There is one particular scene in the second installation of the Indiana Jones movie franchise, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where Professor Indy, Willie and Shorty stumble into a secret tunnel and walks right into the heart of a gargantuan ritual conducted by a group of Thugees, honouring the fearsome Kali.
The crowd mystifyingly chants “Jai Kali”, goading on the arrival of Amrish Puri dressed in black and red robes, a haunting head dress with two large horns potruding out menacingly. Here, he is established as the Thugee cult leader and a staunch Kali devotee as he proceeds to chain up a victim, chanting “Kali Maa, Shakti De” as he proceeds to dig the poor guy’s heart out with his bare hands before lowering him into an endless abyss of hot lava. The crowd chants maddeningly, trance-like as Amrish Puri looks on them with an ominous smile.
Rajinikanth and friends stumble upon a virgin sacrifice in the deep dwellings of a forest, egged on with the percussions of animal hide drums and the constant chanting of “Om Maa Kali” as the poor girl is beheaded, leaving the onlookers nonplussed in the 1981 action film, Kazhugu.
Certain movie scenes, like as aforementioned, have been portraying Kali in a fearsome, dark fashion that causes trepidation and perspiration pooling down our backs. Her form itself, is a visual treat and explains fear at first sight. Kali, however, has also been widely misunderstood as a Tantric goddess.
Kali, is the opposite of Kala and her name can refer to Time. Kala is a form of Shiva that also signifies darkness, hence Kali being depicted as a goddess rich in melanin. Out of every form of Shakti, did you know that Kali is the most loving and compassionate one despite her fearsome appearance ? As such, Kali herself, is a symbolic representation of self-consciousness.
There are many tales to how Kali appeared, popular legends citing the birth of Chamundi from Durga to annihilate the multiplying demon, Rakhtabija. In a summary, this dude’s blood cannot spill or more of him appears. It was exhausting to behead one Rakhtabija and receive ten more in return, which prompted the birth of Chamundi Kali. She beheaded him and drank up his blood, not spilling a drop and finally reducing him to nothing.
Kali represents the feminine power of Shiva, where both Shiva and Shakti co-exist. There is never one without the other, but a certain imagery of Kali depicts Shiva being trod on by Kali. As a child, I was distraught by that because I thought Shiva was being destroyed but Papa proceeded to clear my doubts.
At a time when Kali was destroying evil forces, she got very exhilarated until her vibrations started to affect the universe itself. Knowing that only he could stop her, Shiva lay down on earth, waiting for her to step on him so that he can absorb her wrath. As she pressed her foot down on his chest, Kali realises that it’s her husband and in shame, her long tongue falls out, finally at rest.
It can be quite saddening to know that there are many out here who invoke Kali without realising the actuality of her being. The idea of Kali being a scary Tantric goddess used in petrifying rituals, invoking evil powers and many attempting to undergo trance-like meditation and sacrifices with her imagery is the reality of Kali devotion today. Let me breakdown the actuality of Kali as an iconography.
Kali’s nakedness signifies the shedding of Maya, the power of illusion and her loose hair translates to freedom from any emotional, physical and mental binding.
The skulls around her neck, called the Varnamalai, represents different Sanskrit letters that denotes creative power and energy.
The severed head of the demon hanging from her hand signifies the laceration of ego in the human mind.
Kali as herself, represents the journey of one towards liberation through self-consciousness as she tactfully reminds us that every one of us has an end, and that end will be her warm lap itself.
There are so much more to Kali that I have still yet to learn. Reading up on this formidable form of the Cosmic Mother had been an eventful insight for me because I’ve always been scared shitless whenever it came to Kali ; it could also be due to different experiences of Tantric Kali experiences that I have seen or heard about. I am more than happy to welcome tales, experiences and profound knowledge on Kali so do feel free to share it with me.
I hope the first day of Navaratri had been kind and wonderful as we end off with a quote.
“Whether Kali seems terrifying, fascinating, or loving depends on our state of consciousness and our level of both emotional and spiritual development. But she always invites us to a radical form ego-transcendence.”
― Sally Kempton, Awakening to Kali: The Goddess of Radical Transformation.
Another day tomorrow, with the tale of another Mahavidya.
File photo : Pinterest.
