While the whole of India pays reverence to the festival of lights and Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali or Deepavali, Bengal, my mother land, pays hommage to Maa Kali.
It is the a hommage that requires deep tapasya (austeries and penances) and ultimate sadhana (discipline) in the journey to the dark Goddess.
Nir jhaal (without water and without food) fasting for more than 28 hours, our sadhana is to be in meditation and in tapasya to rid our egos, our desires and our greed while in obeisance of Her puja (prayer).
When puja starts usually after 11pm every Diwali, everyone is summoned with the beating of the dhak (drums) and ululation of the women to symbolise the summoning of our beloved Mother.
As we speak, Malaysian Bengalee Association in Port Dickson is preparing for the puja to begin with ladies preparing prasad and bhog (offerings) for the Goddess.
THE ASHTA KALIS
There are many versions of Maa Kali as there as many different forms of Maa Durga.
๐๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข is the goddess who grants boons and is regarded as the most popular form of Kali. She appears as a beautiful young woman standing on the breast of a ลhiva who is lying blissfully on the ground beneath Her.
She is the benevolent One, who gives Her worshipper what he/she deserves, granting the results of prayer, worship and spiritual discipline.
She is the goddess of manifestation. Dakshina also refers to the Southern direction. When one sits facing East (as Shiva is supposed to), your left hand faces the North and the right hand faces the South. South is the location of Yama, the Lord of Death and also refers to the funeral fire as traditionally, most cremation grounds are situated.
In this sense, the goddess can be seen as the deity of the burning ground who liberates one from the fear of death to rebirth.
๐๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ข ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข is the Kali who gives the Ashta siddhis –Aแนima, mahimฤ, garฤซmฤ, laghimฤ prฤpti, prฤkฤmya, iแนฃitva, and vaแนฃitva.
She is the Kali one worships to achieve the 8 mastery of the tantras.
๐๐ฎ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข has Her name from the word Guhya meaning secret, private, concealed or hidden.
Shiva appears as Guhya Guru or the Mysterious Guru, and when Kali manifests as Guhya, She is mysterious, hidden, revealing and hiding as She weaves consciousness into Her sadhak (disciple). Regarded as the most dangerous form of Kali, She is the Kali who lurks behind the play of appearances, and who reveals Her true nature to all who passes through the veil of form.
According to the Tantrasara, Guhyakali is not nude but wears black clothes. She is fond of serpents and wears them as Her โsacred thread.’ She wears the thousand-headed serpent Ananta (usually seen on Viแนฃhแนuโs couch) over Her head and She sits on a bed of serpents. Though She is terrifying, She laughs wildly and is accompanied by a ลhiva who appears as a young boy.
๐๐ซ๐ข ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข is a benevolent goddess. Sri first appears in the Vedic texts where She is the goddess of generosity, radiance, beauty and grace. In Kaliโs cluster, Srikalika is not only a benevolent and generous goddess, She is also a link to the cluster of deities that emerge from Lakshmi. Considered as the combination of both goddesses, goddess Lakshmi Kalika, She is benevolent, generous and grants joy, pleasure and luxury to Her devotees.
๐๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐๐ค๐๐ฅ๐ข appears a few times in the early Shakta literatures. She is mentioned twice in the Kurma Purana and plays a major role in the Devi Mahatmya. Bhadrakali is one of the most terrifying Kalis in evidence. She joins the Devi to slaughter demons on the battlefield.
๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ – When Caแนแธa and Muแนแธa tried to capture Ambikฤ, She became terribly angry and Her face turned black. From the surface of Her forehead appeared Kali, of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and a noose.
Cutting down both enemies with Her sword, She sends the Asuras (demons) into panic retreat. Returning to Goddess Ambika, She exclaims, laughing loudly, โHere I have brought you the heads of Caแนแธa and Muแนแธa, the two great animal offerings as the sacrifice of this battle.’ For making this offering, Kali received the title Chamunda, meaning the Slayer of Caแนแธa and Muแนแธa.
๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ is the Kali of the Cremation ground. If Kali has Her left foot forward on Shiva then She is known as โSmashan Kali,โ or Vama Kali. Vamakali is usually worshipped only by non-householders as the austerities and the penances are extremely severe.
Smashana Kali or Samhara Kali or Vama Kali, is the embodiment of the power of destruction. She is the most dangerous and powerful form of Kali. She is the chief goddess of the Tantrik texts. In the form of Samhara Kali, Kali advocates the spiritual discipline practice in a cremation ground and only those associated with the tantrik or aghora sects perform Her sadhana.
๐๐๐ก๐๐ค๐๐ฅ๐ข is the cosmic manifestation of Kali. ‘Maha,’ means great, strong, mighty, abundant, or light, lustre, brilliance, while Kali means black or time. As Mahakali, the goddess is creator, maintainer, destroyer, suspender and re-creator of the cosmos. Mahakali has ten heads, ten mouths, ten feet and holds in Her ten hands, a club, a bow, a bolt, a trident, a bhuลuแนแธฤซ (a weapon that looks like a sickle), a sword, a discus, a skull, a conch and an arrow.
Whatever Her form, to the Bengalis, She is Maa – no matter how dangerous or how terrifying, we believe She is forgiving, patient and gentle with Her children.
It is believed that when you offer your heart to Maa Kali, She will lead you by your hand and deliver you at the gateway of your heart’s desires.
No matter what beliefs many have about Her, to the Bengali, She completes our altars and is the ultimate form of worship and is the burial place of all our negative emotions – only Maa Kali can offer you the deliverance to your Self.
May you find your deliverance at the feet of the Devi!
Jai Maa!
Image credit: Pinterest
SUJATA NANDY WORLD GURUKUL
