Talk about Goddess Kali and the image that comes to our mind is that of a fierce woman with blood dripping tongue. But why does Goddess Kali drink blood? Demons or Asuras through severe austerities obtain boons from Brahma. The demons often try to attain boons of immortality but Brahma often denies it. Instead the demons are given death under specific circumstances. The Asura Raktabeeja obtained a boon from Brahma that every drop of blood that falls on earth from his body will produce more demons.
The Devas could no longer fight Rakthabeeja and were on the receiving end. Finally, Mother Durga appeared as the terrifying Goddess Kali, who sucked up every blood that fell from Raktabeeja.
After destroying Raktabeeja, Goddess Kali remained blood thirsty and a horror to humans. Finally, Lord Shiva had to come down to earth to control her.
This is the reason why images of Goddess Kali are shown with blood red protruding tongue.
The Devas could no longer fight Rakthabeeja and were on the receiving end. Finally, Mother Durga appeared as the terrifying Goddess Kali, who sucked up every blood that fell from Raktabeeja.
1 comments:
Hello Abhilash,
Nice blog on the whole. However, Kali is not, and was not a terror to humans and Shiva did not come down to earth to control her! Kali is the Shakti of Shiva, the power of Shiva. Just as a fire would not be a fire without the flames, the heat and the light (ie the energy) just so, Shiva would not be Shiva without Kali/Durga/ -the Divine Mother. In the same way, just as flames and heat would not exsist without the fire, Maa Shakti/Kali/Durga would not exsist without Shiva! So Shiva and Shakti are the same, one cannot exist without the other.
What the Divine Mother, Kali IS, a terror to is the undharmic, negative forces in us humans -the demons in us! Demons/asuras such as desire, anger etc. In Her infinite compassion when we submit to Kali, she takes all those ausras/demons, negativites conflicts and opposing thoughts away from us and wears them as ornaments on Her self. Kali takes all the adharmic forces away from us and exposes our divinity, exposes that we are divine by nature, (ie grants moksha). She is so protective of Her children that in the tale that you tell in your blog about raktabeej, she would have destroyed all negativity. If she had done that then us all humans would not have a chance to evolve to work through our karmas. And it is therfore for that reason that Shiva came and submitted at her feet. (Did not control Her!!!. That is why you see him lying at her feet. This image of Shiva lying corspe like at Kali's feet is showing something else. Kali exposes our divinity if we let her. If we feel that her image is frightening then it is all the negativity in us that is feeling this fear. If we love Her and surrender to Her then there is no other aspect of the One Divine which is so loving, compassionate and protective!
Please read the explanation given at this URL. An explanation written by a Sadhu (not a godman who you rightly warn against in another page of your blog!)
Best wishes!
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