The Hindu goddess Kali is somebody whose good side you want to stay on. On the one hand, Kali is sthe benevolent protector of the innocent. On the other hand (or rather, one of the other hands), she has also been known to dance on the corpses of those she killed. She protects the innocent by wreaking vengeance and destruction on the bad bguys, and she isn’t dainty about it.
Kali (her name means “time”) is often a scary figure, with dark blue skin, red eyes, and four arms, each of which holds a different symbolic object. She’s usually dressed in tiger skin and festooned with a garland of skulls, and carries a skull-topped staff, or a sword and a severed head. Sometimes, instead of a tiger skin, she gets dolled up in a skirt made of human arms. But don’t let her intense appearance fool you; under that ferocious exterior is a profound message. The sword represents the power to cut through the illusions of Maya, the cosmic illusion that hides the true nature of reality. The severed head symbolizes the ego, the ultimate illusion that keeps us trapped in the cycle of suffering. Kali is showing us that liberation lies in letting go of our attachment to the false self, embracing our true essence. She represents the raw, untamed forces of the universe. Kali, as the goddess of destruction, is primarily concerned with destroying the illusions of ego and the shackles of attachment.
She’s usually portrayed standing with her right foot on her husband Shiva’s chest. This is a reference to that time when she was on the battlefield and so completely enraged that she was on the brink of destroying the universe. Shiva laid down under her foot to break her focus and calm her. Most of the times we see her, she’s sticking out her tongue, which symbolizes her insatiable hunger for truth, her unyielding thirst for knowledge and wisdom.
Kali and Parvati are two sides of the same being; where Kali, the goddess of destruction, represents the raw and unbridled energies of creation and destruction, Parvati, the gentle and nurturing goddess, embodies grace, beauty, and love. Her story often revolves around her dedication to her spouse and her role as a loving mother to their children. Parvati and Kali may appear as contrasting forces, but they are not in opposition to each other. In fact, they are intricately intertwined and the support each other.
Like a lot of gods and goddesses, Kali has a lot of other names. Depending on who you talk to, Kali has 8 or 12 or 21 different forms: In Bengal, she’s Dakshinakali, the benevolent mother and protector of children. Sometimes she’s Samhara Kali, the embodiment of destruction, her most powerful form.
Like Pokemon, gods and goddesses get different forms and names as they advance, and that’s true of Kali. Sometimes she shows up as Mahakali (“Great Kali”), the manifestation of ultimate reality. The change there is that Mahakali has ten arms instead of just the four. Also ten heads and ten legs, which might be a bit excessive to western eyes.
Kali’s other forms include Raksha Kali (the Kali worshiped for protection against epidemics and drought), Bhadra Kali, Guhya Kali, Adya kali, Chintamani Kali, Sparshamani Kali, Santati Kali, Siddhi Kali, Dakshina Kali, Bhadra Kali, Smashana Kali, Adharvana Bhadra Kali, Kamakala Kali, Guhya Kali, Hamsa Kali, and Kalasankarshini Kali. Any one of them can be your best friend or mess you up beyond reason, depending on what you bring to the table.
Lessons we can learn from Kali:
1. Be yourself, including the weird and scary parts; all the different versions of you are still you, and you should accept them all.
2. Seek the truth and don’t be afraid to confront your fears and illusions.
3. If you’re weird, be a weirdo; step out of your comfort zone even if it scares the neighbors.
