spirit, She is substance. He is cause, She is the mani-
feast. He is the divine within, She is the divine outside. He gives his form, She her
meaning. One cannot exist without the other. If Shiva is Kala or time, Kali is the
force that makes it turn generating the future and devouring the past. This idea in-
He recited the poem by Swami Vivekananda, 'Kali, the Mother,' which evokes the Night of
Kali like a time of darkness that erases the stars, while in all
parts 'a thousand, a thousand shadows of Death darken and blacken' spreading plagues and
suffering with a crazy and joyful dance. In the terrible vision of the poet, the terror
It is the name of the goddess, death is her breath and destruction follows every step.
because she is the relentless power behind the Time that consumes everything.

Ambivalent source of power

Since Kali exists outside of society in the wild lands, she does not accept
no social norms such as social hierarchy. In the following narrative po-
jumping from the Andhra Pradesh coast, Kali grants a blessing to a man who
He proves his merit not by his lineage but by his courage.

The low-caste hero Kattavarayan was in love with Ariyamalai.

upper caste. He sought permission from his mother, the same Devi, to be-
to test her determination, the Devi took on the form of Kali in
a dark and dense forest. Kattavarayan visited this forest without fear in his
 heart. Killed all the birds and wild beasts that tried to scare
He even killed the demons that guarded the sacred space of Kali,
this threw numerous weapons at the determined hero, but he managed to dodge
each of them. Finally, she swallowed it, but she found herself forced to spit it out.
when she could no longer endure his kicks inside her belly. Convinced that
his love for Ariyamalai and his determination to marry her, Kali gave him
permission to do what I wanted. To help him in his adventure, he gave him a
magic drum, a magic sword, various spells and powerful chants,
and the knowledge to change its form at will. But it also gave him
he stated, 'Remember, the price for breaking the rules of the hierarchy of
casting is impalement.

However, the narrative does not completely reject the caste hierarchy. There is
a clear tension between the Kali of the wild lands and the Kali worshipped by the
members of society.
Kali's indifference to social customs led to the belief
that she did not care about the moral and ethical standards of those who
they invoked whenever they satisfied their thirst for blood. This belief made Kali the
patroness of anarchists, thieves, and sorcerers. In theBhagavata Purana, for
example, there is a narrative where a band of thieves tries to sacrifice him
young Brahmin to Kali so that his leader could have a son. In theWonderful
Ramayana, the sorcerer Mahi-Ravana attempts to sacrifice Rama in order to win
the blessing of Kali. In both stories, however, the sacrifice never has
place. In the first, the spiritual brilliance of the young Brahmin burns the image
from Kali, who appears enraged and kills the thieves. In the other, Rama deceives
Mahi-Ravana so that he would place his head on the sacrificial altar and ends up being
decapitated by Hanuman. Both stories have a happy ending where the 'chi-
"Bad ones" are destroyed and Kali blesses the "good boys." This clearly indicates
It's an attempt to bring Kali closer to an acceptable social framework. It becomes the
defender of righteousness, the destroyer of villains and demons that in her form do not
they seemed different from their former companions, ghosts and goblins.
As the worship of Kali became more popular, there was an effort
aware of restricting rituals to cultural norms. Tantric practice
to distance itself from cultural norms was rejected by the dominant society,
while the Vedic approach is to adapt all rituals step by step to
she is completely tamed. As a mother, she finds the mischiefs of Tenali Raman.
endearing.

The father of Tenali Raman was a devout but impoverished priest.

Kali. One day, I was too sick to go to the temple, so I told
his son to go in his place. Raman did not know how to worship the image an-
and he. Since his father had always told him that Kali was his mother,
he decided to treat the image as if it were his own mother, who had passed away
a long time ago. I ask him why he didn't play with him or give him
eating or taking a bath like her mother would have done. Kali was so moved.
for this innocent display of devotion that appeared before him as
Dasha-Mukha-Kali, Kali with ten heads. As soon as Tenali Raman
saw the ten-headed Kali, burst into laughter. 'Why are you laughing?'
Kali asked, who used to be greeted when she appeared before the devotees.
Your ten heads make me wonder what your nose sounds like when
You're cold,' replied the boy. The idea also made Kali laugh. It overwhelms.
Due to her maternal affection, she offered Tenali Raman a gift: to choose between
to drink the sweet milk of wealth or the sour curds of intelligence.
‘How can I choose without having tried them?’ asks Tenali Raman.
Kali let Tenali Raman take a sip of both drinks. But first
Before he realized it, Tenali Raman finished drinking both beverages.
'They were delicious,' said Tenali Raman with a smile on his face. Kali my-
of the boy who had mocked her with his innocence. Instead of getting angry-
he smiled and blessed Tenali Raman, who would later become the
beloved court jester of Krishnadevaraya, the ruler of Vija-
yanagar.
tantric school of thought, being countercultural, prefers midnight and the
last quarter of the lunar cycle to proceed with their rituals. Typically, Kali
is adored innew moonat midnight of the new moon. The moonlit nights
New moons that fall on Tuesday are particularly auspicious.
The bid ofnew moonmore important and elaborate falls in the lunar month co-
corresponding to October or November in the Western calendar. This night of
Kali, more popularly known as Diwali, when most Hindus
they light lamps while others make blood sacrifices, corresponding with
Samhain, a festival of the Celtic druids, a time when according to tradition
Wicca the veil between the material world and the spiritual is thinner. The choice of
Tonight is appropriate to worship Kali, since Kali is, among many others
things, the goddess of death.

Blood sacrifice
As a form of the Devi who devours life in order to give life, Kali has an insatiable
the appetite for blood. In Nepal, the devotees who visit the Dakshina temple-
They regularly make sacrifices of goats, pigs, lambs, buffaloes and even
chickens, doves, and ducks in order to gain the favor of the goddess. Their heads are cut off
Oh, they are beheaded, and the blood is allowed to flow towards the deity. When it flows
a generous amount of blood, the men drag the dead animals through
the floor of the open-air temple without a roof up to a nearby slaughterhouse. The sinkhole
of washable white tiles and the floor of the sanctuary is overflowing with the
blood of the sacrifices. In Kalighat in Bengal, goats are sacrificed to Kali every day.
on Tuesdays and during the Divali festival.
Two hundred years ago, human sacrifices were common in both.
sanctuaries until laws were passed to put an end to the practice, but they believe
that it is possible to obtain Kali's favor through the sacrifice of blood continues
being popular even today. Occasionally, one hears something about sa-
human sacrifices that are carried out clandestinely by people who with-
they hire criminal services to kidnap their victims. The most common
It is said that people make symbolic sacrifices using vegetables and effigies.
of clay instead of real animals or humans.
The sacrificial beast is always male, never female. The heads that
the garland of Kali is always made of men. This is because it is a
through the feminine form that life is created and killing one would be equivalent to
blocking the cycle of life, something unacceptable in the cult of the Devi.
TheUpanishadsthey declare that the universe is composed of those who eat and
of what is eaten. The Devi as Gauri or Tripura Sundari or Mangala or Bi-
bad life-giver is 'that which is eaten.' Thus, the Devi embodies totality.
of existence.

Lemons, peppers, and neem

Those who avoid the sacrifice of blood offer Kali sour lemons, chilies.
spicy and bitter neem. Traditionally, sweet food is considered auspicious.
it is offered to the deities. Kali, in her opposing style, rejects all the
things conventionally considered auspicious and seeks the non-auspicious
So, even in food. Lemons, chilies, and neem are a reminder of the role
vital that play in our lives those aspects of the cosmos that generally
they are seen with fear, disdain, or suspicion.

Alcohol and hallucinogenic drugs

In the Vedic scriptures, the consumption of alcohol, of hallucinogenic drugs such
like theCannabis Indicaand a certain variety of mushrooms is condemned since I love-
They hinder social stability. They serve as integral components of the worship of Kali.
in particular and of the tantric rites in general. They lead the mind to the subcons-
aware of where all the hidden and repressed wishes and emotions lie. One
faces visions without the constraints of the shackles of biology and ideology.
Everything that society considers inappropriate and inauspicious is explored and
Experienced. In this way, the divine is realized when the truth in its totality
dad is accepted without prejudice.

Corpses
The corpses are considered inauspicious and contaminating, therefore, they are
important in the worship of Kali. The ritual use of corpses is reserved only for
very evolved tantric sadhakas who have achieved high levels of consciousness
and are therefore able to participate in the ritual without feeling a mor- excitment
bosa. The ritual normally takes place at midnight on a new moon.
on Tuesday. A recent corpse is chosen, preferably one that died in
merchants. In earlier times, aspiring individuals often waited downstream to
collect the bodies that were thrown into the river. To protect the bodies of the beings
dear ones, the family therefore preferred to cremate the bodies. The corpse is
placed face down and its back is used as an altar to invoke Kali. Sometimes-
Yes, the consumption of carcass meat is practiced by the Aghoras, ascetics of the
crematoriums, which have broken all ties with society and its conventions
By treating the corpse as a sacred object, the tantric practitioner finds himself
forced to reexamine their standards of what is auspicious and what is not.

Sexual rites
According to theBrihad Nila Tantra, sexual intercourse is an essential component of the ritual
intended to invoke Kali and gain powers from her. This is how a scripture
describe an aspect of the ritual, while repeatedly clarifying that the ritual is able-
rose and that the information must be kept secret:

There is a young and beautiful girl adorned with various jewels.

to comb her hair, give her tambula to chew and draw twoHrimsabout
her breastsAimabout the around your mouth and draw twoKlimson both sides
of her genitals. Pull her towards you by her hair, caress her breasts and then
join us. Oh the pure smile. Recite the mantra 1000 times, Oh the sweet one
Dear, one achieves it by practicing the rite for a week.
Mahesani, recite the mantra not in the way described in the books, but co-
it is written in your yoni. This will bring mantra siddhi, there is no doubt about it.
Thus, Devi, the secret thing that grants all wishes has been declared to you.
Rada. One must not reveal it, one should never reveal it, Mahesani. Oh Na-
Ganandini, at the risk of your life, never reveal it. He is the giver of all.
siddhis. I cannot speak of the magnificence of this mantra. If I had
ten million mouths and ten million tongues, I still could not speak of
Hello, Oh Parameswari.

Sexual acts are generally performed illicitly outside of marriage.

neither with members of lower castes, and if it is done within the caste, then-
those with family members themselves. Therefore, all the rules and taboos are
violated in the search for obtaining the blessing of Kali.
from urban centers, the cities of the Indo-Sarasvati valleys accommodated va-
three systems of beliefs from the patriarchal of the Vedas to the matriarchal of
Tantra. They point to the city of Kalibangan where archaeologists have discovered
what appears to be a series of seven Vedic fire altars, while years of
Excavation at the same site has yielded two statuettes of goddesses. On the contrary,
Rio, the contemporary cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa were centers of a
prosperous worship of the goddess, certified by the recovery from among the ruins of
thousands of goddess figurines.
The archaeological sites of the Zhob and Kulli valleys, in the hills of
Balochistan has revealed farming cultures that preceded civilization.
from the Indus Valley. These isolated villages produced clay female figurines
cooked. Most interpreters believe that these idols have a ritual purpose
and they were probably goddesses of fertility. That the characteristics of them-
the grotesque figurines have led many to conclude that these goddesses
were meant to inspire horror and may have later served as proto-
types of images of fearsome goddesses like Kali.
TheMatsya PuranaIt suggests that Kali originated as an indigenous goddess.
tribal in one of the inaccessible mountainous regions of India, Mount Kalan-
to the north of central India, and to the east of the alluvial plain of the Indus valley.
But due to the date of the composition ofOld, this evidence regarding the
The place of origin of Kali cannot be taken as particularly reliable.
The oldest documentary evidence of the worship of untamed goddesses
and independents outside the Vedic fold comes from the Tamil Sangam literature
chada in the third century BC to the third AD. There Korravai is mentioned, a
goddess of war and victory similar to Kali, to whom buffaloes were sacrificed and
whose forest warriors, the Marvars, were urged to commit suicide
ritual.

Tantric roots
It is unclear whether tantric practices were a reactionary rejection of the values-
Vedic roots, or if the Vedic taboos evolved just to stay away from
the tantric pollution. But during the time that tantric and Vedic religion
they coexisted on Indian soil, influencing each other. The early hymns
Vedic texts, dating from 2000 BC, are infused with tantric elements, and in the core-
zone of the tantric scriptures, dated no earlier than 600 A.D., lies the sublime
 aniU
metaphysical philosophy of pthe shads, which constitute the culmination of the pen-
Vedic thought. In any case, there are clear distinguishing features between the two currents.
tests of Hindu thought. The Tantras do not see the world as maya or an illusion.
session, as Vedic metaphysics assures, but as the source of power, Shakti. In
the tantric scheme of things, it is not caste or gender that determines the
accessibility to spiritual wisdom as in the Vedic world, but the merits
from one to the eyes of the guru. The feminine forms embody enchantment and the ten-
in Vedic mythology, but in tantric narratives they take the form of
powerful intentional deities who are aware of the mysteries of life and
that need to be appeased or forced to reveal their secrets. This is the
cultural matrix from which Kali emerged, a world of fertility, magic, sacrifice,
the deification of natural forces, the control of mind and body, and elevated
speculations about the nature of reality.
The cults of Kali or their manifestations are evident in the ancients
tantric texts. Its worshippers were popular among the ascetics of the cremation.
rivers such as the Aghoras and the wandering alchemist-wizards of the tradition
Nav Nath, who invoked Kali and practiced yoga in order to acquire the eight
siddhis or hidden powers that would allow them to change shape or size, challenge
the laws of space and time, and perform miraculous feats.
In theJayadhratayamalaKali is identified with states of consciousness.
TheThe Desire Tree of Scripturesand thePicchila Tantrathey declare that of all the mantras the one of
Kali is the greatest.Yogini Tantra, theKamakhya Tantraand theNiruttara
TantraEveryone proclaims that Kali is the greatest of all forms of the Devi.
In theNirvana Tantrait is said that the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva emerged from
she like bubbles from the sea, rising and disappearing endlessly,
leaving its source unchanged. TheKamada Tantraunequivocally declares that Kali
it is without attributes, neither masculine nor feminine, pure, and the supreme reality impere-
injury known in the Upanishads as the Brahman from which it manifests the
universe and to which it returns.
The rituals to invoke Kali, as documented in theThe Crest Jewel of Discrimination
Tantra, KarpuradistotrayNiruttara Tantra, they involve meat, blood, ashes
funeral homes, skulls, alcohol, hallucinogens, corpses, and sex, everything that was
considered inauspicious and contaminating for the Brahmanic order. This ritual-
they were a well-guarded secret, restricted to those initiated into the Tán order
Trico. For the rest, Kali seemed like a distant goddess who was very far from the.
those with questionable standards of morality and ethics, who satisfied their thirst
of blood. This fear and suspicion towards Kali expressed in popular literature and
in the secular texts of the medieval period, which have been less than comprehensible
you with the goddess, often describe a spine-chilling and horrifying portrait of Kali,
demanding and requiring human sacrifices. For example, in the work of Bhava-
brotherMatali Madhavawritten in the eighth century, the heroine is abducted by
someone who intends to sacrifice her on the altar of Chamunda in order to obtain powers
hidden.

Emergence of theism
After the rise and fall of Buddhism in India, Hinduism underwent a change.
radical. The old Vedic order collapsed and the new form of spirituality came to
dominating the land, one that involved the worship of a personal god. Three deities-
gods competed for the supremacy of the new order: Shiva, Vishnu, and Mahadevi.
His followers were known as Shaivas, Vaishnavas, and Shaktas respectively.
mind. Their narratives and rituals were recorded in chronicles known as the
PuranasOne of thosePuranas, theMarkandeya, it contains the foundational text of
all the Hindu cults of the Devi that follow. This book within a book is
known as theThe Greatness of the Goddess, theSri Durga Saptashati, or theChandi Path,
which describes the triumph of the Devi as Durga over demons such as Mahis-
Ha, Madhu and Kaitabha and Shumbha and Nishumbha.
The seven chapters of theThe Glory of the Goddessthey describe Kali emerging from the
furrowed brow of the goddess Durga in order to kill the demons Chanda and Munda,
and the generals Shumbha and Nishumbha. Here, the horrific form of Kali has the
black skin, so hanging and emaciated that it barely hides its angular bones. Bri-
white fangs protrude from its open mouth stained with blood,
framing its hanging, red tongue. Sunken, reddened eyes look
from a black face. She is dressed in a tiger skin and carries a Khatvanga, a
skull crowning a traditional staff associated with shamans and tribal wizards
the one that suggests the origin of Kali comes from the fierce indigenous people. In the ba-
subsequent size, much attention is given to her open mouth and sharp teeth
Nantes, with which he devours the hordes of demons. At one point, Munda throws it to him.
thousands of disks, but they enter their mouth 'like many solar orbs disappear-
based on the density of a cloud.' The eighth chapter of theThe Glorification of the Goddessdescri-
an even more horrible portrait. Having murdered Chanda and Munda, Kali
is now called Chamunda, and faces an infinitely more formidable opponent
powerful, the demon Rakta-bija. When a drop of his blood fell to the ground, it sprouted
there was an identical demon. When absolute terror took hold of the gods,
Durga simply laughed and gave instructions to Kali to drink the go-
pools of blood. While Durga attacks Rakta-bija so that his blood flows copiously.
Silently, Kali licked her hungrily. The demons born from the flow perish.
between his grinding teeth until Rakta-bija falls drained and lifeless to the ground.
Puranaslater such as theShiva, Lingam, Vamana, Fish, Bhaga-
vatand theDevi Bhagavatathey contain narratives through which the position of
Kali within the orthodox fold in relation to other deities, both masculine
as feminine, it is clearly established. In most places, it is
seen as a wild form of Uma-Parvati, the consort of Shiva and mother of
Ganesha and Kartikeya, who need to be appeased for the sake of cosmic stability
mica.
Interestingly, in Bengal where devotional movements of the
main source inspired by Chaintaya often intersects with beliefs and
popular tantric customs, Kali is identified with another dark god,
the pastor Krishna, perhaps due to a spirit of syncretism. This trend reaches its
maximum point in theTantraraja Tantra, where it is said that having been enchanted already
in the world of men, the Devi takes on a masculine form like Krishna and pro-
surrender to enchant the women. TheThe Tantra of Divine Enjoyment, a Bengali work, declares
that Krishna was born as the son of the golden Gauri and became black when he got excited
for passion. In theTodala Tantra, each of the ten Maha-Vidyas, forms of
the supreme Goddess has her own male counterpart and here it is said that Krish-
he is Kali's husband.
Despite this, Kali continued to be treated with ambivalence by the
orthodox Brahmanical traditions, due to their association with crematories,
the castes and tribes of the untouchables, and their fondness for meat, blood, and alcohol.

Within the conventional

The worship of Kali in conventional religion had little to do with her men-
tion in tantric texts or puranic scriptures, and more with their identification
with the cult of village goddesses such as Bhagavati from Kerala, Yellamma from
Karnataka, Kalu Bai of Maharashtra, Tara of Bengal, Bhadra-Kali of Andhra,
Kalika Mata of Gujarat and Rajasthan, and Mari Amman of Tamil Nadu. She is the fierce
guardian of the borders, the dark side of gama-devi that threatens to make sick-
illnesses and disasters unless appeased with blood sacrifices, the self
mutilation, hanging from hooks, walking on fire, and the offering of finery
nuptials.
When Kali moves from esoteric tantric rites to the sanctuaries of
the homes, the idea of the goddess that does not take into account ethics and morality with
conventional became unpleasant. There was a conscious effort to make it cultured.
generally more sensitive and ethically more responsible. Thus, in the following narrative-
action of theWondrous Ramayanathe tables turn, with the blessings of Kali, for
the sorcerer who tries to sacrifice Rama.

Rama raises an army of monkeys and launches an attack on the island-kingdom of

Lanka to rescue his wife Sita who had been abducted by the king
demon Ravana. Fearing that Rama would succeed in his mission, Ravana
he sought the help of his son Mahi-Ravana, a sorcerer. Mahi-Ravana abducted
he took Rama and brought him to his underground kingdom with the intention of sacrificing him
to the goddess Kali. Rama's monkey lieutenant, Hanuman, followed Mahi-
Ravana went to the temple of Kali, where he learned that the goddess did not wish for the
blood of Rama. With his help, Hanuman devised a plan to mock
Mahi-Ravana. When the time for the sacrifice came, Rama refused to place
your head on the altar, as Hanuman had advised him. 'I am a prince-
I have never bowed my head. Show me how to do it,' said Rama.
Mahi-Ravana was forced to prove it to him. Lowering his head over the
altar. Only if the neck of Mahi-Ravana had touched the altar when Ha-
Numan hurriedly stepped forward and cut off the wizard's head. Kali
he drank the blood of the sorcerer and blessed Rama and Hanuman. Since then
One day, Hanuman became the guardian of the temples of Kali.

In the seventeenth century, the characterization of Kali underwent a change.

radical in Bengal. Instead of being viewed as a skeletal witch sitting-
of blood, came to be seen as a voluptuous beauty. Highs were pushed
spiritual meanings where its image was disturbing. This loss of faith
Reza had its roots in a devotional movement popularized by the tantric.
Krishnanda Agamavagisha, who in hisTantrasaradescribe for the first time between
other things, what is now the standard form of Dakshina-Kali.
 The devotees began to visualize Kali as a 'caring mother,'
thanks to the songs of the mystic Ramprasad Sen (1718-75) who had visions of
She. The legend says that Ramprasad had gotten a job as an accountant.
with an advisor. However, I wrote the name of Tara, the name by which she
I was directing Kali in all the accounting books. The employer noticed this.
and recognized a saint in formation. Ramprasad used to wade through the Ganges river and can-
sing songs in honor of the divine mother. The boats that went down the Ganges
they stopped to listen to their songs, the people who were going to die on the shores of
They asked Ramprasad to sing for them. Soon he became the favorite.
to del rey. His songs had a profound impact on the local culture. The san-
to the nineteenth century, Ramakrishna, guru of Swami Vivekananda, often
he cited the songs during his speeches.

Oh Mother! You have the great dissolution in your hands;

Shiva lies at your feet, absorbed in bliss.
You laugh loudly, sowing terror
Rivers of blood flow from your limbs.
Oh Tara, maker of good, the good of all, giver of security,
Oh Mother, grant me security.
Oh Mother Kali! Take me in your arms
Oh Mother Kali! Take me in your arms
Oh Mother! Come now like Tara with a smiling face and dressed in white;
As the sunrise descends into the dense darkness of the night.
Oh Mother! Terrifying Kali! I have worshipped you in solitude for a long time.
time.
My adoration has ended; now, Oh Mother!, put down your sword.

It was through the images and songs of this devotional movement.

Bengali and the influence it had on the Bengali intellectuals who interacted.
with the West, such as Swami Vivekananda and Shri Aurobindo, that Kali became
known worldwide. Sir John Woodroffe (1865-1936) also made a
great contribution to understanding Kali, who, despite serving as Judge of the Tri-
Supreme Court in Calcutta during the occupation of the British Empire, found
time to translate little-known tantric texts and discuss them without the typical
European condescension under the pseudonym of Arthur Avalon.
 The Metamorphosis

L the unconventional form of Kali has made her the central figure of
many strategic political speeches. The most popular of these was the pro-
propaganda of the British East India Company in the eighteenth century
nine that the matron made of some highway robbers known as the
Thugs. Almost at the same time, the Bengali intellectuals tired of asking for dis-
blame and defend Hindu practices including the macabre rites associated
with Tantra and linked to Kali, they transformed the goddess into Bharat Mata, a
powerful symbol of the oppressed homeland seeking liberation from foreign yoke
In the twentieth century, Kali's rejection of patriarchal values made her a
a powerful symbol within the feminist movement. It also caught the attention of the
of the New Age writers who sought to rid themselves of the Judeo-
Western Christian-Islamic, and they demanded worship of the Devi. The ambivalence
Kali has inspired the creative mind and led to its incorporation in many
works of fiction, though not always in a favorable light.

The Devi of the Thugs

Between the cities of Allahabad and Varanasi, where the Vindhya range touches the
south bank of the sacred Ganga, in the city known as Vindhyachal is the
temple complex dedicated to the goddess Vindyavanisi, a form of Durga. No
Far from this sanctuary is the temple of Kalikhoh, which is believed to be the sanctuary.
central of the Thugs who became infamous thanks to the writings of many ofi-
such as those of the British East India Company.
The officers wrote that the Thugs had respectable lives.
They are usually artisans. But for a few weeks a year they...
they dedicated themselves to the sacrifice that was their act of worship. They operated far from home to avoid
to be recognized, gangs of between ten and fifty Thugs attracted the victims
towards their death through deceit. They joined the merchants and pilgrims, and
they accompanied them until the opportunity to kill them arose. When the
At that moment, the killer approached the victim from behind and strangled her with a
handkerchiefthe handkerchief, while whispering to Kali to watch.
the following story was told to explain this bizarre practice:
 When Kali faced the demon Rakta-bija who could reproduce his blood.
of himself from each drop of his blood, she created from his sweat two fierce-
these warriors, Kala Bhairava and Gora Bhairava. Kali gave him ahandkerchiefeach
one with the instruction to strangle the clones of Rakta-bija so that the
blood will not be spilled on the ground. The Thugs were descendants of the
two Bhairavas, who strangled their victims to demonstrate their devotion
the deity of the family.

Some travelers escaped the attack. Women, for example, usually

to be forgiven in deference to the gender of Kali. Also the hermits and artisans-
No. The lepers and incapacitated were exempt as the Thugs feared with-
to take refuge. Not wanting to risk reprisals from colonial rulers, the
murderers never bothered any Europeans. The majority of preferred victims
they were men of the superior castes, whether Brahmins, Baniyas (merchants-
the Rajputs (warriors).
In 1826, Colonel Willian Sleeman, civil administrator of Jubbulpore
(Jabalpur) a district in central India began to eradicate the Thugs. They came to
the Thugs captured to increase their information about the secret brotherhood,
who broke their code of silence in exchange for offers of clemency. Gangs
entirely were cornered and subjected to harsh punishments. By 1840, around
3500 thugs were tried and 500 were hanged. By 1858, with the exception
From isolated outbreaks, the reign of terror of the Thugs came to an end. (Some of the
Reformed thugs became expert carpet weavers, they were so skilled.
that one of its carpets was sent to Queen Victoria for Windsor Castle
sor.)
Although the story of this strange cult of thieves has captured the imagination
nation of people around the world, inspiring many novels and movies,
Recent research by scholars such as Stewart N. Gordon has shown
I convincingly argue that the Thugs were neither a religious order nor any
type of homogeneous and organized group. Those labeled as Thugs were of he-
cho, groups of marauding soldiers, both Hindus and Muslims, of di-
verses regions that robbed and murdered not out of religious compulsion but
for economic and political reasons. Their leaders ordered them to extort money
it is necessary to buy weapons and pay mercenaries to fight against
the British. Many of these soldiers worshipped Kali, not because 'she gave them
 No fun.
Perhaps this is what it has to be
Such is the game of existence.
Take me home, Mother
Night falls
I am tired.
Ramprasad Sen (eighteenth century)

Hymn 8
Oh Mother,
You give birth
Proteges
Matas
Absorbs everything
You are the creator
You are the Protector
You are the destroyer.
I bow before you, Kali
Beloved of Time
Salvadora
Knew
Tara
Srividya
Giver of wealth
Path of Liberation
Hara and Hari greet you.
And all the gods
Just like me.
Karpuradi Stotra (seventeenth century)

Hymn 9
Hrim, destroyer of time!
Srim, personification of terror!
Krim, giver of blessings!
Brilliant like the fires of dissolution
Leonada, Black, Night of Darkness
Beloved of the creator
Liberator from the bonds of desire
Bearer of the crescent moon
Destroyer of fear, of sin, of pride, in the Age of Kali
Virginal
affectionate
Thin
Wine lover
Delightful
Revealer of the path of the Kaulikas
Queen of Kashi
Dissipator of suffering.
I pay you homage.
Adya Kali Stotra (sixteenth century)
 Gratitude
This book is based on the lectures and writings of my brother Dr. Devdutt.
Pattanaik. I have only collected. May Kali, the dark mother, watch over this enterprise.
please.
Index
Introduction…7
The form...9
The manifestations…15
The stories...25
The cult...41
The origin...49
The Metamorphosis...59
Wisdom…67
Conclusion...71
Hymns...73