Kali

[ramanirvana]

No disrespect in anyway.I would just like to know why is Kali maa worshiped more often than other goddesses.?and why do some devotees get whipped,because kali enters there body as i saw in a video of a kali temple. i would like to know hindus view on this?again no disrespect to any.As I have a deep respect for my mother.kali.

[PARAM]

Jai Maa Kali, ramanirvana

When you say you have deep respect for Kali, than you can understand why other Hindus have respect for her.

However Kali's symbol is opposite Swastik, that means distruction
Kali is Bhagwati of Distruction.

She is for the distruction of adharm with no mercy, means show no mercy to adharm.

We worship her for the path of dharm

[shian]

As far i know this kind of things is not the main ways in Mother Goddess temple

But Mother Goddess temple will have many unique things happened.

Like Chinesse temple of Mother Universe,
there is have a priest who have magical power to communication with under world or ancestor, they can know and do what ever the decease like do in life.

and also , if have a people who do bad thins, and he or she get more attention by Mother , their hand will automaticlly smash on their face..etc

about possessed by spirit, i dont see that as spirit of Mother Goddess,
that is much more is because guardian spirit of Mother temple.

But unfortunattely wrong people will stuck and attached by magical power.

[ramprasad]

I don't know if it's true that Kali is worshipped more than other Goddesses, at least by name, but I could be mistaken. Pertaining to the whipping, I don't know, but I suspect you're speaking of western Kali worshippers who incorporate sadomasochism into their rituals in an effort to destroy the ego and bring about divine union. Jai Kali Ma.


No disrespect in anyway.I would just like to know why is Kali maa worshiped more often than other goddesses.?and why do some devotees get whipped,because kali enters there body as i saw in a video of a kali temple. i would like to know hindus view on this?again no disrespect to any.As I have a deep respect for my mother.kali.

[sunyata07]

I'm also not sure if that's entirely accurate about Maa Kali being more worshipped than other aspects of Devi. In fact, before reading this post, I had thought that it was Durga who was more widely worshipped, even though it seems like both names and forms are almost synonymous.

Ramprasad, when you say western Kali worshippers, are you speaking of westerners who follow the Shakta path of Sanatana Dharma, or western wicca practitioners who have adopted Kali as a pagan goddess? I'm not sure most of them even understand Kali's role as ego-destroyer. It saddens to me think how misunderstood Kali is in the West - either as a cruel, demonic force or merely some occultist Tantric sex goddess.

[ScottMalaysia]

?and why do some devotees get whipped,because kali enters there body as i saw in a video of a kali temple

I have seen people go into "Kali trance". The ones I've seen are women, although I don't know if it happens to men as well. I remember seeing a woman in trance stick her tongue out like Mother Kali. Her movements were almost robotic, very calculated, and I think she screamed as well. I saw it at a long abhisheka ceremony and again at the Thaipusam festival at the Batu Caves (a Murugan shrine in Malaysia).

[sm78]

No disrespect in anyway.I would just like to know why is Kali maa worshiped more often than other goddesses.?and why do some devotees get whipped,because kali enters there body as i saw in a video of a kali temple. i would like to know hindus view on this?again no disrespect to any.As I have a deep respect for my mother.kali.

Sri vidya and lalita mahatrupurasundari is by far the most worshipped mahavidya among shaktas. durga in her various forms is the most popular devi idol. kali is not doubt also very popular, but much display and fan-fare sarrounding her is only in the eastern india.

I am not sure of the possession and whipping ritual you have seen, could be some local custom motivated by tribal customs.

It is true that in all hindu agamic worship (not just the eye-catching "left hand" tantric) there is an element of "possession" in worshiping one's deity - though nobody calls it by that name. But even when worshiping the calm and glorious narayan one does invoke the lord to occupy the throne in the centre of the lotus in the heart in a ritual called atma prana pratistha - same is done for kali or any other forms of goddess. One may call this process possession if one may will ... would not be completely inaccurate imho ;)

[upsydownyupsy mv ss]

Kali has many many forms, one of which is the terrible Kali. In this form, she destroys. She has other forms too. Many see her in the form of a maiden wearing a red saree, with gold border and a captivating smile which says, 'fear not,' without her even speaking. This is why Kali actually got her name. Kali has many meanings. Most of the times, its custom and misbelieves for worshippers to whip themselves and some (not all) enact the trance. Kali seems deadly in the form of a lady with a garland of skulls, sharp nails of an animal, blood dripping from a sword, many legs, many hand, each with a weapon, she standing on shiva, terrible eyes, a belt of hands, etc indicates her entropic (or destructive) feature. Just like shiva has a scary, terrible, happy, peaceful, trance, and many forms, his shakti also, naturally follows corresponding forms. Kali is kalakali (destroyer of everything, even time itself) as destroyer, shiva assumes, kalabhairava or aghora when destroying things. When protecting, liberating(giving moksha) and evolving things, she wields a trident, wears a red saree with golden border, with a smile, assuring safety, shiva assumes the form of a tapasvi or saint (They are the greatest devotee of 'they'), giving bliss to bliss itself. When they create, they create and manifest their essense into this earth with both doing the lasya nrthya, as 2 dancers.

[charlebs]

she eats away male ego which is destructive but good

I once met her as a team of old women in a dream and she gave me her wish for the world, but I could not accept.
I begged and begged for her to see her true form but all I saw was smoldering ash...

[BryonMorrigan]

Sri vidya and lalita mahatrupurasundari is by far the most worshipped mahavidya among shaktas. durga in her various forms is the most popular devi idol. kali is not doubt also very popular, but much display and fan-fare sarrounding her is only in the eastern india.

For the record, I noticed that the OP is in the USA. Here, we do not see much Sri Vidya worship, at least I haven't. There is one temple in Rochester, NY, but that is the only one with which I am familiar. On the other hand, there are actually a lot more Kali temples in North America, and while I've seen Durga murtis in many temples, I've never seen one specifically devoted to her.

(Of course, I may have missed them...as it's not always easy to find Hindu centers in the USA. They exist...but often have atrocious websites, or none at all...or actually call themselves something like, "The Indian Cultural Society of Somewhere, America." Considering the way that many Christian extremists in this country have targeted Hindus and Sikhs, it doesn't really surprise me that such things might be intended for "security.")

Anyways, most Americans have heard the name, "Kali," thanks to the ludicrous versions of her shown in movies like, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," or television shows like, "Xena: Warrior Princess." Most of them think she is the Hindu "version" of the Christian "Satan," and believe that humans are sacrificed to her on a daily basis. Now, ask them about Durga or Lalita Mahatrupurasundari and you are likely to receive a blank stare.

[mahax]

how do you completly give yourself to kali..it always seems that she is there in my life

i can see ever since i became aware of her..how my life drastically changed..

i am very rebellious at times but now i just don't want to fight anymore

is there a ritual that i can do this..i have no guru i don't think i ever will even though i would like to follow instructions from one..

i have tried practicing on my own and have caused alot of damage to myself not knowing what i am doing or doing things to my meet my own selfish ends..

i love kali she has always been there to help and teach me lessons..

any suggestions....

[sunyata07]

Namaste Mahax,

Welcome to the forums. Nice to have you with us. Maybe you could give us a quick introduction on your background. It would help us give you better answers that way. I'm curious to know if you were born into the Hindu tradition, or if you are Hindu now? How did you come to know and worship Mother Kali?



i have tried practicing on my own and have caused alot of damage to myself not knowing what i am doing or doing things to my meet my own selfish ends..



What do you mean by "practising"? Do you mean regular worship of God, or are you involved in tantric practice?

Om namah Shivaya

[Jainarayan]

What do you mean by "practising"? Do you mean regular worship of God, or are you involved in tantric practice?

Om namah Shivaya

Or invoking Maa Kali through Her mantra OM Sri Maha Kalikayai Namaha instead of the regular OM Kalikayai Namaha. I've read that the former is very purgative and should be used with care. I wonder if that's what he means.

I myself have wanted to use it to purge negative energies that I feel are around me. But I realize I am inviting the negative energies, so I will just use the mantra of praise. I realize I might be getting more than I bargained for by attempting to "wipe the place clean". Maa Kali just taught me that, I think. :)

[kaliflower]

No disrespect in anyway.I would just like to know why is Kali maa worshiped more often than other goddesses.?and why do some devotees get whipped,because kali enters there body as i saw in a video of a kali temple. i would like to know hindus view on this?again no disrespect to any.As I have a deep respect for my mother.kali.
i would like to say humbly about divine mother Kali
mother is the greatest of great she is not only destroyer but she is creator sustainer and destroyer when everything goes i mean pralay only Kali remains as chit shakti and then new creation is started by her only
she is above time and death i mean kal
when we see her in human body as you say that is her energy or shakti but according to me to show in public is loosing their progress in spiritual advancement because main goal in life to know our own self who i am ? and once we get self realisation we know god
to know god is to know our self and to know our self is to know god
if we are devotee of ma Kali we release yourself with ma Kali her self and if we try to keep all shakti given by ma Kali in our self not showing out then we sure reach faster in our goal
this is i know by just hearing from great realised souls but not by experiencing my self once person realised then there is no I Or we remains as all ego merge in divine thanks

[kaliflower]

No disrespect in anyway.I would just like to know why is Kali maa worshiped more often than other goddesses.?and why do some devotees get whipped,because kali enters there body as i saw in a video of a kali temple. i would like to know hindus view on this?again no disrespect to any.As I have a deep respect for my mother.kali.
i forgot to mention one thing that why Kali is worshiped more then other goddesses reason i know that Kali is more alive or responding to prayers in this age of distress or say kali yug that is the reason why she is worshiped more she is more responding to devotees she is ever present everywhere

[Jainarayan]

You could start here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali

[sunyata07]

Namaste,

From my own knowledge and experience, Shaktas make very little differentiation (if at all) between Mother Kali and Durga. They share the same names and epithets, and are linked to many other forms of Goddess as Destroyer of Evil (Chamunda, Chandamundavinashini, Mahishasuramardini, Rudrani, Papaharini). The only difference between Their manifestations is in the devotee's belief of Who gave rise to Whom. Some believe Kali is an intensely ferocious and dark form of Mother Goddess born from the brow of Mother Durga in order to battle great forces of evil, while others believe it's the other way around and that Kali is the original Progenitrix.



All I know of Kali is she has a garland of skulls. I have seen paintings of her in random little places in AP. I have never seen a shrine of kali and I do not know how she is worshiped or what purpose she serves or her significance in Hinduism.



There is a deep significance to Kali's imagery. I suggest you read over this (http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=4823) thread to find out some more about this manifestation of Divine Mother. Her purpose is no different from Durga's. Even on the surface level, They have very similar roles as Destroyers of Evil and Negative energies that have grown and thrived under asuric influences. I suppose you could say Maa Kali is particularly invoked to Destroy the evil of the Ego, what is arguably the greatest obstacle to spiritual aspirants who want to surrender completely to God and end all illusions of ahamkara. Yes, when She was called to defeat the forces of evil, she became almost beserk and could only be stopped when Shiva lay before Her and when She stepped upon Him She instantly sobered and stuck Her tongue out in remorse. This is another powerful symbol of sattva guna overcoming rajasic passions. But it isn't quite fair to say Kali doesn't care for anyone. In fact, many Shaktas cite Her to be the most compassionate form of Mother, because She can grant liberation from the wheel of suffering and rebirth.

Om namah Shivaya

[BryonMorrigan]

i forgot to mention one thing that why Kali is worshiped more then other goddesses reason i know that Kali is more alive or responding to prayers in this age of distress or say kali yug that is the reason why she is worshiped more she is more responding to devotees she is ever present everywhere

It sounds to me like you are mixing up your "Kali's." The Kali Yuga is named for the demon "Kali," (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_%28Demon%29) which is not the same as the Goddess "Kālī" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali).

Also, one way to think about Kali Maa and her "dark" imagery is to think about the idea of "Mother Earth." Look at the power of the destruction caused by a tsunami or earthquake. Are these things "evil?" Sure, they're scary...but also beautiful in their own way, as well as necessary parts of the natural world. (NOTE: I'm not saying necessarily that Kali Maa is simply another word for "Mother Nature." I'm just using this as an analogy to help people understand her...)

[Jainarayan]

Namaste sunyata


Namaste,

Yes, when She was called to defeat the forces of evil, she became almost beserk and could only be stopped when Shiva lay before Her and when She stepped upon Him She instantly sobered and stuck Her tongue out in remorse.

Om namah Shivaya

Another touching version, is that when Shiva saw Kali's rampage He became a baby and began crying. Ma Kali stopped her rampage to pick up the wailing baby to breast feed Him. This shows Her compassionate maternal aspect. I liken Her to a mother bear protecting her cubs. Mess with the she-bear, or cause disturbance (evil) in her world, and she will go on a rampage to eliminate the "threat". I think of the same image for Ma Kali. She is a benevolent, loving and devoted mother, but don't cross Her or disrupt the natural order of things.

[Mana]

It would appear that there is a somewhat inherent confusion about this subject, the very notion of time.

Kalki, how does he fit in to all this?

[Jainarayan]

Kalki is the 10th and final avatara of Lord Vishnu, coming at the end of Kali-Yuga, the age of evil, to usher in Satya-Yuga, the age of virtue. Etymologically the names Kālī, Kālikā and Kāla refer to time, as in the end of, or the time has come. The name Kalki may come from kalka which may mean destroyer of darkness, filth, ignorance, unvirtue.